Urgent Safety Advice today from RAIB

[Fat Controller]

I was amused a couple of days ago, during a refresher course given in French, to hear the instructor refer to 'chainage' when discussing distances in kilometres...

[Trog]

The Sectional Appendix which is the only controlled document that shows the railway in a diagrammatic form is in miles and chains. The computerised maintenance management system (Ellipse) has a default of miles and yards. The early OLE schemes were in imperial, so the structure numbers on the Euston - Manchester and Liverpool are in miles, so structure number G 48/12 is the 12th structure in the 48th mile on the WCML. Subsequent OLE schemes were designed in metric, so structure number E 48/12 is the 12th structure in the 48th kilometre on the ECML. There were plates fitted to the wall outside Paddington that were obviously in Km. I'm not sure they've survived Crossrail. Signalling schemes are now designed in metric because the locs, REBs and power supply buildings are numbered in Km.

 

The Rail Defect Management System is designed to receive data from the trains that are employed to find rail flaws. This includes GPS co-ordinates and is also converted to miles and yards. 

 

According to Wikipedia:

The Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845^[8] compels UK railway companies to provide their passengers with a means of determining the distance travelled (fares were set by distance at this time). Section 94 states:

"The company shall cause the length of the railway to be measured, and milestones, posts, or other conspicuous objects to be set up and maintained along the whole line thereof, at the distance of one quarter of a mile from each other, with numbers or marks inscribed thereon denoting such distances.

 

So, until that act is repealed and the Sectional Appendix is changed and all drivers are retrained on which markers to use, I reckon we will keep using miles and chains as the 'formal' measure.

 

G48 12  is at 48M 741Y just in case you were wondering.

 

Usually about 30 odd portals to the mile away from S&C etc on the south end of the WCML.

 

Note that the mileage used for the OHL mast numbering is not the same as the P-Way mileage  being slightly lower at any given point.

 

The mast number letters on the lines out of London increment anti-clockwise from I think the Thames.

 

Hence.....

 

Great Eastern ML is B

ECML is E

Midland ML is F

WCML is G

 

Although plates I saw on the GWML seemed to use the ELR code instead, but then GW always has to be different.

[rockershovel]

I agree though they didn't always hold trains in those days either. The point i was making was that despite some shortcomings the current set up is far more passenger orientated than BR. I can relate many stories from my commuting days that just wouldn't be tolerated as acceptable these days.

 

Royaloak I was just saying at return to the old days is not what is needed and there are far too many with rise tinted glasses around who seem to forget the bad bits.

 

We need something different to what we have now but BR isn't the answer. Times have changed and things moved on. Anyhow perhaps I've drifted far too far off topic.

 

 

my recollection is that BR didn't have a high reputation for customer service, back in the day - rather, for a certain unhelpful self-importance amongst its minor functionaries. 

 

Like its infamous catering this was probably more believed than observed, but it was certainly a common belief.