TheSignalEngineer

BR started using central locking for the simple reason that people were falling out of trains, The 'Tamworth Triangle' incidents 1990-91 Two people had fallen out of train doors in Tamworth and died in 1990. Another person fell out near to Tamworth, and was badly injured but later made a full recovery. There were also a few cases of people finding doors had come open but no one was injured or had fallen out of the moving train. In Summer 1991 three teenagers and 2 adults fell out of doors on express trains and later died from their injuries. The first two deaths occurred near Tamworth, Staffordshire, the third near Nuneaton, Warwickshire a few days later. The last 2 occurred near Lichfield, in Staffordshire. There were also several accidental door opening incidents in which no one actually fell out of the train reported in the area at the time. The local coroner stated that the UK's total of mysterious deaths by falling from trains since BR was founded had reached 325. That worked out at about one every 7 weeks.

They wouldn't have a problem if they complied with the rules. They have been given plenty of time to comply but think that rules are for others, not for them. The regulations clearly state that any exemption can by revoked without notice if the company don't carry out work on CDL in accordance with an agreed programme and don't apply the agreed interim measures. WCR were found to be lacking on all counts on more than one occasion so I can have no sympathy with the management. It's tough on the staff and punters but not so tough as having to recover the remains of a casualty.

I remeber them well, especially after the move to Hobs Moat. Another I used to visit was Wyatt & Tizard at 222 Warwick Road in Greet. A regular call when I had to visit Tyseley S&T Depot about half a mile away. They were great for all sorts of bits and pieces and made some of their own rolling stock kits as well.

We're very much in the same boat unless you need a takeaway, charity shop or Turkish Barber. A greengrocery which started in a neighbouring town when Norman Hatton was still in the army is closing shortly. They have been trying to get someone to take the business on for 18 months but haven't had a viable offer and it's the same with one of our two butchers who wants to retire. The other butcher has closed one branch and his abbatoir as it was no longer viable to run it on a small scale. Co-op, Iceland and Halfords all gone and our last shoe shop which had been there for about 50 years recently closed. The local market place has just about died but the Council won't admit it. We've lost Barclays, Natwest, HSBC and the two building societies leaving just Lloyds for over the counter banking.

I just wait until I get wind of an impending delivery of cycling gear then slip in a model railway order. Works every time.

I must watch that tomorrow. My parents lived about 1/4 mile from Kings Norton station after Dad retired and were regular travellers from there.

Isla Bikes seems to be a similar case to Hattons. They weren't in financial difficulties, but supply problems and market conditions were making continuing untenable in the medium term.

Totally shocked when a news pop-up appeared on my screen this afternoon. There seem to be a lot of problems about in various trades at the moment. Orange bikes have just appointed an administrator, with online shops Wiggle / Chain Reaction having done so a few weeks ago. The drop-off in demand across the cycling industry is being attributed to a boom in bicycle sales during the COVID-19 lockdown. There have also been a lot of supply problems due to overseas manufacturing, with companies preferring to supply the EU market rather than Post-Brexit Britain. Many industry players have been left with too much stock and a reducing overall demand on top of increasing costs making their problems intolerable. My first exposure to Hattons was via RM ads c1959-60. When I got back into the hobby they were my main supplier. Our daughter lived near to the original Smithsdown Road shop for three years. Later I used to visit the second shop whenever I was over in Liverpool, often getting the bus out there then walking to Mossley Hill for a multi leg train journey back to the Dark Peak. I have never visited the Widnes site in person because of the need to drive there and wondered if that would deter others who used the shop in person. At least one person I know who used to walk down to the shop doesn't drive so can't get there on his own.

Last time I was at Shildon Mr Sussex didn't seem popular. On offer for less than a Dynamometer Car

Not even Weekend First on the ones I went on, just labelled for Standard Class passengers except the end First. Tha was known by booking offices as the 'Staff Coach' because it was usually filled with BR Management Staff and their families entitled to First Class travel. The Penzance workings often got a good 47 with long range fuel capacity as I remember one I used running ECS from Wembley to Milton Keynes then via Birmingham to Penzance, returning to Coventry and finally ECS to Wembley. Others weren't so lucky, one day we passed a failed train assisted by a Class 58 on the South Devon Banks. As far as the 31/4s were concerned, a driver once told me you could have traction power or the ETH but not advisable to use both at the same time except with a light load.

Just back from a family trip to the Algarve organised by our daughter for a post Christmas break. While we were there we took a couple of trips on the Linha do Algarve which is currently being electrified. Definitely a few ghosts around there, especially the DMUs originally built in 1965-66 as Class 0400 and refurbished 1999 as Class 0450. Tommo in train spotting mode. (Photo Dazz G.) Down to one of the real ghosts. Regular steam operation on Iberia Gauge lines ceased nearly 50 years ago. As we passed through Luz station I was surprised to see this gem. This hand crane at Travira could do with a bit of TLC.

Sorting through some more recent files, in August 2022 we had a demonstration that Network Rail don't understand how to keep overhead wires in the correct state in our variable climate. We had a hot spell for a few days, not that unusual for the time of year, hot enough to make the wires sag almost onto the trains. In hot part of the day we had no trains and in cooler hours we had a diesel substitute service in place of 323s. Here 150108 leads a train from Glossop via Hadfield to Piccadilly past Dinting Signal Box.

