Re: Indian Pacific Crash

["Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au>]

David Langley <del@ancc.com.au> wrote in message
37CBC9D3.3D71D574@ancc.com.au">news:37CBC9D3.3D71D574@ancc.com.au...
> Exnarc wrote:
>
> > Don't know the location personally, or if the remote control points were
> > working, but if they weren't, there would have to be a way of manual
> > operation. ie: DCPM.
>
> The situation at that end of the railway is (in March this year at least)
no
> different to the eastern end. The setup is each end of the loop has motor
> operated points (switches) and a searchlight point indicator facing
approaching
> trains. Because this is not in any form CTC, there is no approach locking
hence
> a 50km/h restriction on trains passing through on the main. The procedure
at a
> cross (by observation at a number of locations between Tent Hill and
Pimba) is
> for the train entering the loop to stop and let itself in and when clear
the
> points would self restore. The train would stop at the fouling point at
the
> departure end and then the other train, if was there, would depart. We
never saw
> two trains moving together. The non driving crew member on the stopped
train
> would go down to the points and after the through train had cleared,
giving a
> roll by at the same time, would set the points for his train to depart and
> rejoin the train as it left. The points would reset after the rear of the
train
> cleared the fouling section. There is, Mr. Notagunzel has explained it
> elsewhere, a small detected area around the points only merely to prove
the
> points area clear of trains before motor operation can take place. There
appears
> nothing to stop the points being reversed prior to the through train
passing
> through i.e. diverting it onto the loop, save for the vigilance of the
crew
> member standing on the ground.
>
> > Switch Stands, aren't all mainline points on the TAR fitted with them?
>
> No, searchlight signals with flashing indications are used instead.
Flashing
> green points set for main and locked, flashing yellow points set for loop
and
> locked, flashing red points not set for anywhere in particular and
certainly not
> locked.
>
> >  As for the crew member being at the points, the old rules for CR T.O.
> > working required that a member of the other crew admit the second train
to
> > the cross by showing a green flag or light from the points, not sure how
> > they do it, now that radio has become the main form of safeworking in TO
> > Territory.
>
> I suggest that radio is now used although every time we were observing a
cross,
> we were away from the scanner taking photos.
>
> David Langley.

Thanks David for your explanation, however after seeing Notagunzel's photos
there are switch stands, as well as search lights, I assume, if my informant
was correct, the crew member must have pressed the button in the path of the
IP??

Bob.