An epic SPAD?

[LNERGE]

I came across this trawling round the net. From the noise of the power units and clickety clack from the coaches i'm not seeing too much caution..

 

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by LNERGE

[Siberian Snooper]

Was it a spad? Or was the driver authorised to pass the board, when he was stopped at the box!

 

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

Unfortunately the preceding clip was taken from the other side of the train so we don't know what the signalman was doing as the train approached. It has the feeling of being drawn up to the box and the driver being told that the starter couldn't be cleared, to pass it and obey the signals at the next box

[LNERGE]

I was expecting a l;ittle more caution.

[TheSignalEngineer]

42 minutes ago, LNERGE said:

I was expecting a l;ittle more caution.

Depends on the reason why the signal could not be cleared.

[pheaton]

your talking about the days before TPWS, and Signal box recordings....seems to me he drew up to the box and was given instructions........but as said don't know what was said between the bobby and the driver......

 

I do recall however in 1991 being on a 158 at abbotswood junction from the Norton JCN direction....coming to a very abrupt stop...and a reverse for 30 ish yards.....was in the rear coach so couldn't see what really happened....but we did reverse past and stop close to......a signal

 

again before the days of TPWS and signal box recordings.....

 

 

[Dagworth]

I put 16 coaches past a red light once in the leaf fall season. Came to a stop half a coach before the “spider”. Walked back to the signal which was now showing yellow, got on the phone and told the Bobby that I’d put my nose past his peg. He said “I haven’t seen anything and you haven’t told me, carry on”. Different days. 
 

Andi

[manna]

G'day Folks

 

From a footplate point of view, 'Pass the next signal at Danger, obey all others.

 

manna

[Darius43]

I remember waiting at Stevenage station one afternoon in the early 1990s heading home after a meeting when a northbound HST came through and then applied the brakes somewhat sharpish.   It came to a halt just past the station.  After much kerfuffle on the northbound platform and after some time it reversed back to the station.

 

Not sure if the driver had forgotten the train called at Stevenage or if someone had pulled the communication cord (or hit the alarm) on the HST.

 

My southbound train arrived shortly after so I missed the denouement.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Pandora]

After giving the verbal message to the crew should the Signaller have displayed a yellow flag to the footplate as his permission to proceed?

Also I did not hear the horn for the Whistle board

[david.hill64]

Back in the late 60's I was on the morning Gloucester to Birmingham stopper hauled by a Peak. We were signalled clear through the stop at Ashchurch and the driver had obviously forgotten the stop. Realising this the bobby dropped the pegs resulting in a full brake application. We sailed past the signals and reversed back. Different days!

[The Lurker]

I once caught what I recall as the 5.14 from Tonbridge. The train split there, front half fast to Ashford, and then on rear half (which I was on) all  stations to Ashford.

 

That stretch of line is dead straight apart from an almost imperceptible curve near Tudeley and trains got up quite a speed even on the 5 miles or so to Paddock Wood.

 

That evening the driver obviously forgot that he was on the rear half and we sailed through Paddock Wood, through the down loop at quite an alarming speed, miles faster than a stopper would have taken it. We missed Marden out too.

 

Eventually the communication cord was pulled and the train halted. The driver eventually took us to the next station and I think it was at Staplehurst that a lot of us got off. If I recall correctly an up service was pulled back to the station so that we could all get on to it.

 

This would have been sometime around 82 or 83.

 

From memory

[08221]

I used to catch the 17:14/17:18 "Cobbler" Mk1 loco hauled service back from Euston to Bletchley every evening for several years. One evening we approached Bletchley without any hint of the brakes being applied. Driver finally realised, train stopped just north of the platform (next to the centre road where the OLE train used to stable). We all climbed down onto the trackside and walked back to the platform - happy days!

[NorthEndCab]

On 25/01/2021 at 23:07, manna said:

G'day Folks

 

From a footplate point of view, 'Pass the next signal at Danger, obey all others.

 

manna

Interestingly with the last rules update you can now pass two in one go, provided they can’t be cleared due to the same failure. But not an IBS on your own authority anymore. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by NorthEndCab
Spelling

[manna]

3 hours ago, NorthEndCab said:

Interestingly with the last rules update you can now pass two in one go, provided they can’t be cleared due to the same failure. But not an IBS on your own authority anymore. 

G'Day Folks

 

Been a good few years since I had to worry about that, but the Rule book changes all the time.

 

manna

[PatB]

On 26/01/2021 at 15:39, david.hill64 said:

Back in the late 60's I was on the morning Gloucester to Birmingham stopper hauled by a Peak. We were signalled clear through the stop at Ashchurch and the driver had obviously forgotten the stop. Realising this the bobby dropped the pegs resulting in a full brake application. We sailed past the signals and reversed back. Different days!

My father used to claim to have been on a southbound train from Bristol to Taunton in the early to mid-60s when something similar happened at Brent Knoll. 

[Rivercider]

During my 30 years commuting, mostly to and from Bristol, I have been on trains that failed to stop, or stop in the right place six or seven times.

The most common was Nailsea and Backwell, where I think it happened about four times, always on trains from Bristol coming down the bank from Flax Bourton. Significantly perhaps two or three times with loco and coaches, I assume a combination of different braking characteristics, and maybe a driver in a link who did not work stopping trains over the route. We have stopped with one rear coach on the platform, a train length ahead and set back, a train length ahead and not set back, and once an emergency brake application at the platform end, followed by a quick release when the driver presumably realised he was likely to stop nearer to Yatton than Nailsea!

 

cheers 

[w124bob]

A former colleague was involved in an incident with a train of 100 ton tanks, the subsequent report about the wrong routing involved close to 100 signals passed without authority. I forget the total mileage, nearly all but the first 10 was covered without any route knowledge and at no point did any signaller stop and question where the train was going(Gazebrook)even running over a route where 100 ton tanks were prohibited. It should have gone York, Castleford, Wakefield over the LNWR to Staylebridge and Piccadilly . Instead the driver took a wrong route approaching Church Fenton (he should have stopped immediately but didn't)going all the way to Derby then over the Uttoxeter line, only being stopped eventually some in the Stoke area. My gaffer at the time wanted all signals not on the booked route classed as SPAD's but it was pointed out that would then involve many signallers being dragged into the enquiry, something certain departmnets seemed keen to avoid. Suffice it to say the driver never got back in a cab again and left the industry soon after, he never did really explain why he kept going!

[TheSignalEngineer]

2 hours ago, w124bob said:

I forget the total mileage, nearly all but the first 10 was covered without any route knowledge

I was chairing a junction signal risk assessment on WCML just after privatisation. The Freight company rep, EWS or whoever it was called at the time, came up with the quote "Our crews don't need route knowledge, they don't go above 60mph."

With the full backing of Railtrack and the TOC reps I suspended proceedings on the task until he had been replaced by someone who had experience of the working railway. 

[caradoc]

18 hours ago, w124bob said:

A former colleague was involved in an incident with a train of 100 ton tanks, the subsequent report about the wrong routing involved close to 100 signals passed without authority. I forget the total mileage, nearly all but the first 10 was covered without any route knowledge and at no point did any signaller stop and question where the train was going

 

Surely all the signals involved were showing proceed and the train did not actually pass them at danger ? A serious operating irregularity occurred, certainly, but not SPADs.