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Shift Managers

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Shift Managers 25/04/2011 at 21:46 #2932
ozrail
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197 posts
Reading about early trains elsewhere I wonder does the Shift Manager have a role in this process? Here in Australia the Train Controllers do all the regulation of train movements that are not timetabled or running early.. One of the great pleasures of Simsig is doing the regulation yourself. They're talking about putting Shift Managers in my Signal (Power) Box so I would like to know what there role is in the UK as a comparison.
Happy Easter & Wedding Day, From Ozrail.

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Shift Managers 25/04/2011 at 21:46 #15353
ozrail
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197 posts
Reading about early trains elsewhere I wonder does the Shift Manager have a role in this process? Here in Australia the Train Controllers do all the regulation of train movements that are not timetabled or running early.. One of the great pleasures of Simsig is doing the regulation yourself. They're talking about putting Shift Managers in my Signal (Power) Box so I would like to know what there role is in the UK as a comparison.
Happy Easter & Wedding Day, From Ozrail.

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Shift Managers 26/04/2011 at 02:25 #15358
MrBitsy
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121 posts
In my power signal box there are four signalers on duty and one shift signal manager (SSM) at all times. The SSM is there to take overall charge of incidents and also can offer advice on regulating decisions. We are very busy most of the time (busy London box), so we ask the SSM for advice, as they have the time to telephone operating companies and level 2 control. If we take the decision to run a freight early, and that freight causes delays (maybe hundreds of miles away), we get the delay minutes - unless we have taken the advice offered by the SSM :-)
TVSC Link 4 signaller - Temple Meads, Bath & Stoke Gifford
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Shift Managers 26/04/2011 at 09:22 #15362
kbarber
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1742 posts
What's now referred to as SSMs used to be 'box supervisors; certainly on the old LM Region they would be responsible for regulating decisions - at least to the extent of turning a freight out ahead of a passenger. Allowing a train to run early probably came under their authority too. The place I had contact with was Willesden PSB, where of course most freights counted as originating (at the very least they'd have changed engines - the NL Line wasn't wired in those days!) and usually both decisions needed to be taken together. A regular was to turn a freightliner out in the evening peak ahead of a slow (Tring or Milton Keynes all-stations); the passenger would take signals as far as Harrow but then the Liner would run away from him and could probably be kept going all the way to Northampton (as the preceding passenger was probably a limited-stop service he in turn would run clear of the Liner). That was what I saw from the Yard, at any rate; the supervisors were pretty good and I don't recall an early freight ever being refused except when there was serious trouble (in which case everything would be refused).
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