Catch Points - Trap Points

[DSY011]

We used this sort of de-railer in Rhodesia, only the ones we used were set by hand and locked with a great big padlock. Most of Rhodesia was single line working with crossing loops. At some of the sidings there was a storage track where farmers were able to load cattle or other farm goods. The de-railer was to stop wagons from running away and fouling the main line.

[HM181]

With the demise of Class 9 loose coupled trains all the catch points were removed from the lines. There are still these types of points about but they are probably clamped out of use.
The last class 9 train I worked was on Christmas Week in 1991.
The job was to conduct a Donny Guard from Turners Lane at Wakefield upto Neville Hill Shed at Leeds.
The BV concerned was a Shark Ballast Brake. These rode like a nuclear explosion at owt over 20mph.
The guard had not lit van fire and it was freezing cold, it took me a year to warm me feet up again.
The best brake vans were those which had Timken Roller Bearings fitted, these were the Eastern region Brakes.
10 minutes after leaving York Yard South you could be fast asleep, with the stove a deep cherry red blaasting out the heat.
The only problems was the gaps in the floor boards where a 35 mph wind would blow up yer legs.
These were normally blocked with rolled up newspapers.

[HM181]

Originally Posted by Yorky

There are de-railers situated before the end of P 5 and 6 at Huddersfield. In the old days they used to freeze up when the train standing in P5 drew out and before the one in P 4 was ready to leave. Cotton waste, Paraffin and a box of matches used to be the cure. Probably be locked away as a terrorist now!

One Sunday night, a Huddersfield driver who will remain un named came into this platform from Wakefield too fast, and slammed into the buffers, and made a bit of a mess in the down bay platforms.(1981)
The only clue I will give is the name John.

Calder Loop, at Wakefield was always a popular spot for running out through the traps.
We had to run round trains in this location, the SPA trucks from Cardiff Rod Mill conveying coils of wire to Cobra.
The driver would hook off, come down to Cobra to pick up the shunter, then rr the train at the top end of the loop.
The loco was then hooked on, and shunter walked down to loop and did a brake test.
At this point after the test I always left the train brake blowing, so that the train could not move.
The shunter then phoned Kirkgate Box to tell him the train was ready from the SPT
When the signal came off the guard would radio the driver to tell him to propel into cobra. The air brake tap was then closed, the brake came off and the driver would propel the train at 3mph into the yard. This was done to make sure the train did not move until the traps were in the correct position.
The train had a length of 42 slu's
Now Cobra has closed.
I worked in and out of that Yard for over 25 years on a daily basis, and kept HM Guards/Shunters in work for that period of time.

[Seabrook]

Catch points are trailing in direction of travel. Trap points are facing in direction of travel. Generally 'Catch points' we used on running lines to protect following trains should a coupling break or to stop in emergency runaway wagons. 'Trap points' are integrated into the signalling set up to protect junctions, single lines. Whilst there are still 'catch points' on the system they have been largely eliminated in track modernisation schemes due to the fact loose coupled have been done away with.

[boilersuit]

Ah, I think I get it now. Catch points are spring loaded, trailing in the direction of travel, so trains can run over them in the normal direction of travel. But if a coupling should break in a loose-coupled train, then the wagon(s) would be derailed if they ran back – thus protecting a following train frm running into them. I guess they would have been used mainly at the foot of an incline.

[ccmmick]

You have got it in one boilersuit.

ccmmick

[48111]

"Argh" the old cotton waste, however have we managed without it for so long

48111