All shook up in smog hollow

[Beeyar Wunby]

Hi Steve.

I'm surprised that speed trips weren't fitted. I've probably mentioned it before, but following the Canon St collision (Linky here...Canon St collision) it was made mandatory for all terminal platforms in the UK to have mini grids.

But it's not perfect. They're set at ~10 MPH, so if you roll in at 9 you can still wack the stops unimpeded. Also some platforms have rising gradients, like platform 9 at Kings Cross, where it's sometimes necessary to take power after you've passed over the mini grids if you've rubbed a bit too much off on the approach.

I guess no safety system is perfect, and it will be interesting to see how the forthcoming ERTMS (in cab signalling) deals with the speed element of approaching the stops.

Cheers, BW.

[aussiesteve]

G'day BW,
Yes, the Train Stop system does not prevent a stick being passed at stop, or a buffer snot.
But, the damage sustained to the A setter and cattle woulda been a tad less severe had the train only been progressing at less than 25 kph.
Down in the dungeons in smog hollow, the train stop (trip) remains raised at sticks showing Green over Red.
Until train speed is determined to be below 25 kph and then the trip drops.
It is amusing to watch smog hollow hoggers working squirts on Green over Reds in the underground.
As the squirt trundles along at or below 25 kph, the trip actually drops after going out of view from the cab windscreen.
The A setter collision protection does not align with the hydraulic rams on the Richmond buffer.
So, that also did not help.
I don't know if yer ERTMS will solve all potential dramas.
After all, it didn't work with the TSRs on the Cambrian Coast Line back in 2017.
Yer RAIB mob having published the incident report.
https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/repo...ian-coast-line
I don't like computers.
We have a shonky level crossing in smog hollow on the Old South approaching Fairfield.
A permanent 40 kph TSR now adorns that level crossing due to the number of idiot motorists attempting to wrestle trains on the crossing.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Hi Steve.

Interesting report about the failure to upload Temporary Speed Restriction data to the 'Big Brother' computer running the ETCS part of ERTMS.

I've always said this was In-Cab signalling's Achille's Heel.

The old chestnut where the designers "thought that it was someone else's job to check that bit". (Reminds me of the Ladbroke Grove collision where the track layout designer did not include Flank Protection, because he believed that all trains would be running under Automatic Train Protection, which the Government had talked about but never intended to pay for). But I digress.

ETCS is TOTALLY reliant on all speed data being correctly presented into the driver's cab display. We already know that in future, Route Learning will be shrunk if not completely removed from driver training. This is purely to shorten the length of the training course, and relax the entrant skills requirement for the job, thus making it open to more applicants - which in turn will push wages down. Understandable, but de-skilling increases the risks.

I can foresee a high speed derailment in the future, where a driver is asked afterwards why he didn't respond to the hazard ahead. "Because I just keep below the Guide speed on the panel - there's no point in looking out of the window" might be the reply!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

I'm glad I shall have retired before this system comes in. I'm sure they'll get it working eventually, but I feel it will be a difficult birth.

Cheers, BW.