Questions about driving trains.

[pappleby]

hi, could you please tell me, when trains are double-headed, as in steam tours, which loco carries the token thanks.

 

[Moonshot]

That doesnt surprise me either, we had a dog walk along the cess from Motspur Park, through Raynes Park and halfway towards Wimbledon followed by 2 NR blokes, siggy was cautioning all trains on all lines so when it was my turn I stopped the train beside him, got out of the cab and beckoned nim towards me, got hold of him and the 3 of us hauled him into the cab and I carried him and the NR blokes to Wimbledon, result was lines were cleared in minutes (it had been going on for about 45 minutes at that stage) and normal working resumed.

What happened to using your initiative?
I told the siggy what I had done after the event because there is no way he would have approved it just in case the dog went under the wheels of another train.

Thinking about it I have had quite a bit of fun on that stretch between Raynes Park and Wimbledon!
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My favourite is when they stop you at a red to warn you of low adhesion!

Who the hell thought that would be a good idea?

This one caught my eye......it never ceases to amaze me the stupidity of joe public, what on earth was someone doing dog walking in the cess!!! Did you happen to inform the local newspaper??

 

[Lockwood]

This one caught my eye......it never ceases to amaze me the stupidity of joe public, what on earth was someone doing dog walking in the cess!!! Did you happen to inform the local newspaper??

I'm guessing it was a dog which was walking, rather than a dog which was being walked (ie stray/slipped lead/escaped from home)

 

[Tomnick]

hi, could you please tell me, when trains are double-headed, as in steam tours, which loco carries the token thanks.

Leading loco carries the token these days.

 

[JB25]

I got stopped at South Croydon Junction to be told an Emergency Warning Indicator had fallen over on route to East Croydon. I wouldn't mind but it was for a speed on a line I wasn't going over.

I had a signaller call me up the other week approaching South Croydon...

"Driver what is your location?"

"Signaller I am approaching South Croydon Station on the DBS"

"Errr... Hang on... Driver I will call you back."

Signal changed from Red to Green with JI4 and he never called me back so not a clue what he wanted. hock:

 

[Moonshot]

I'm guessing it was a dog which was walking, rather than a dog which was being walked (ie stray/slipped lead/escaped from home)

Lol !!! I completely misread that !!!!

 

[Lockwood]

I got stopped at South Croydon Junction to be told an Emergency Warning Indicator had fallen over on route to East Croydon. I wouldn't mind but it was for a speed on a line I wasn't going over.

I had a signaller call me up the other week approaching South Croydon...

"Driver what is your location?"

"Signaller I am approaching South Croydon Station on the DBS"

"Errr... Hang on... Driver I will call you back."

Signal changed from Red to Green with JI4 and he never called me back so not a clue what he wanted. hock:

In a case like that is the general behaviour to accept the route and continue or contact the signaller and check what was up and that you absolutely have permission to go?

This isn't asked as any form of accusation or anything like that

 

[JB25]

In a case like that is the general behaviour to accept the route and continue or contact the signaller and check what was up and that you absolutely have permission to go?

This isn't asked as any form of accusation or anything like that

Well the signal changed after the call took place and the signaller never called me again so I took the change of the signal as permission to proceed. Plus if he wanted to hold me there he wouldn't have hung up the call.

 

[Vicpaul]

In a case like that is the general behaviour to accept the route and continue or contact the signaller and check what was up and that you absolutely have permission to go?

This isn't asked as any form of accusation or anything like that

If the signal clears from danger to the appropriate route setting I would have no issue accepting it.

 

[krus_aragon]

Leading loco carries the token these days.

Can I infer from that that the opposite has been practised as some point?

 

[A-driver]

In a case like that is the general behaviour to accept the route and continue or contact the signaller and check what was up and that you absolutely have permission to go?

This isn't asked as any form of accusation or anything like that

It depends. If the signaller implied or actually told you to wait at the signal or station regardless of aspect you would contact them. If not you are fine to accept the signal.

Golden rule however, if in any doubt whatsoever you stop and contact them for clarification. Forget any delay, delays are of no concern or importance to drivers, but being accused of an unauthorised movement etc is a big deal so obviously better to be safe than sorry.

