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| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 21:31 #59164 | |
madaboutrains
316 posts |
On a recent visit to Three Bridges I took pictures and in one of my pictures I noticed that they have an emergency train describer. Would this ever be used in an 'emergency' or is this a joke. Could someone tell me why its their? 
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| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 21:49 #59165 | |
GeoffM
6376 posts |
Well... that particular one appears to be a joke. However, signalboxes do have tools like whiteboards to write down descriptions and their known locations. Often something like a power failure will drop all the tracks (= show occupied) which triggers train describer steps, thus the TDs aren't in the correct places relative to the trains they're describing. The whiteboard can be used to record the real positions.
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| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 21:53 #59166 | |
headshot119
4869 posts |
Another example is when TD stepping fails between adjacent boxes. For example Barry signalbox uses a TD terminal to interpose into Cardiff PSBs approach berth, if there is a fault they revert to good old fashioned bell signals!
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer Log in to reply The following user said thank you: madaboutrains |
| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 22:33 #59169 | |
JamesN
1607 posts |
" said:Another example is when TD stepping fails between adjacent boxes. For example Barry signalbox uses a TD terminal to interpose into Cardiff PSBs approach berth, if there is a fault they revert to good old fashioned bell signals!Out of curiosity Karl, does the same arrangement now (don't think it's gone yet!) apply between Barry and SWSCC? Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 22:44 #59173 | |
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Hooverman
306 posts |
I could say, but it's fun watching everyone guessing :-)
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| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 22:44 #59174 | |
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madaboutrains
316 posts |
Do you work at Three Bridges?
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| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 22:56 #59177 | |
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headshot119
4869 posts |
" said:" said:Barry still works to Cardiff PSB.Another example is when TD stepping fails between adjacent boxes. For example Barry signalbox uses a TD terminal to interpose into Cardiff PSBs approach berth, if there is a fault they revert to good old fashioned bell signals!Out of curiosity Karl, does the same arrangement now (don't think it's gone yet!) apply between Barry and SWSCC? Barry, Aberthaw and Cowbridge road will be abolished and the area taken over by a new work station on the SWSCC over the summer (was going to be last January). Currently Cardiff PSB fringes fo SWSCC on the mainline to Newport, and on the line to Cardiff Queen Street. I have a feeling some other boxes that work TCB with train describers have back up bells, unfortunately my notes are all back in my flat in Cardiff. "Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer Last edited: 20/04/2014 at 22:58 by headshot119 Log in to reply The following user said thank you: JamesN |
| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 22:58 #59178 | |
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JamesN
1607 posts |
" said:" said:Getting my Valleys mixed up, cheers for that Karl" said:Barry still works to Cardiff PSB.Another example is when TD stepping fails between adjacent boxes. For example Barry signalbox uses a TD terminal to interpose into Cardiff PSBs approach berth, if there is a fault they revert to good old fashioned bell signals!Out of curiosity Karl, does the same arrangement now (don't think it's gone yet!) apply between Barry and SWSCC? Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 20/04/2014 at 22:59 #59179 | |
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headshot119
4869 posts |
Don't worry it makes my head hurt when I try and work out who works to who and how!
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 01:03 #59182 | |
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Firefly
521 posts |
I thought the preferred method of emergency TD was post-it notes.
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| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 05:32 #59185 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts |
Back up bells were common on most of the Western Region at various points. I would hazard a guess they will be abolished in any new scheme, as the modern TDs are more reliable than the older ones they replaced, and there are other means of identifying trains that did not exist in the 1960s, for example TRUST. Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 08:13 #59188 | |
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Late Turn
699 posts 
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One of the boxes on our patch works TCB with a train describer, with a bell serving not only to describe trains if the TD fails* (or during '3.5' working), but also to act as the emergency alarm. The newer installation at another box has a dedicated emergency alarm over its TCB fringe - anything else, TD failure or otherwise, can be sorted out by telephone. * - I was once told that Doncaster PSB spent many years routinely describing trains to Swinderby using its emergency bell! Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 08:42 #59189 | |
jc92
3685 posts |
" said:Doncaster must hold the record for the highest number of emergency bells provided in a power box? "We don't stop camborne wednesdays" Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 10:49 #59196 | |
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Hooverman
306 posts |
" said:Do you work at Three Bridges?This goes few years back now during some really hot summer, where the telecoms rooms in which the TD computer is based had a air con failure and over heated, this resulted in the TD computer shunting down. This is bad if it only happened once but I think we had three failures over a two week period and by failure I'm talking it lasted over serveral hours. The only way to signal trains between panels was by posted notes and scaps of paper. The method of working with the fringe boxes was to only call each other if something was was running wrong order (panel 1a had 78 trains an our off peak at the time and it wasn't practical to signal to the three fringe boxes by phone as well as post it notes to panel 1b). It didn't help that the then TOCs didn't reduce the service, nor that any of the equipment that piggyback off the TD system couldn't work as we'll i.e. no CCF, no TRUST, no PIS on the platforms and the most important of all the CSR couldn't undate itself from our TD computer. I think I'm right in saying that only one train got mis-describe to one of our fringe boxes and a Bedford bound Thameslink 1Txx or 2Txx got hot mixed up with a Horsham to London Bridge 2Cxx Service and ended up in one of the terminal platforms, from where it started it return working at the correct time. What you see in your picture is the tongue in cheek p*** take of those failures because when the system fails that's all we have to work with. Last edited: 21/04/2014 at 10:51 by Hooverman Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 11:01 #59197 | |
Andrew G
552 posts
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" said:" said:Slightly off topic but Aberthaw & Cowbridge Road have already gone over to Cardiff on the Vale of Glamorgan work station. This will be extended to include Barry." said:Barry still works to Cardiff PSB.Another example is when TD stepping fails between adjacent boxes. For example Barry signalbox uses a TD terminal to interpose into Cardiff PSBs approach berth, if there is a fault they revert to good old fashioned bell signals!Out of curiosity Karl, does the same arrangement now (don't think it's gone yet!) apply between Barry and SWSCC? https://www.flickr.com/photos/llangollen_signalman/10645342604/in/set-72157637258752486/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/llangollen_signalman/10645360556/in/set-72157637258752486/ Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 12:31 #59203 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts |
Whoever came up with the idea to mix WestCad and MCS in the same large control centre must be popular with the Signalmen. Looking at the MCS interface, I see the advantages of using off the shelf equipment, which WestCad and IECC cannot (dedicated unique keyboards and trackerball assembly), but at the same time, I think I would rather have a conventional mouse than the ball they have provided there. Log in to reply |
| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 12:34 #59206 | |
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Firefly
521 posts |
Yes the MCS and Westcad mix caught my eye too.
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| Emergency Train Describers 21/04/2014 at 13:07 #59208 | |
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Hooverman
306 posts |
Three Bridges ROC (TBROC) afaik will be a mixture of MCS and WestCad, the Sussex East Coastway workstation is MSC and as far as I understand it, the rest of the south coast plus the country end of TBASC will also be MCS. The Thameslink project are going to use WestCad for the parts of Victoria Eastern, West Hampstead and London Bridge moving to the ROC. What the London end of TBASC, the rest of the eastern side and the central side of VASC will be I'm not sure but I'm guessing that will be WestCad as well. Then in about 2024 Ashford IECC should be moving (lol) to TBROC. So we could have all three types of computer based workstations under one roof plus the impending TMS of doom to follow.
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