How to break the boredom on a long train drive

Thats part of the logic behind the ADF's no drug policy....

If your on drugs or they can prove you have been (and its a big burden of proof but since most drugs leave tell tales for up to 3 months its not impossable)

If your idendified as being contributing thats it your toast, your toast anyway as drugs are an auto discharge thing.

in my experience most failures are repeatable, and if they dont there is generally other evidence that will back up a potential one off failure cause.

Last accident investigation I was involved in (2-3 weeks ago) had me stripping the wiring harness of a truck looking for anything that might have caused an indicator on a trailer not to flash.... (someone else was on the trailer) he found corroded contacts in the plug and I found a burnt contact in a relay that was otherwise working fine.... we couldnt make the system not indicate when used normally and we flooded the plugs, spritzed the relay box froze them, toasted them the works.

driver got off scot free for someone running into him who claimed he didnt see the indicators flash after the MP's determined that due to the nature of the turn the only indicator light he would have been able to see was the one on the back of the trailer.

if hed had a trace of anything in his system tho.... :(

Bit off topic but its a little evidence that some investigators will go to extrodinary lengths to make sure that a one off failure isnt missed. took us 40 manhours to check the indicator circut alone hell knows how many other hours went into it.

Thats interesting. A lot of my family are ex-mil and have said the same thing re drugs, alcohol etc and accidents.

I guess the thing that I think is the Disco2 3 amigos is a really good example of a failure that is not necessarily repeatable and not necessarily detectable from an electrical test or disassembly.

The problem for the suspect crew in this case is that there was clear vision of the track in front of them so even if the signals had failed, they still should have seen the approaching train in time to stop.

Everything seems to indicate they fell asleep and at that time of day, it’s pretty well likely that this was the problem.

As for the drugs, not sure over there but here, it’s Zero tolerance for both drugs and alcohol. If you test positive to anything then you are fired on the spot.

It’s a bit rough when you consider that in the case of alcohol, even the police can be ( I think this is the correct level ) .02 and not have a problem but if your a train drive and you were at a party the night before, started work at lunch time and had to do a random drug and alcohol test that came back even .01, your still finished.

But then again, in NSW, the geniuses have been using radar to check train speeds and if the train is just 5 KPH over, the driver is taken off the road for a fortnight and made to do a refresher course.

Costs the driver a fortune in lost pay and does absolutely nothing to improve train safety.

These retards that come up with ideas like speed traps for trains have not got the slightest idea as to what constitutes safe rail operating practices. Their fresh out of uni but they are instant experts in this field, so much so that at one point last year, they had so many drivers of doing refresher courses after being detected speeding that they end up short of drivers, had to cancel trains and the geniuses were told to stop doing it ( for a while ).

But then there is the other perspective from the railways side of things.

What if...

and did they know that...

and what did they do...

and now these are the consequences....

Bugger, you've taken the video down.

I wanted to double check something. I'm sure the train with the camera had a clear signal and it changed to red just as it approached the turnout. I assume the train being crossed ran forward just enough to trip the signal.

If we are crossing a train, for example, at Valley Heights (Tim will know this one), we can't change the points in front of the train being crossed until we've had a time release of 2 minutes elapse. The system won't set up the movement, it is locked out. This is to ensure the train has come to a stand.

If the train that is crossing in front of the stopped train is close by, I'll usually check with the driver of the stopped train that he has actually come to a stand (halt) - just in case he's been running really slowly.



Run

Hi Ron, both videos are still there.

Cheers.

Ahh, I can access them again, Tim.

Yes, if you watch the video, the signals are red over green then just before it gets to the turnout, it changes to double red.

It does, however, appear to be travelling a bit fast for a train about to cross to the passing loop. The points are set for the loop.

Ron

Right on the money Ron, I hadn’t noticed that before but as you say, just before the train clears the stick, it goes back to red.

The track block is obviously tripped by the other train entering the block section.

As for the speed of the train entering the turnout goes, I think you will find this is a high speed turnout and that even if a train was not in the crossing loop, this train and all trains travelling in that direction, would use the right side track.

Although in NSW, passing trains usually have right of way via the main line and any waiting trains will normally be in the loop, here in QLD all trains approaching most branch line loops, enter via a turnout and the opposite end has the straight exit and it looks like similar operations in the States and Canada.

Cheers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by drivesafe

Although in NSW, passing trains usually have right of way via the main line and any waiting trains will normally be in the loop, here in QLD all trains approaching most branch line loops, enter via a turnout and the opposite end has the straight exit and it looks like similar operations in the States and Canada.

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I had another look and I think you are right. It does look like a high speed turnout.

Yes, nearly all the passing done in the areas I work are done with the waiting train in the loop. The exception is for Up trains at Valley Heights where, as you know, waiting trains stay on the Up main line and passing trains run around via the Down main line.

From that video, it looked like the railway signals at the level crossing were yellow over yelloe

Ron

Hi Ron, yep some of the crossing stations have some strange set ups.

I can remember working a terminator down to Helensburg. Came to a stand on the down platform. Changed ends and while I was waiting for the road to clear, an up coalie came passed on the up platform and while it was still passing, I got the road to head out of Helensburg, in the wrong running direction on the down.

Now I’m heading towards Sydney on the wrong line, the coalie is also heading to Sydney on the correct running line and because there’s a tight right hand curve leaving Helensburg, I can’t see the next signal till I’m almost on it. Very strange sensation.

The thing is, the coalie had been running on a caution from the Helensburg Up Home signal and was running at reduced speed hoping I would get going, cross over in front of him to the the Up and clear the section before he had to bring his train to a stand on the steep grade at the crossover Home stick.

I was just glad to get around the corner and see that the road was set for me.

BTW do they have bisexual signalling over the mountains. I haven’t take that much notice on the few times I’ve been that way.

Cheers.