Should you always answer telephone calls?

There’s no penalty other than for delaying the train.

In the real world you’d be expected to answer even if it was just to tell the driver to wait for the signal although If you clear it when he’s on the phone he’d hang up and just go unless he wanted you for something else.

Everyone knows the signaller waits until the driver has climbed down from the cab in the freezing cold and walked to the post, before clearing the signal. that's why there's tiny cameras in the SPT boxes.

jc92 in post 135666 said:

Everyone knows the signaller waits until the driver has climbed down from the cab in the freezing cold and walked to the post, before clearing the signal. that's why there's tiny cameras in the SPT boxes.

Still better than having to go all the way to the signal box, is it not (and with modern signallers usually being miles from the signals, also more practical)?

There is also a converse situation.
Driver phones up to advise train ready at Nowhere Siding
(note - not a permission to enter)
SimSig operative sees TD appear and sets the route.
Train drives off.
Driver STILL on the phone having driven 8 miles away......
Ground frame phones had very long extension leads back in the day ?

I assume this is an inevitablility from the entry messages construction for 'Call from [driver / shunter / manager / colliery /.... ] advising train ready at [wherever]

Bill

The solution for that would be for the train not to be allowed to depart until the phone call is answered (this is already done for entry points, ex. Bounds Green depot, KX sim - so I assume this could be added for other timetable start points which would require a call but are not SimSig "entry points").

AlexRail575 in post 135675 said:

The solution for that would be for the train not to be allowed to depart until the phone call is answered (this is already done for entry points, ex. Bounds Green depot, KX sim - so I assume this could be added for other timetable start points which would require a call but are not SimSig "entry points").

This is for some entry points. There are (at least) three types of entry point.

Normal plain signalled fringe track.

Some needing a call for permission before the train enters (typically depots & yards)

Some where you are told the train has entered, but do not have a refusal option (ground frame controlled sidings).
Kings Cross does not have any of these.

Likley it depends on who is 'in control' to prevent a Mexican standoff.

Bill

Also a "phone only if early" option (with a developer-set threshold). Probably should be used more often, the idea being you can ask an early running freight on a main line to be held to time because you've got nowhere to put it (eg previous 'box has a loop into which it can place the freight).

In the case of New Street, it usually to tell you that the train is 1 minute early!

ambergatesm in post 135732 said:

In the case of New Street, it usually to tell you that the train is 1 minute early!

Mantis 32654. I hadn't noticed that when I inherited the sim! (The threshold in the sim is zero which is wrong)

GeoffM in post 135734 said:

ambergatesm in post 135732 said:

In the case of New Street, it usually to tell you that the train is 1 minute early!

Mantis 32654. I hadn't noticed that when I inherited the sim! (The threshold in the sim is zero which is wrong)

From a user point of view, my opinion is that this should be at least 10 or 15 minutes, possibly more if the sim time is before or after some treshold (during the early morning/late night periods). Also, might I ask if there is already a check to see whether a passenger train is scheduled to enter there within the next few minutes and prevent the freight train being offered? I assume that in real-life the fringe signal box would already be holding such a freight train back to prevent delaying the passenger service. Or is this is something the SimSig-naller needs to do manually?

GeoffM in post 135734 said:

ambergatesm in post 135732 said:

In the case of New Street, it usually to tell you that the train is 1 minute early!

Mantis 32654. I hadn't noticed that when I inherited the sim! (The threshold in the sim is zero which is wrong)

From a user point of view, my opinion is that this should be at least 10 or 15 minutes, possibly more if the sim time is before or after some treshold (during the early morning/late night periods). Also, might I ask if there is already a check to see whether a passenger train is scheduled to enter there within the next few minutes and prevent the freight train being offered? I assume that in real-life the fringe signal box would already be holding such a freight train back to prevent delaying the passenger service. Or is this is something the SimSig-naller needs to do manually?

AlexRail575 in post 135736 said:

GeoffM in post 135734 said:

ambergatesm in post 135732 said:

In the case of New Street, it usually to tell you that the train is 1 minute early!

Mantis 32654. I hadn't noticed that when I inherited the sim! (The threshold in the sim is zero which is wrong)

From a user point of view, my opinion is that this should be at least 10 or 15 minutes, possibly more if the sim time is before or after some treshold (during the early morning/late night periods). Also, might I ask if there is already a check to see whether a passenger train is scheduled to enter there within the next few minutes and prevent the freight train being offered? I assume that in real-life the fringe signal box would already be holding such a freight train back to prevent delaying the passenger service. Or is this is something the SimSig-naller needs to do manually?

On Aston the freights probably run faster than the passenger trains anyway (well, most of them).

GeoffM in post 135743 said:

AlexRail575 in post 135736 said:

GeoffM in post 135734 said:

ambergatesm in post 135732 said:

In the case of New Street, it usually to tell you that the train is 1 minute early!

Mantis 32654. I hadn't noticed that when I inherited the sim! (The threshold in the sim is zero which is wrong)

From a user point of view, my opinion is that this should be at least 10 or 15 minutes, possibly more if the sim time is before or after some treshold (during the early morning/late night periods). Also, might I ask if there is already a check to see whether a passenger train is scheduled to enter there within the next few minutes and prevent the freight train being offered? I assume that in real-life the fringe signal box would already be holding such a freight train back to prevent delaying the passenger service. Or is this is something the SimSig-naller needs to do manually?

On Aston the freights probably run faster than the passenger trains anyway (well, most of them).

This is often an issue on Carlisle though, but instead with late running freights. They get sent right in front of passenger trains sometimes, causing them a lot of delay. Especially if the freight is long, so it has to wait until Tebay to let the passenger past.