Derailing devices

[aussiesteve]

Good to see you with that EE logo badge there BW.
Much better than that GE badge.
At LMC, on the wired roads, there was a section isolater master switch.
To prevent maintenance blokes from getting zapped when ontop of a buzz box inside the shed.
So, you had to avoid parking a buzz box too close to the shed doors outside with the pans up.
Bridge the airgap with the loco pans and you would liven up that overhead inside the shed.
I was always wary of hefting up the pans inside the shed with the wooden pole.
After the master switch was set back to restore the overhead power.
No air in the main res to raise the pans after that loco had been worked on.
And the panto foot pumps either took forever or didn't work.
But, there were no derailers protecting shed roads from errant entry.
The jacks down at loco points were to prevent a run-away loco from getting out of loco and onto the main line.
But, that failed one time when the pointcop at Coalstage signal box set the road early for a scheduled loco departure.
A pair of 85 class buzz boxes had been stabled on the steep hill ( 1 in 25 ) out the front of the shed over the week-end.
Handbrakes had been applied to one loco (not spring parkers on them, just the sole axle ratchet type).
The locos had been left on the air (going) as was practice.
But, for some reason they shut down, and eventually the engine brake air leaked off releasing the brakes.
With only the single handbrake now holding them, off they trundled.
Out they went rattling past Coalstage box, the pointcop presuming them to the the scheduled loco departure going early.
THANKFULLY, there was nothing sitting on platform 2 at New Station.
Even the pointcop in Yard Box did not realize the situation as they rattled past him.
The errant buzz boxes ended up in the dip out beyond the station on the Down Main.
Talk about an inquest at LMC to determine WHO was responsible for this.
SO, derails and catch points can fail some times.
Ah the good ole days.
Steve.