Originally Posted by
Jagboi
I find it bizzare that wind would cancel a train. Plane I can see, but the trains??
Maybe I'm just used to Canadian railways where almost nothing short of avalanches stops the trains. When roads and airports are closed the trains keep on running.
The wind has an effect on the overhead wiring system that powers the electric trains.
The theory goes that when the East Coast Line was electrified using this overhead system 20 years ago it was done on the cheap. The masts that hold the wires up were placed further apart than they could have been to save money and thus wind has a big effect..... The wires sway too much and cause problems for the trains as they are unable to pick up the electricity.
The "wrong type of snow" excuse refered originally to the same line just after electrification. IIRC the snow fell almost horizontally and penetrated the electrical equipment. Vertical snow would not have caused those problems - thus "wrong type of snow" - It became a bit of a legend but it made sense at the time....
Leaves on the line affect trains in many countries - not just the UK. Neither are Sun Kinks a uniquely British problem - they have also caused accidents in the US and other places -If the temperature rises unseasonally there will be problems.