Ability to return signals to danger without being penalised

Would there be any scope to add a feature that allows the signaller to advise a driver not to move pending a signal being restored to danger?

This feature would certainly be useful during incidents, or when a signal has been cleared too early.

Personally I think if it was possible then as we can right click on any train to give it a command in F2/the train list such as reverse direction etc then could we not right click to give command eg signal will be replaced or similar?

Eg at the moment a driver can ring up to say they have a fault with the train and will the signal be put back but what if the signaller either set the wrong route by misreading the workings or set a route ahead of TRTS being given and that train ends up being delayed?

As a example, I had a train booked to depart Victoria Central at 00:02 last night but it was delayed for no advertised reason to 00:05 which with the route set, blocked a inward working that I could have had platformed in the time I had.

So is the idea actually feasible?

Added to Mantis 31454. This would be via phone call, not F2. Note that it is up to the driver to answer the phone and they're not supposed to do that if doing something critical, like braking for a red signal or station. So sometimes they may not answer for a few minutes.

GeoffM in post 131158 said:

Added to Mantis 31454. This would be via phone call, not F2. Note that it is up to the driver to answer the phone and they're not supposed to do that if doing something critical, like braking for a red signal or station. So sometimes they may not answer for a few minutes.

Thanks for taking this up.

That’s roughly what I was thinking. Certainly needs to be a process which takes a bit of time, so can’t just be done at the drop of a hat.

Perhaps, if feasible, it might be made so it doesn’t work (perhaps on a semi random basis) if for example the train is more than a 2-3 minutes before departure time, as in that situation often the driver wouldn’t be present in the cab?

I’m thinking of real life where in reality it would be a case of “damn we need to put that signal back, can we get hold of the driver?”. Obviously away from stations the scenario of driver being out of contact shouldn’t arise.

Added to Mantis 31454. This would be via phone call, not F2. Note that it is up to the driver to answer the phone and they're not supposed to do that if doing something critical, like braking for a red signal or station. So sometimes they may not answer for a few minutes.

The cheeky ask is that the TT writer has an option to disable this. There are lots of user-written TTs out there set in eras when any form of in-cab communication would be inappropriate.

Added to Mantis 31454. This would be via phone call, not F2. Note that it is up to the driver to answer the phone and they're not supposed to do that if doing something critical, like braking for a red signal or station. So sometimes they may not answer for a few minutes.

GeoffM in post 131158 said:

Added to Mantis 31454. This would be via phone call, not F2. Note that it is up to the driver to answer the phone and they're not supposed to do that if doing something critical, like braking for a red signal or station. So sometimes they may not answer for a few minutes.

At my TOC we never answer GSMR on the move; though the signaller can make a broadcast to us or send a 'Contact Signaller' text message which we would respond to at the next practical opportunity - signallers are aware of the policy so generally send the message when they know we're stationary, or very close to being!

Added to Mantis 31454. This would be via phone call, not F2. Note that it is up to the driver to answer the phone and they're not supposed to do that if doing something critical, like braking for a red signal or station. So sometimes they may not answer for a few minutes.

Just to note that if you've pulled off way too early (fairly sure it's 10 minutes before departure time), you can replace the signal without an ACOA penalty.

This I would expect as a driver is required at what will be the leading end of the combined train as part of the attachment process, even if it is to receive the information that the train is now coupled.

Paul