DSD pedal - Do any drivers use both feet?

[king_walnut]

313s are great. You don't need any feet on the DSD. Just press down on the power handle.

I'm absolutely perplexed as to how anyone at all could find the power handle to be a better option than just putting your feet on the pedal.

 

[choochoochoo]

I'm absolutely perplexed as to how anyone at all could find the power handle to be a better option than just putting your feet on the pedal.

Not better, just didn't need to use pedal all the time.....really useful when leaning out the window to see if your train was clear of points/behind a position light/clear of TSR or ESR

 

[4F89]

Just covering the wonky no feet sign?

Exactly!

 

[Busyboy89]

I’m only a newbie, only done 1 shift on my own. Only a shed driver at notts.

for the DSD I find the 15xs uncomfortable and love the 170s but many find it the other way round. Must be down to leg length

 

[Stigy]

I'm waiting for results on my medical and have wondered this although my question was about whether the pedal could be adjusted side to side to allow the one foot resting on it to be alternated.

Seems many of you use two feet which to me sounds easiest and less arduous on the feet/legs. Hoping the cabs I end up in have the same!

Not sure about side to side, but some trains allow you to move the pedal up and down...

 

[choochoochoo]

I'm waiting for results on my medical and have wondered this although my question was about whether the pedal could be adjusted side to side to allow the one foot resting on it to be alternated.

Seems many of you use two feet which to me sounds easiest and less arduous on the feet/legs. Hoping the cabs I end up in have the same!

On most newer traction you can alternate your feet by taking one foot off and the replacing it with the other. It doesn't activate straight away.

I may be wrong but think it only activated straight away in trains where there was no associated vigilance device. Hence why being able to control DSD via power handle is useful on 313.

 

[Stigy]

On most newer traction you can alternate your feet by taking one foot off and the replacing it with the other. It doesn't activate straight away.

I may be wrong but think it only activated straight away in trains where there was no associated vigilance device. Hence why being able to control DSD via power handle is useful on 313.

I was under the impression you have around 6 seconds between lifting your foot and the brakes applying.

Are you saying that some trains you can’t lift your foot until the vigilance beeps at you?

 

[Tomnick]

On most newer traction you can alternate your feet by taking one foot off and the replacing it with the other. It doesn't activate straight away.

I may be wrong but think it only activated straight away in trains where there was no associated vigilance device. Hence why being able to control DSD via power handle is useful on 313.

156s have no vigilance, but you still get the five seconds or so to change feet or whatever else you want to do - you just don’t get any audible indication that you’ve taken your foot off it until it dumps the brake.

170s are pretty good, with a holdover button that gives you quite a bit of freedom, e.g. to get out of the chair and go to the driver’s side window to look back along the train. Not sure how prevalent such things are nowadays.

 

[Lee Rambo]

I use both feet normally in 375/376/465/466's.

Sounds like SE stock

 

[Flange Squeal]

The class 350s had a 'top hat' design of DSD, with a raised platform in the middle, with a flat pedal either side. I found that more comfortable than any other class I've driven, because it allowed for an overall more comfortable driving position, having you foot raised off the floor.

Sometimes my foot and leg ache by the constant pressure, hence why often I change feet, and with the other 'free' leg, swing it madly!

Their third-rail cousins received a detachable metal step mounted on the gangway door, which can be clipped onto the pedal. I think primarily as some with a shorter leg found they had to have the seat very low to the floor, so this enables a higher seating position to be obtained. Can be used by anyone who wants a higher seating position really though.

 

[Dieseldriver]

I was under the impression you have around 6 seconds between lifting your foot and the brakes applying.

Are you saying that some trains you can’t lift your foot until the vigilance beeps at you?

They are referring to traction that have DSD but no vigilance.

 

[dk1]

I shuffle around & do a mix & match with left, right & both. All a far cry from the days on the 08 pilot when we simply used a brake block to weigh it down.

 

[Stigy]

156s have no vigilance, but you still get the five seconds or so to change feet or whatever else you want to do - you just don’t get any audible indication that you’ve taken your foot off it until it dumps the brake.

170s are pretty good, with a holdover button that gives you quite a bit of freedom, e.g. to get out of the chair and go to the driver’s side window to look back along the train. Not sure how prevalent such things are nowadays.

16x have a holdover button too, but our policy is to only use it for shunting purposes as far as I’m aware.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Apr 2021 ==

They are referring to traction that have DSD but no vigilance.