 

[carriageline]

Not much of a clear understanding reached there, aye chaps

Who controls south Croydon, london bridge? If so, it wasn't the day London Bridge hit the wall was it?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TOCDriver]

It depends. If the signaller implied or actually told you to wait at the signal or station regardless of aspect you would contact them. If not you are fine to accept the signal.

Golden rule however, if in any doubt whatsoever you stop and contact them for clarification. Forget any delay, delays are of no concern or importance to drivers, but being accused of an unauthorised movement etc is a big deal so obviously better to be safe than sorry.

Absolutely. However, from a personal point of view, If the signaller had contacted me and never got back to me, even though I had then got the correct route after, I would personally still stop and get back in touch and ask what the original communication was all about and that everything was 'A' ok. These communications are always recorded and if anything did happen, I would have my back covered.

 

[JB25]

Not much of a clear understanding reached there, aye chaps

Who controls south Croydon, london bridge? If so, it wasn't the day London Bridge hit the wall was it?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Three Bridges. And not that day no.

 

[455driver]

Leading loco carries the token these days.

After it has been shown to the driver of the second loco.

 

[DunfordBridge]

One question which I would like to pose tonight to qualified drivers are the more unusual extraordinary situations involved when driving trains that you would not normally consider, and how these situations could be resolved. Something that would only be accomplished with experience maybe.

 

[jamieP]

Can I infer from that that the opposite has been practised as some point?

It used to be the rear loco that carried to token after it was shown to the leading driver and it still the case on most hertiage railways.

Jamie

 

[t_star2001uk]

One question which I would like to pose tonight to qualified drivers are the more unusual extraordinary situations involved when driving trains that you would not normally consider, and how these situations could be resolved. Something that would only be accomplished with experience maybe.

Do you mean when something like this happens????

This unit hit a tree that was brought down by high winds between Denham and West Ruislip.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Marvellous!

 

[CarltonA]

I'm surprised they kept it in service as far as Marylebone.

 

[t_star2001uk]

Where better to terminate a 7 car train.

 

[CarltonA]

Where better to terminate a 7 car train.

Fair enough. I saw one being sent back from West Ruislip after a window break once, but that was only four cars.

 

[DunfordBridge]

The damage to the Clubman, whatever it is called, is not too apparent at first when viewed on an iPhone but I think I would feel dafe, or safe even, in the cab of one of those. I have seen photos of worse cases in one of the popular Railway magazines.

 

[t_star2001uk]

when in the cab i run my hand down the inside of the windscreen and there was no penetration and only a tiny bit of deformation. So the Anti Shatter layer did its job perfectly.

 

[DunfordBridge]

The last time I saw something similar was in the mid-nineties after the bomb went off near the Arndale centre in Manchester. I think it was the British Airways shop when the glass came apart from the frame in one big shattered pane, but it was basically held together on the floor. All other windows were totally destroyed. Never got to see the crater though, that was off limits, even to us security guards.

 

[1018509]

Until I retired at the end of 2010 I drove 1973 Underground stock as a train maintainer/shunter and my opinion is that any damn fool can drive a train and make it move - but stopping in the right place now that is a skill all of its own.

 

[Nym]

Until I retired at the end of 2010 I drove 1973 Underground stock as a train maintainer/shunter and my opinion is that any damn fool can drive a train and make it move - but stopping in the right place now that is a skill all of its own.

So much of a skill that a driver can still do it more acturately than ATO

 

[455driver]

So much of a skill that a driver can still do it more acturately than ATO

And a darn sight smoother as well!
If I drove a train the same way ATO does I would be sat in front of my Manager with tea but no biscuits!

 

[PermitToTravel]

I believe that some older (Central line?) ATO systems' "full braking/full acceleration" method of driving, while giving a really rough ride, is the most efficient for maintaining headways, as trains never coast

 

[Nym]

And a darn sight smoother as well!
If I drove a train the same way ATO does I would be sat in front of my Manager with tea but no biscuits!

Well, NR does seem to like it's 'defensive driving' thing, even through it does murder capacity and headway...
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I believe that some older (Central line?) ATO systems' "full braking/full acceleration" method of driving, while giving a really rough ride, is the most efficient for maintaining headways, as trains never coast

Central Line doesn't, it's rather more complex and target speed based, as was the Vic Line systems.

The autodrive on Jubilee Line stock doesn't seem to know what half throttle is though...