Greeny
Member
Not quite sure where to put this. It is mainly intended for staff but if anyone else finds it useful or interesting, then it is a good thing. I did post it originally on Railchat as anonymous but it happened a long time back and Im retired now. The situation could still arise though, so hopefully it will give an insight into how easy it is to slip up big time without trying too hard:
I'd like to relate an incident in which I was involved in 1978 when I was 18. It took place at my first Signalbox. My purpose is not to brag about it - I am ashamed it happened and it was lucky that nobody was hurt or killed. My purpose in relating it is to show how easy it is for a new Signalman to drop one hell of a clanger. In my case through trying to be clever and copying what I had seen older, more experienced Signalmen doing.
This is the story of how I broke rule number one and got two trains in a section. Even though I did not actually clear the signal, to my unending shame, my actions allowed it to happen. And all because I was trying to be a smart Alec.
My first box was Halewood East on the Cheshire Lines in the north west of England. Distant Signals and IBs were colour light but everything else was Semaphore. There were five consecutive boxes going from West to East Hunts Cross West JN at the west end of the line, then Halewood (me), then Hough Green, Widnes East, and Warrington Central at the eastern end of the line. Hunts Cross and Warrington were continuous boxes. The opening order was me in Halewood at 06:00, Widnes East at 06:30, and Hough Green at 07:00. Hough Green had a station - this is relevant, so just bear with me for a short time.
So, on a very cold, dark and snowing December morning (when DMU'S still ran with oil filled tail lamps, only Class 87 loco's had headlights, and there was no NRN or CSR), I opened up dead on 06:00. Soon after, I received the 'is line clear' for the first Down passenger train from Warrington Central to Lime Street which I accepted and gave a 'line clear' release. After a few minutes, I received 'Train Entering Section' so went to 'Train on Line' on the Down Block and offered the train on to Hunts Cross West, and then pulled off when it was accepted. So far - no problems. Then, Widnes East switched in at about 06:20 without asking either Warrington or me what (if anything) was in section. The situation now was that all of the boxes are open except Hough Green (with the station).
After some 5 minutes or so, I received a call from the Signalman Widnes East (who had less time as a Signalman than me). He said "give us another 'line clear' will you, this fella (on the Down line) has come to a stand at my 'IB' (for those of you that have never encountered them they are Intermediate Block distant and home signals). I thought Widnes had accidentally put back when he opened his box. However, I was 'all off' for the passenger train I had accepted from Warrington before Widnes switched in, and Home Normal Contact on the Home Signal prevented me giving another 'line clear'. So I couldn't give another 'line clear' to Widnes without putting my signals back, cancelling the train off to Hunts Cross West, and winding up on the Welwyn Control for 90 turns. So, I did something very, very stupid:- I had seen the more experienced men deal with this by briefly throwing the block switch to the 'CLOSED' position to give the 'line clear' release from Hunts Cross West, to the Signalman at Widnes East, and it only took about 2 seconds. So that is what I did (in the full knowledge that it was wrong). Then I sat back in blissful ignorance, reading my paper.
I'm sure some of you have guessed what is coming next !!.
About 2 minutes later, I heard the buzzer sound which indicated that my Down Distant signal had gone back to 'Caution' after the train I had accepted from Warrington Central had passed it, and a few seconds later my first track circuit lit up. I was very puzzled by this and my first thought was that the flaming Concorde couldn't have covered that distance in two minutes. Then an appalling thought occurred to me and I immediately grabbed the 'phone and rang the Signalman at Widnes East who had requested the fresh 'line clear'. I said "what was coming to a stand at your IB". He replied "this light engine". So now it is bloody obvious what has happened and I turned cold. I called him something that I'd rather not repeat here and rushed to the frame. The passenger train was now on my berth track circuit and as soon as it passed the Home Signal I slammed it back to danger. It was about 200 yards from the box and I could only just make out his marker lights in the falling snow. Luckily I had a colour light distant signal.
Anyway, almost as soon as I'd got the passenger train into station limits and got the Home Signal back to danger, my first track circuit on the Down line lit up again and the flaming light engine arrived at my Down Home signal.
To this day, I still don't know how Widnes East managed to clear out to Warrington Central and accept the light loco - but he obviously did, and I don't know what he must have thought the TOL from me was for.
