Ghost Trains to catch metal thieves?

[tsr]

Therefore the question is "Is a level crossing designed to adapt a road vehicle for use on a railway, a railway vehicle for use on a road, or neither?". Most people on here would say "Neither". I'm not so sure...

 

[robby p]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15494536

If anyone hasn't seen it.

 

[fsmr]

Are there not any road rail vehicles such as a landrover that would be quieter and quicker to run and stop? or is the braking on a empty stock enough. can see them all legging it off without air support available in which case, thermal imaging at 80 mph 1/2 mile away and 3,000 feet up might be a better prospect. Could the national grids choppers not be utilised at night as it already has the thermal cameras.
Anyone with a basic understanding of railway working can figure out fairly quickly if a train is approaching before it arrives. unless all the signals and LCs are switched off.

Our two Lcs in Oakham can be heard announcing a trains arrival a mile away on a still night
And once these gangs get wind of these ghost trains, they will stick a lookout 2 miles down the line in mobile contact, all so easy these days especially if you have fake NWR signs on your van

 

[SteveP29]

One could argue that it might travel over a level crossing, in which case the blue light could potentially be a distraction for motorists

Call me thick if you like and I'm not wanting to cause trouble, but, in theory, when a train is approaching a level crossing, the barriers will be down and (if the road traffic are obeying the highway code etc) the traffic will be at a standstill, so how could they be distracted from the process of navigating the Queen's highway?

 

[tsr]

Call me thick if you like and I'm not wanting to cause trouble, but, in theory, when a train is approaching a level crossing, the barriers will be down and (if the road traffic are obeying the highway code etc) the traffic will be at a standstill, so how could they be distracted from the process of navigating the Queen's highway?

I take your point entirely! However, some crossings do not have barriers and some do not even have warning lights. Imagine if a motorist thought "Oh, it's a blue light, it must be an ambulance in the distance" and collided with a maintenance train. Yes, they should have phoned the crossing operator, but some people behave differently from the rules...

Alternatively, imagine the consequences if a driver was distracted by a blue light behind them - but on a railway that's running parallel to the road - let's say at night, in the rain. The consequences of someone pulling over from a relatively high speed to let an "emergency vehicle" pass and then confusing half a dozen motorists behind them does not make for a good result.

Admittedly the second point above is drifting rather far from discussing whether or not the RVLR applies but the crime could actually amount to manslaughter if a relevant distraction was deliberately caused and resulted in the death of a distracted motorist.

And that in itself is quite a long way from the point in general!

Are there not any road rail vehicles such as a landrover that would be quieter and quicker to run and stop?

Good point. In all seriousness, you could make a suggestion to the relevant branch of the BTP.

or is the braking on a empty stock enough.

The train goes quite slowly, judging by the video, or, indeed, as you imply, how would they spot anything and react in time?