Whoopsie at Reading?

[turbo mick]

Just to satisfy my own curiosity, Mick, are they catch points or trap points ?.

The tamper derailed on catch points protecting the main line basically a facing move

 

[Kingfisher200262]

Catch (trap) points are usually placed in siding areas or goods roads to protect against runaways against signals of any sort. When used in running lines the intent is to protect adjacent and probably higher speed lines. In this particular case, if we assumed it performed its protection role then it appears to have done so without any significant injury. Imagine if the Tamper had continued and changing lines run into the head-end of any train and, in possibly normal conditions, a train running at say 100mph.

I am not in favour of catch points which could endanger local populations but equally I would prefer that they exist rather than take the risk of loss of life from a head- or side-on collision and derailment with e.g a heavily-loaded passenger train.

Agreed and fully supported. However, it must be possible to predict the trajectory of an offending vehicle / train and on this occasion, a few piles and a few hundred tonnes of hard core to create a level "landing" might have been a good investment, and would probably have cost less than possessions, cranes and manpower to do a recovery.

 

[turbo mick]

Agreed and fully supported. However, it must be possible to predict the trajectory of an offending vehicle / train and on this occasion, a few piles and a few hundred tonnes of hard core to create a level "landing" might have been a good investment, and would probably have cost less than possessions, cranes and manpower to do a recovery.

The catch points are designed to derail any train or vehicles from encroaching the mainline simple as that and did there job and if you look at catch points all around the country where can you build runn off area or level landing as you call it

 

[Greeny]

The tamper derailed on catch points protecting the main line basically a facing move

Thanks for that, Mick. I just got curious when folk started mixing up trap points and catch points.

G.

 

[Kingfisher200262]

The catch points are designed to derail any train or vehicles from encroaching the mainline simple as that and did there job and if you look at catch points all around the country where can you build runn off area or level landing as you call it

Sorry, you're right. Of course creating run-offs is not always possible and the incidence of derailment at catch/trip points probably doesn't justify it... unless you're an insurance loss adjuster that is.