3rd Rail "Protection Boards"

[Bibby Line]

The Winchester Railway Modellers are building a model of Redbridge station and sleeper/track works.

 

When the 3rd rail was first installed it had wooden safety "Protection Boards" at certain locations.

 

Does anyone know the year when they were removed from station areas (probably general policy).

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

 

Eddie

[TheSignalEngineer]

I don't know the direct answer to your question but Guard Boarding is still a requirement in some places. These are defined in Section B5 of GE/RT8025. http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Railway_Group_Standards/Energy/Railway%20Group%20Standards/GERT8025%20Iss%201.pdf

[Mike T]

Another use of Guard Boarding not covered in that particular RGS is when the conductor rail is positioned adjacent to non return rail ie one being used for track circuiting purposes. In this case the boarding is provided to prevent a short circuiting hook behind applied to the wrong rail.

 

Regards

 

Mike

[TheSignalEngineer]

Good point Mr T. That RGS covers 'person' safety. The only signalling equipment mentioned is rods and wires, and that being for the risk of them coming into contact with the con rail when staff are touching them.

[Oldddudders]

I can't answer the OP's question directly, but can perhaps offer some clues. 40 and more years ago, most stations handled parcels and had barrow crossings, adjacent to platform ramp-ends. These would typically be gapped allowing free movement of the barrow and staff. But many stations also had a foot-crossing in the middle of the platform, and this would often not be gapped, but merely protected by boards, the staff simply stepping over the third rail. These crossings were steadily withdrawn over the years, as safety issues began to be managed in a more direct way. Today I believe that TOC staff, who man the stations, are not expected to cross the tracks or otherwise be on or about the permanent way in the course of their duties.

 

Similarly in olden times walking routes would often be alongside running lines, with no physical barrier 'twixt staff and trains, and boarding would be provided in some cases. I believe today's safety culture tries to eliminate the risks of such an arrangement - again no need for boarding. The OP doesn't say quite when the layout is set, but I would suggest that if it's before the '80s, then boarding is a good bet. By the '90s, in the wake of Clapham and the Dupont Report on safety, I suspect much of the boarding was gone.

 

It is interesting to note that as recently as the early '60s, new carriage sheds were being built - e.g. Grove Park - in which conductor rail was provided for the full length of every siding and shed road. It was boarded, of course, but it did seem a little dodgy for carriage cleaning staff clambering in and out of separate compartments on the EPB stock berthed there.

[Dagworth]

Another use of Guard Boarding not covered in that particular RGS is when the conductor rail is positioned adjacent to non return rail ie one being used for track circuiting purposes. In this case the boarding is provided to prevent a short circuiting hook behind applied to the wrong rail.

 

Regards

 

Mike

In that case though the protection of the juice rail was normally strips of yellow plastic clipped under the rail rather than wooden boarding.

 

Andi

[Mike T]

In that case though the protection of the juice rail was normally strips of yellow plastic clipped under the rail rather than wooden boarding.

 

Andi

 

Not in my experience in design/installation/test of this kit which is admittedly mostly (but not exclusively) Merseyrail 3rd rail where boarding is used. Are you sure your not thinking of protection against signal wires and rods touching the rail?

 

Mike

[Dagworth]

 

Not in my experience in design/installation/test of this kit which is admittedly mostly (but not exclusively) Merseyrail 3rd rail where boarding is used. Are you sure your not thinking of protection against signal wires and rods touching the rail?

 

Mike

My experience is as a driver based out of Charing Cross from 88 to 97, our short circuit bar training was very definite about places where the bar could not be used being protected by plastic sleeving clipped to the bottom of the live rail.

 

Andi

[Bibby Line]

Many thanks for all your responses.

 

Its interesting how the discussion moved on to include track circuits etc.

 

I hope to publish a plan showing the final design that is adopted for the Redbridge layout.

 

Eddie

[Mike T]

My experience is as a driver based out of Charing Cross from 88 to 97, our short circuit bar training was very definite about places where the bar could not be used being protected by plastic sleeving clipped to the bottom of the live rail.

 

Andi

 

Hi Andi

 

I have checked the standards and we are both correct - "the PW organisation must provide and maintain single protection boarding between the conductor rail and insulated rail wherever these run adjacent, or alternatively, a plastic shroud around the foot of the conductor rail to prevent the application of a short circuiting bar at such locations".

 

As I said my experience is Merseyrail and us northern monkeys used boards.

 

Regards

 

Mike

[royaloak]

.

Does anyone know the year when they were removed from station areas (probably general policy).

The easy answer is when they fell off, although boards are still fitted when track is renewed it doesnt seem to be maintained and when it falls off it is just left there.

[Pandora]

Yes, yellow plastic strip  is clipped to the underside of the juice rail,  this indicates that the 3rd rail shorting bar  (not hook,  that is something else)  should not be applied there.  This is for safety,  the track circuit will blow and not the trip the power to the live rail,  you need to know about  impedance bonds,  insulated block joints,  single-rail and double-rail  track circuiting to understand this.