Oh right, I assume these units have around 5 seconds leeway anyway otherwise there’d be a lot of accidental brake applications?

 

[ComUtoR]

I was asking as I am a Trainee Driver, I am driving 375 and 377 and find it easier with both feet applied, glad I'm not the only one.

I use both feet normally in 375/376/465/466

Been in both today. (375/377) 1 foot for me. Tried two feet; felt weird.

 

[thirdraildrive]

Been in both today. (375/377) 1 foot for me. Tried two feet; felt weird.

I find it feels strange with just one, sometimes with the networkers I alternate a little but the 375/376 I find it hard to keep it down with one foot

I was asking as I am a Trainee Driver, I am driving 375 and 377 and find it easier with both feet applied, glad I'm not the only one.

As above, I too prefer two feet on those units

 

[choochoochoo]

16x have a holdover button too, but our policy is to only use it for shunting purposes as far as I’m aware.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Apr 2021 ==


Oh right, I assume these units have around 5 seconds leeway anyway otherwise there’d be a lot of accidental brake applications?

I'm pretty sure that once your foot comes off the DSD on a 313 it throws the anchors on straight away. No leeway.

 

[Stigy]

I'm pretty sure that once your foot comes off the DSD on a 313 it throws the anchors on straight away. No leeway.

That’s harsh.

I’m always lifting my feet before the vigilance beeps at me out of habit (because the wind noise is so excessive at higher speeds a lot of the time it’s just easier and safer).

 

[choochoochoo]

Luckily 313 doesn't have vigilance

 

[Joliver]

I'm pretty sure that once your foot comes off the DSD on a 313 it throws the anchors on straight away. No leeway.

Same in a 315

 

[172007]

Both feet 172, both feet 150, 153 and 170 tbh.

 

[DaveTM]

Well, I can report back that on both 313s and 377s I prefer having the weight of both feet on the pedal at the same time.

When learning to drive on 313s I accidentally verified that there is no grace period if you relax pressure on the DSD pedal and the power handle DSD switch is also up. We went over a poor bit of track and my feet bobbed up for barely a moment. The result was an embarrassed call to the signaller to say I'd had an unsolicited brake application but I knew precisely why, followed by a slightly peeved Competency Development Manager who has to go out and download the unit to verify the UBA was not caused by anything more sinister like a TPWS overspeed. From that I learnt to keep both the handle and pedal down at all times when in motion.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Apr 2021 ==

That’s harsh.

I’m always lifting my feet before the vigilance beeps at me out of habit (because the wind noise is so excessive at higher speeds a lot of the time it’s just easier and safer).

Yup. On a 377, if you approach a station from 75mph using step 1 braking, you are almost stopped exactly 60 seconds later. So, if you hit the brakes at just the right point that you don't need to make any adjustment to stop at the right place, it results in the vigilance alarm going off just as you are concentrating on the stop mark. In 377s I routinely blip the pedal as I get close to the station to avoid a distraction at the point of maximum concentration.

It is one of the risks of driving mixed traction. I've come close to blipping the pedal in the same locations in a 313; it's another good reason to always keep the power handle down in addition to the foot pedal.

 

[choochoochoo]

Well, I can report back that on both 313s and 377s I prefer having the weight of both feet on the pedal at the same time.

When learning to drive on 313s I accidentally verified that there is no grace period if you relax pressure on the DSD pedal and the power handle DSD switch is also up. We went over a poor bit of track and my feet bobbed up for barely a moment. The result was an embarrassed call to the signaller to say I'd had an unsolicited brake application but I knew precisely why, followed by a slightly peeved Competency Development Manager who has to go out and download the unit to verify the UBA was not caused by anything more sinister like a TPWS overspeed. From that I learnt to keep both the handle and pedal down at all times when in motion.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Apr 2021 ==


Yup. On a 377, if you approach a station from 75mph using step 1 braking, you are almost stopped exactly 60 seconds later. So, if you hit the brakes at just the right point that you don't need to make any adjustment to stop at the right place, it results in the vigilance alarm going off just as you are concentrating on the stop mark. In 377s I routinely blip the pedal as I get close to the station to avoid a distraction at the point of maximum concentration.

It is one of the risks of driving mixed traction. I've come close to blipping the pedal in the same locations in a 313; it's another good reason to always keep the power handle down in addition to the foot pedal.

Interesting that the CDM decided to download the unit. If it was a TPWS intervention/activation then surely the lights would have lit up on the TPWS panel ?

I guess they don't trust drivers.