New Victorian tourist railway rules

David Bromage (dbromage@metz.une.edu.au)
24 Nov 1997 02:59:35 GMT

Revised and reprinted Tourist Railway Rules and General Instructions took
effect on 17th November 1997 superceeding those effective 1st July 1994.
The responsible body for certification and supervision of tourist railways
is now the Office of the Manager Safeworking, Victorian Rail Track
Corporation. I can't give all the details as the document is restricted
and copyright, but I can outline a few of the major changes.

- Use of Audible Track Warning devices (detonators) is discontinued.
Protection for disabled trains, civil engineering works and foggy
weather has been suitably modified.
- References to "air brake" replaced with "continuous automatic brake"
to reflect the diversity of equipment being operated. (e.g. Westinghouse
air, straight air with EP, vacuum).
- Certain expempted rail motors and rail-mounted plant not required to
have a continuous automatic brake.
- Temporary Signals now classified as Absolute Stop Signals. These
(either fixed or Flagmen) are now required at work sites in place of
ATWs.
- Terminology varied as Disc Signals are the only form of Subsidiary
Signal currently in use.
- Additional exception to passing a fixed signal at stop, when entering
a section under Absolute Occupation.
- New White Hand Signal, "visually enhanced" signal to the Guard that sll
is right for a train to depart from the station. Thw white light/flag
option has been deleted from the "all right" hand signal.

Cheers
David