The last frequent derailment I had was on a Peco 00 Code 75 medium point. Several Hornby coach bogies particularly Maunsells didn't like going through it in the facing direction. It had gone hog backed near the frog and certain types of wheel flanges were carching on the nose. Once it had been levelled it was OK. Previous problems included certain types of couplings, particularly Hornby coaches, didn't like to straighten up after a curve or turnout, loco pony trucks being too light or stiff to respond to curves and perpetual b2b problems with RTR stock. Because of the latter all wheels are now checked and cleaned on arrival.

I believe that one, Bagnall works no. 2995, was not well cared for and sustained damage to the steel firebox. Longbridge locos were well maintained, they needed four in steam to operate the works and generally had five on the books at a time. They also had to shunt traffic across and along the Halesowen Branch to get to different parts of the works so were 'Big Railway' approved. Austin 1 is still running in the heritage sector, having been bought new from Kitson in 1932 and remaining at Longbridge for 40 years

What I consider as common sense is a thing not taught but gained from life's (one's own and others) experiences, successes and mistakes. These days people are wrapped in cotton wool from birth and I don't think this helps in developing the survival instinct. Before the present track safety rules came in I had a couple of near misses, one where a signalman signalled a train into me when I was fixing a track circuit fault on a viaduct that he had called us out to. He saw the track circuit go clear and just pulled off even thought I hadn't reported it as finished. Fortunately it was in a 40MPH area and I had posted my mate in a place of safety with a good view of approaching trains and he was able to warn me in time to get clear. Yes, current rules do seem a bit harsh to those of us coffin dodgers who remember the olden days, but there are lots of boil in the bags around now who haven't had our experiences, near misses and mates killed.

Vulcan on show at Tyseley in 1970. Loos like a cross betwen an Austerity and a 15xx, although not quite as much as some of their others built around the time they were subcontracted by Hunslet to build a batch of the WD locos.

Were Vulcan and Victor this type? They were two of three, works numbers 2994-6 I believe, built for Steel Company of Wales at Margam c1950-51 and bought by Austin in 1957 to replace the two USA S100 tanks then in use at Longbridge. Answering my own question, I think the SCoW order were the only three built to the 'New Standard' design. Others had a round top saddle tank like the Austerity.

I think it may have been 1997 the last time I worked there. I wrote some signalling stuff for the major point renewals contract at the PSB end of the station. Still have a copy of the photos from the surveys somewhere. I don't remember that panel being there in my days. It doesn't eem to match anything else there so possibly a training or equipment testing aid?

The collection of mugs has gone from the top of the panel, but some sections are not much different from when I first visited in July 1966. I was involved in either design or testing of some of the changes. The relay room is just a bit more tidy than the last time I was in there aroind 1997.

Cadent is in a mesh of subsidiaries of subsidiaries of a Jersey based finance company/hedge fund. It is a perfect example of how the privatisation of utilities has failed the British public. In the town where our daughter lives many of the big mains are approaching 100 years old. I go across there about twice a week and usually pass 3 locations with Cadent vans parked by a hole in the road. One particular area has lots of problems. They've been digging holes in that stretch since we used to pick up our first grandson from nursery at 12 months old. He is now in the third year of secondary school. I've left out the political rant bits.

The Human Interface Technology team at Birmingham University have been given access to record the inside of the New Street Power Box building for posterity. This is a Google style run through the operating floor and relay room. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=a7aSN6y5sDH Just tap on the little man then use it like Streetview

One night c1971 I was walking through Kings Cross station when the Queen Mother came walking in the other direction with a lady in waiting and one policeman to catch a normal service train.

When it came to Railtrack projects I had one Project Manager I respected for his attitude and abilities. We were still part of BR at the time and I was Senior Project Engineer in charge of all signalling works on the job. He was a civil engineer who was brought in from the oil industry. When he was introduced to us he said "I'm an engineer but know nothing about railways. That part is down to you, just tell me where the problems are, and otherwise I will stick to sorting out and programme, finance and politics issues." He pulled all the departments into a really effective team and the job was a great success, as all of the people on my level of the pyramid were very competent railway engineers in their particular field and he had his finger on the interfaces likely to cause delays.

I am building a roundy in a room fractionally over 8 feet square. About 2/3 of the track length, probably just over 20 feet. is visible between the scenic breaks. It has very little straight track which I think makes the run look longer. There are two hidden loops each way which will take a tender loco and five, possibly six at a squeeze, bogie coaches or 12-15 mixed goods wagons. A private siding in front of a factory hides the loops and makes use of the space on that side. There is a station on the opposite side to the loops with a fairly wide bridge carrying a main road and elevated station building in the corner of the layout. One end of the platforms is under the bridge which also seems to make the run look longer as it is difficult to see the whole of the track from one point. A branch with sidings comes in at the opposite end to the bridge. it is fed by two hidden sidings. It's possible to have about six trains set up at a time with two actually moving and up to four in sight at once.

6th October 1979 saw 7808 and 5900 work two specials between Didcot and Birmingham. They came off the Down 'Capital Venturer' GWS train at Dorridge and went LE to Tyseley to turn and water. They then went to Saltley to take over the Up 'Devonian Venturer', a 6000 Locomotive Association Railtours special from Taunton to Newport and Shrewsbury as far back as Didcot. This was the Up train approaching Rookwood Road bridge between Tyseley and Acock's Green. The locos started a large bank fire near to the signal. No mobile phones back then so I asked one of the local youths who had been watching the train to run down the road to the local fire station which was only a couple of huindred yards away. A Class 47 running light was following so the second man got down to call Saltley to block the line until the fire was under control.