A stolen tractor was driven onto a railway line and abandoned when it hit 25,000-volt power cables. British Transport Police (BTP) said the thieves could have caused a train derailment and had put themselves in "incredible danger". The tractor was driven onto train lines between Hattersley and Godley stations, Greater Manchester, on Saturday. A resident raised the alarm about the incident, which forced seven trains to be cancelled and 14 delayed. She heard the engine being revved and a loud bang when the tractor came into contact with the overhead power lines. The Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop and Hadfield line was active at the time with trains running regularly through the area, BTP said. Insp Glen Alderson said: "It is extremely fortunate that nobody was injured as a result of this incident. "If a train had collided with the tractor it could have been derailed with tragic consequences. The offenders also put themselves in incredible danger as the overhead power lines carry a charge of 25,000 volts. "If it wasn't for the vigilance of this local resident we may have been faced with a major incident." BTP want witnesses to come forward. Source BBC
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Tractor abandoned on railway line
A stolen tractor was driven onto a railway line and abandoned when it hit 25,000-volt power cables. British Transport Police (BTP) said the thieves could have caused a train derailment and had put themselves in "incredible danger". The tractor was driven onto train lines between Hattersley and Godley stations, Greater Manchester, on Saturday. A resident raised the alarm about the incident, which forced seven trains to be cancelled and 14 delayed. She heard the engine being revved and a loud bang when the tractor came into contact with the overhead power lines. The Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop and Hadfield line was active at the time with trains running regularly through the area, BTP said. Insp Glen Alderson said: "It is extremely fortunate that nobody was injured as a result of this incident. "If a train had collided with the tractor it could have been derailed with tragic consequences. The offenders also put themselves in incredible danger as the overhead power lines carry a charge of 25,000 volts. "If it wasn't for the vigilance of this local resident we may have been faced with a major incident." BTP want witnesses to come forward. Source BBC
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2 comments:
Which is faster? The tractor or the train? That Hadfield to Manchester train takes far longer than it should do.
That train service is quite good to be fair. It tends to run on time, it is relatively cheep in comparison to the bus network, and is usually quite clean. I use the sevice from Godley most days and 20 minutes to Manchester is not bad at all.
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