57009 in Level Crossing Incident at Lingwood

[uax6]

Due that many heritage railways actually use AWS?

 

I agree that there has to be someone there to listern to the bell, but maybe part of the operation of the frame is that after the last train the wire adjusters must be completely slackened off, so it would be impossible for a false off to be shown. Ok it still relies on that action being done, and makes the first couple of trains a pain as you wind the slack in......

 

Andy G

[LNERGE]

We will position the distants for 25 mph running. They are currently placed for 60 mph. This will reduce the amount of wire susceptible to the elephants. <G> 

 

Provision of working AWS has to be the answer but clearly train crews need to be well briefed. I'm reluctant to order slackening of the wire as someone is bound to forget this has been done and they will end over the boundary fence when they pull the lever. I intend to provide back weights to help pulling too.

 

The first wire worked distant is not far away but it is in amongst other signalling. I'm hopeful i can put something in place as mitigation when it is commissioned.

[LNERGE]

Could be very simple: a new ruling. Like so:

 

DRS and every other operator have since the introduction of AWS have a ruling that works. Always take the most restrictive part of anything considered to be ambiguous. That's all that went wrong at Lingwood. A half off distant and no bell from the AWS. The driver cancelled the horn, and thus the automatic application of the brakes and carried on.

[ben pez]

First thing i thought of when i seen the posted pics of these two diesels is.... Thats some mighty fine weathering.

Is it just me?!?!

[John_Hughes]

DRS and every other operator have since the introduction of AWS have a ruling that works. Always take the most restrictive part of anything considered to be ambiguous. That's all that went wrong at Lingwood. A half off distant and no bell from the AWS. The driver cancelled the horn, and thus the automatic application of the brakes and carried on.

 

Canadian Pacific rulebook (slightly rephrased - I used to know this word-for-word!) - Any signal showing no clear indication .... must be regarded as showing the most restrictive indication that that signal is capable of showing.

 

Covers it all perfectly!

[roythebus]

There was an incident on a heritage line that I am involved with a few years back. Approaching station "W" is a lower quadrant home signal with one arm above the other, one for the loop, one for the main; beyond that a running subsidiary signal which has to be cleared; beyond that a level crossing with a STOP do not proceed unless crossing gates are open board.

 

The lower signal for the loop was clearly displaying a proceed aspect; the running dummy was showing a stop aspect, the gates were closed. When the train arrived at the dummy the signalman was rather surprised as he had allegedly passed the home signal at danger. Three of us said the signal was clear.

 

It transpires that the previous day had been very hot, the signalman had adjusted the wires; the signalman on the day in question had not un-adjusted them, so we had in effect a wrong side failure.

[The Stationmaster]

DRS and every other operator have since the introduction of AWS have a ruling that works. Always take the most restrictive part of anything considered to be ambiguous. That's all that went wrong at Lingwood. A half off distant and no bell from the AWS. The driver cancelled the horn, and thus the automatic application of the brakes and carried on.

And the equivalent of that - as far as signals are concerned - has been in the Rules & Regs for very many years (e.g. Rule 82 in the 1930s revision of the RCH 'standard' Rules).  there should be no need to remind any Driver of something that important - if it isn't properly 'off' then treat it as 'on'.

[uax6]

A thought has just occured to me, what drives the AWS circuit? Is it driven from the lever or from the contact box on the arm? If from the arm I could see a 'piano string' wire causing the arm to come off, and possibly clear the aws too.

 

Andy G

[LNERGE]

As mentioned up thread the AWS circuit starts at the lever before passing over the circuit controller on the arm.

[kenw]

Could be very simple: a new ruling. Like so:

 

No need for new rules complicating things, the rules in such a situation have always been perfectly clear, so..

 

 If a semaphore arm's not FULLY in the off position, then IT'S ON

 

Also, even if the arm is fully off, an AWS warning indication overrides a clear signal aspect

(unless the signal's seen to clear as or after the train's reached the magnet)