I called myself every stupid b****ard that I could lay my tongue to, and a few more names on top. I'm not afraid to say that I almost did s**t myself at the thought of what could have happened had that passenger train been delayed in Hough Green Station and 140 tonnes of Class 40 loco doing 60 mph ran into the back of it in heavy falling snow
Nothing happened to either of us Signalmen because nothing was reported and the Driver of the light loco didn't even see the passenger train because the snow was so heavy, so he didn't have anything to report.
I would sum my actions up as irresponsible, dangerous, and reckless and it would have served me right if I had been sacked for it. Afterwards I always worked 'straight up' with that individual and, on the up side (if it can be said to have one), it taught me not to be a smart Alec or to think that I was clever enough to get out of such an appalling situation unscathed.
The best piece of advice I feel I could give to new Signalmen now, considering Network Rails current aggressive attitude to Signalmen, and the - aherm - quality of some of its Supervisory and Managerial staff, is do your job properly, work straight up, and SCREW ANYBODY who wants you to do otherwise. YOU are in charge of the box, not the MOM, LOM, OM or AOM, and YOU are responsible for the safe working of the box - not whichever talentless individual who happens to be swaggering round with a red pen looking for un-crossed 'T's, un-dotted Is. If they want otherwise tell them to put it in the TRB and sign it before you do it (or tell them that you will write it for them with their name). It won't make much difference legally, but it will get the red pen visitors sphincter twitching and make him think twice. Don't do something daft like telling the MOM to f**k off, just politely decline and say why, but NEVER take any poo from Controllers - YOU are in the ascendency when it comes to the application of R & R - not some desk jockey in an air conditioned office 50 miles away.
There is a document entitled 'Employees Personal Liabilities'. In short, and in the railway context, the gist of it is that YOU are responsible for your actions - i.e. it is no mitigation or defence to say so-and-so told me to do it. NOBODY else can accept responsibility for your actions, NOBODY else can pay your fine, and NOBODY else can go to prison for you. Translated that means if you mess up, the poo that flies afterwards is all coming your way and you will be completely on your own. That document also tells you that whilst your employer may pay for your defence if things come to a criminal or civil Court case, then because they are paying for your defence, the employer is entitled to make any admission of responsibility/culpability on your behalf, and by signing up for that, you have NO SAY in it - you have to agree to the employer making that admission in your name. If you don't sign up to that, you are on your own, and you pay for your own defence.
I hope people find this useful - I don't need anyone to reply telling me what a stupid b***ard I was - I can assure you all that I already know that but if it helps to prevent anything like it in the future some good has come of it.
G.
I'd like to relate an incident in which I was involved in 1978 when I was 18. It took place at my first Signalbox. My purpose is not to brag about it - I am ashamed it happened and it was lucky that nobody was hurt or killed. My purpose in relating it is to show how easy it is for a new Signalman to drop one hell of a clanger. In my case through trying to be clever and copying what I had seen older, more experienced Signalmen doing.
This is the story of how I broke rule number one and got two trains in a section. Even though I did not actually clear the signal, to my unending shame, my actions allowed it to happen. And all because I was trying to be a smart Alec.
My first box was Halewood East on the Cheshire Lines in the north west of England. Distant Signals and IBs were colour light but everything else was Semaphore. There were five consecutive boxes going from West to East Hunts Cross West JN at the west end of the line, then Halewood (me), then Hough Green, Widnes East, and Warrington Central at the eastern end of the line. Hunts Cross and Warrington were continuous boxes. The opening order was me in Halewood at 06:00, Widnes East at 06:30, and Hough Green at 07:00. Hough Green had a station - this is relevant, so just bear with me for a short time.
So, on a very cold, dark and snowing December morning (when DMU'S still ran with oil filled tail lamps, only Class 87 loco's had headlights, and there was no NRN or CSR), I opened up dead on 06:00. Soon after, I received the 'is line clear' for the first Down passenger train from Warrington Central to Lime Street which I accepted and gave a 'line clear' release. After a few minutes, I received 'Train Entering Section' so went to 'Train on Line' on the Down Block and offered the train on to Hunts Cross West, and then pulled off when it was accepted. So far - no problems. Then, Widnes East switched in at about 06:20 without asking either Warrington or me what (if anything) was in section. The situation now was that all of the boxes are open except Hough Green (with the station).
