Page 1 of 1
| Failure Management (unintentional reference) Yesterday at 21:56 #159922 | |
HaX
2 posts |
Having noticed the track circuit at AN106-AN104 had failed in the attached (though this has no actual use here, oh well. Perhaps critiquing my current management? Btw the reason 2R61 was delayed so much was because I didn't realise it was a TCF as it's still my first sim, which I started at 14:00 anyways), I wondered to what extent you should attempt to reroute trains. For example, I know that you usually wouldn't Single Line Work, especially not here, but with say something like the Southeastern Main Line from Hither Green - Orpington (my local area), with 2 fast and 2 slow lines, is it worth delaying basically all fast services (at least in one direction, but both if there's a failure on the up slow) to accommodate the additional slow trains? I also want to ask if my current understanding of reminders and traction isolation reminders is correct. Currently reminders are just to set a Line Block, in case of say a failed train,...after setting the signal to danger manually by using the Emergency Replacement, or is that not necessary? However, I have no idea what traction isolation reminders are for. Are they in case of, say, engineering works? Sorry for all the text for such a trivial matter, but (if anyone reads this) I would greatly appreciate any advice/help.  Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Log in to reply |
| Failure Management (unintentional reference) Yesterday at 22:20 #159923 | |
|
JamesN
1615 posts |
Standard answer really of “it depends”. Ideally, if a signalled route is available; then nowadays that would be used in preference to a form of degraded working such as talking past. BUT, you aren’t going to get all traffic on a busy 4 track mainline over only one of the pairs of lines; so maybe some would be diverted with some being talked past. As I say, it depends. Control would help in such scenarios by altering the train service to perhaps reduce signaller workload and enable the thinned service to fit on the remaining serviceable line. Perhaps also offer some guidance as to which trains should be diverted and which talked past. SimSig doesn’t really simulate that aspect, but with enough knowledge of the timetable the player could, of their own volition, remove trains or stops from timetable to provide that effect. I’ll let others with more confidence in the correct answers discuss reminders. Log in to reply The following user said thank you: HaX |
| Failure Management (unintentional reference) Today at 11:13 #159931 | |
|
TUT
550 posts 
|
Talking past signals at danger takes time, a lot more than it does in the sim, and of course you are unable to take full advantage of all of the systems that you usually have to ensure safety, so if you can work around a problem without making everything worse of course you will do that. But very often that is hardly possible. Talking past signals at danger is very common. Lines are very busy and congested. There just isn't any generally accepted principle that you only talk past signals at danger if you have literally no other option. Far from it. Single line working isn't implemented because of track circuit failures. If you ever sit any signalling exam there is one phrase that will be used again and again and which will improve almost any answer to the kinds of questions that you will be asked. And that is 'with a reminder'. 'I would place the signal to danger with a reminder'. 'I would set the points to the correct position and keep them there with a reminder'. 'I would place the block indicator to train on line and keep it there with a reminder'. Basically any time you want to maintain a signal at danger or a set of points in a particular position or whatever it is, wherever you want to operate a control and then keep it it there, you use a reminder. And when you sit your exam you write that you will use a reminder or you will lose marks. So if you have a line blockage or a T3 possession and you're placing and maintaining signals at danger to protect the work, you apply reminders. If you are passing signals at danger you set the route using the individual point controls and apply reminders to them. And you apply reminders to conflicting signals as well to stop you from clearing them. If you have an obstruction or other emergency, you will apply a reminder to the protecting signals. If you need to caution a driver about anything you will apply a reminder to prevent you from clearing the signal before you have spoken to the driver. If equipment is defective or disconnected or cannot be worked for whatever reason you will apply a reminder. More formally the rules are quite extensive and are quoted below: Quote: 3.5 Using reminder appliancesWhere it says 'lever' this includes a switch, button or workstation control. You can use the reminder override facility instead of removing the reminder, operating the signalling control, and then immediately replacing it when signalling a train to an unaffected route or when you have done whatever the reminder was reminding you to do (generally instructing the driver to proceed at caution). The one caveat I would have, as discussed very recently here https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/ThreadView/55997?postId=159865 is I would not advocate overusing reminders. Don't use reminders for completely normal train running. This will dilute their significance and soon they won't really remind you of anything. A common use of reminders on computer workstations such as those simulated by SimSig where ARS is fitted is to prevent ARS from setting a route for a train which you wish to regulate. This will be effective. ARS cannot set routes where reminders are applied. So if, say, you have a freight train that you want to hold in a loop you can put a reminder on the loop exit signal and that will stop ARS from routing the freight train out of the loop against your wishes. This is done. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. But I will tell you when I did my Initial Signaller Training my instructor advised against it and recommended the use of reminders for safety related matters only, and not for regulating. So as not to dilute their significance. (Instead either take the train out of ARS or disable the ARS sub-area.) Similarly you might decide you're going to allow 1A00 to run in front of 7B22 and you might use a reminder to stop you from setting the route for 7B22 on autopilot. On the face of it this is a good idea, and you could do that, but some people (with good reason) would recommend not regulating with reminders, because they're for safety. That's your choice really. Similarly in mechanical signalling with semaphores, we clear all of our stop signals all together. 2, 3, 4 and then the distant (1), say. If you cannot clear all of them, you must stop the train (or nearly stop it) at each signal in turn. If you need to caution a train at 4 or simply you can't clear 4 because there is a train ahead, you could put a reminder on 2 and/or 3 to prevent you from clearing 2, clearing 3, realising you can't clear 4 and then it's not good because you have not stopped, or nearly stopped, the train at 2 and 3 then, so really you want to get the signals back now and it's all a bit dodgy. It's OK if the train is 2 miles away and isn't going to see any of this, but you can trip yourself up. Similarly if signal 3 protects a junction and a train is signalled over that junction you are not permitted to clear signal 2 and allow a train to approach signal 3 while the train is signalled over the junction. You could use a reminder to prevent you from making these kinds of mistakes. However when I did my training, my instructor would say 'that's your job' reminders are for the out-of-course stuff and go on the lever for the signal where you need to caution or detain the train. Typically you put your reminders on automatically. The other day I got a call from the station advising of a vulnerable person on the station, who was possibly suicidal. Reminders on. I watched the police chase a man off the station once and down the track. Reminders on. I got a call from the next box once informing me of reportable railhead conditions that had resulted in a station overrun (poor adhesion). Reminder on. You just do it. Traction isolation reminders are to do with electrical isolation of the traction current supply systems. I wouldn't worry about those too much. Last edited: Today at 11:26 by TUT Reason: None given Log in to reply |