Re: Safeworking!

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <7fdm2t$1vb$1@news1.mpx.com.au> "Rufus" <rufus.dog@mpx.com.au> writes:
>From: "Rufus" <rufus.dog@mpx.com.au>
>Subject: Safeworking!
>Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 23:20:36 +1000

>Railways [and Truckers, for that matter] cant work without Safe working .
>The ideal safe working  system is automatic, that is it does not rely on
>people to pass an object to a train crew, ever!
>The train should never be slowed or stopped, just to pass on some mystical
>object so that the Driver may waste litres of fuel and brake blocks just to
>stop and then return to his cruising speed.
>ASW was the answer, and had it been developed and operated by people who had
>the ability and the need to complete this project, instead of treating it as
>a gravy train and ripping the system off for everything it was worth,  would
>have been a cheap, safe alternative to all Safe working  Systems used in
>Victoria today.


The basic problem with ASW , is that whilst it appears a cheap system , it 
isnt , in that it requires every loco that runs over it to be modified , ie 
you must carry a special proprietary radio.
Whilst such a scheme may work for trains which only run within the state 
its totally absurd to suggest that a train travelling from Melb to Perth must 
be specially modified just to travel from Newport to Ararat.
In the case of NRC for example , they bought a fleet of locos after great 
amounts of discussion with all the systems which could run everywhere and then 
because of ASW , only have around 22 locos that can run from Melb to Adelaide.
The cost of modifying every NR loco to equip it with ASW equipment is simply 
prohibitive.
Safeworking needs to either locomotive neutral , ie the safeworking isnt 
dependant on loco type , as it used to be since rail, started in this country
or uniform across the whole country ,so that when locos are manufactured the 
cost of the safeworking requirements is built into the loco costs.
ASW is the worst of both worlds , a system in use in only part of one state on 
an interstate line .
If we go back to the trucking analogy , a trucker doesnt need any special 
modifications to his rig to enter Victoria , and the same trucker can drive 
his truck anywhere in Australia with the one license , ie there is a single 
set of rules in use everywhere.
If only Rail could even get close.

MD