After some 5 minutes or so, I received a call from the Signalman Widnes East (who had less time as a Signalman than me). He said "give us another 'line clear' will you, this fella (on the Down line) has come to a stand at my 'IB' (for those of you that have never encountered them they are Intermediate Block distant and home signals). I thought Widnes had accidentally put back when he opened his box. However, I was 'all off' for the passenger train I had accepted from Warrington before Widnes switched in, and Home Normal Contact on the Home Signal prevented me giving another 'line clear'. So I couldn't give another 'line clear' to Widnes without putting my signals back, cancelling the train off to Hunts Cross West, and winding up on the Welwyn Control for 90 turns. So, I did something very, very stupid:- I had seen the more experienced men deal with this by briefly throwing the block switch to the 'CLOSED' position to give the 'line clear' release from Hunts Cross West, to the Signalman at Widnes East, and it only took about 2 seconds. So that is what I did (in the full knowledge that it was wrong). Then I sat back in blissful ignorance, reading my paper.
I'm sure some of you have guessed what is coming next !!.
About 2 minutes later, I heard the buzzer sound which indicated that my Down Distant signal had gone back to 'Caution' after the train I had accepted from Warrington Central had passed it, and a few seconds later my first track circuit lit up. I was very puzzled by this and my first thought was that the flaming Concorde couldn't have covered that distance in two minutes. Then an appalling thought occurred to me and I immediately grabbed the 'phone and rang the Signalman at Widnes East who had requested the fresh 'line clear'. I said "what was coming to a stand at your IB". He replied "this light engine". So now it is bloody obvious what has happened and I turned cold. I called him something that I'd rather not repeat here and rushed to the frame. The passenger train was now on my berth track circuit and as soon as it passed the Home Signal I slammed it back to danger. It was about 200 yards from the box and I could only just make out his marker lights in the falling snow. Luckily I had a colour light distant signal.
Anyway, almost as soon as I'd got the passenger train into station limits and got the Home Signal back to danger, my first track circuit on the Down line lit up again and the flaming light engine arrived at my Down Home signal.
To this day, I still don't know how Widnes East managed to clear out to Warrington Central and accept the light loco - but he obviously did, and I don't know what he must have thought the TOL from me was for.
I called myself every stupid b****ard that I could lay my tongue to, and a few more names on top. I'm not afraid to say that I almost did s**t myself at the thought of what could have happened had that passenger train been delayed in Hough Green Station and 140 tonnes of Class 40 loco doing 60 mph ran into the back of it in heavy falling snow
Nothing happened to either of us Signalmen because nothing was reported and the Driver of the light loco didn't even see the passenger train because the snow was so heavy, so he didn't have anything to report.
I would sum my actions up as irresponsible, dangerous, and reckless and it would have served me right if I had been sacked for it. Afterwards I always worked 'straight up' with that individual and, on the up side (if it can be said to have one), it taught me not to be a smart Alec or to think that I was clever enough to get out of such an appalling situation unscathed.
The best piece of advice I feel I could give to new Signalmen now, considering Network Rails current aggressive attitude to Signalmen, and the - aherm - quality of some of its Supervisory and Managerial staff, is do your job properly, work straight up, and SCREW ANYBODY who wants you to do otherwise. YOU are in charge of the box, not the MOM, LOM, OM or AOM, and YOU are responsible for the safe working of the box - not whichever talentless individual who happens to be swaggering round with a red pen looking for un-crossed 'T's, un-dotted Is. If they want otherwise tell them to put it in the TRB and sign it before you do it (or tell them that you will write it for them with their name). It won't make much difference legally, but it will get the red pen visitors sphincter twitching and make him think twice. Don't do something daft like telling the MOM to f**k off, just politely decline and say why, but NEVER take any poo from Controllers - YOU are in the ascendency when it comes to the application of R & R - not some desk jockey in an air conditioned office 50 miles away.
There is a document entitled 'Employees Personal Liabilities'. In short, and in the railway context, the gist of it is that YOU are responsible for your actions - i.e. it is no mitigation or defence to say so-and-so told me to do it. NOBODY else can accept responsibility for your actions, NOBODY else can pay your fine, and NOBODY else can go to prison for you. Translated that means if you mess up, the poo that flies afterwards is all coming your way and you will be completely on your own. That document also tells you that whilst your employer may pay for your defence if things come to a criminal or civil Court case, then because they are paying for your defence, the employer is entitled to make any admission of responsibility/culpability on your behalf, and by signing up for that, you have NO SAY in it - you have to agree to the employer making that admission in your name. If you don't sign up to that, you are on your own, and you pay for your own defence.
I hope people find this useful - I don't need anyone to reply telling me what a stupid b***ard I was - I can assure you all that I already know that but if it helps to prevent anything like it in the future some good has come of it.
G.