 

Also the same strip but coloured green, is found under the juice rail,  the reason?  To try to protect Badgers from electrocution.

 

"My mind is a treasure trove of facts,  99.99999% of which are  absolutely useless!"

[Bibby Line]

Good to see this topic is still alive!

[Oldddudders]

Yes, yellow plastic strip  is clipped to the underside of the juice rail,  this indicates that the 3rd rail shorting bar  (not hook,  that is something else)  should not be applied there.  This is for safety,  the track circuit will blow and not the trip the power to the live rail,  you need to know about  impedance bonds,  insulated block joints,  single-rail and double-rail  track circuiting to understand this.

 

 

In my recollection, the only staff officially trained in use of a short-circuit bar were drivers. ISTR being told about scraping the scale off the underside of the conductor rail with the metal end of the bar and looking away before applying the bar, but that was unofficial training. As a third-rail person, I could spot a spider or an IBJ, but I never did understand single-rail track circuits.

[Gwiwer]

The only "training" I received in the use of a short-circuiting bar was passed on from a driver to an interested lad one day at Brighton.  That was as Ian describes namely hook the thing over the running rail and under the conductor rail, turn your back and smartly push the handle down to raise the metal and short the circuit.

 

I also agree with Ian's (much older) comments on the siting and function of con-rail protection boards.  They existed for the protection of station and lineside staff whose duty took them on, about and across the lines regularly.  This also includes those staff engaged in coupling and splitting of trains.  This wasn't always possible from the platform; screw coupled stock required someone to "go between" in the four-foot.  Special arrangements applied to protect staff in the event of an "outside split" with buckeye-coupled stock if the pipes were connected on the non-platform side.

 

 

The boards were steadily removed from the 1970s onwards with perhaps a speed-up in the process into hte 80s as boards became life-expired and were not renewed.

[unravelled]

A number of the protection boards at London Bridge were replaced recently, even on platforms about to be closed and demolished. This was platform 15 at the end of March.

 

 

And platforms 12/13 in June

 

 

At the same time a lot of rail clips were replaced, and ballast removed at every fourth sleeper on several tracks.

 

Dave

[TheSignalEngineer]

A number of the protection boards at London Bridge were replaced recently, even on platforms about to be closed and demolished. This was platform 15 at the end of March.

 

1-RIMG0859.JPG

 

And platforms 12/13 in June

 

1-RIMG0109.JPG

 

At the same time a lot of rail clips were replaced, and ballast removed at every fourth sleeper on several tracks.

 

Dave

 

The boards are probably there to stop the Orange Wombles from getting zapped.

[Gwiwer]

As a curiosity it is also of interest to note that a loco release is still thought necessary in 2013 on what is fundamentally a multiple-unit railway.

[phil-b259]

As a curiosity it is also of interest to note that a loco release is still thought necessary in 2013 on what is fundamentally a multiple-unit railway.

 

The loco release crossovers date from when London Bridge was resignalled back in the late 70s and are a hangover from the days when peak hour trains to the Oxted line still used loco hauled coaches on a fairly regular basis. These days they are not needed (and haven't been for quite a long time) but as with many thing signalling related its easier to leave them be, however and I fully expect that they won't feature in the rebuilt station.

[ZippyHG]

The crossover is still used. Some engineers trains have run round using the crossover recently, most are top and tailed, I can recall a double shunt occurring, recently, when the train was doubleheaded by two class 73 with only room for one to be released at a time, the first loco coming off shunting onto the stops on platform 12, then the second using the crossover the rejoining its mate to keep the locos in the same order they arrived.

[Oldddudders]

London Bridge also saw van trains in those days (the '70s). While Bricklayers Arms was the main terminal for parcels in SE London, several trains still ran via London Bridge, reversing at NXG as necessary. There were also the postal trains - 1855 Dover to London Bridge (via Redhill) and 2340 (I think) return by the same route.

[roundhouse]

The loco release crossovers date from when London Bridge was resignalled back in the late 70s and are a hangover from the days when peak hour trains to the Oxted line still used loco hauled coaches on a fairly regular basis. These days they are not needed (and haven't been for quite a long time) but as with many thing signalling related its easier to leave them be, however and I fully expect that they won't feature in the rebuilt station.

 

 

Normally these loco hauled services used platforms 7 (now long gone)  and 8 with a 33 being released into a head shunt road (also long gone) just beyond these two platforms. Don't recall seeing them in platforms 12 ans 13. 

 

However I did often see parcels services in platforms 12 / 13. 

 

EDIT thought i had posted a photo of this but appears not so will dig out the photo.

 

Ian

[Bibby Line]

Thanks to everyone for the updates.

 

A friend of mine was a guard (just retired) on Southwest Trains based at Basingstoke. Part of his training was the use of the short circuit clamps. Was carried out in the stock sidings just east of the station. Quite a bang apparently.

 

I think he only used them once on a real service when he was following a train that caught fire on the up fast.

 

It's an issue for the club layout that is designed to cover 2 era's (steam diesel transition and almost current day , with usual modellers licence of ourselves).

 

Eddie