Re: Independent Review of Rail Safety Arrangements in Australia

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

Eddie Oliver <eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au> wrote in message
386B4BBE.8A6910AC@efs.mq.edu.au">news:386B4BBE.8A6910AC@efs.mq.edu.au...
> Exnarc wrote:
>
> >
> > I recall a few years ago (about September 1981) I was running an Up
Ballarat
> > Goods (via Geelong) towards Lara, when the auto signal in advance went
from
> > GREEN to RED, I stopped, was about to move off, when the 2020 Up Geelong
> > Pass hit me in the rear at about 50km/h, he had a Proceed indication on
the
> > Auto, (a wrong side failure, human error).
>
> Please explain what actually happened in both the signalling failures
> and the human error. In particular, what caused the auto to show Proceed
> when it should not? Do you mean that it was human error which caused the
> signal to fail wrong-side?
>
> Eddie Oliver

The fitter wired it wrong and did not carry out a test.

It was the result of the track ciruit being interupted by a track tamper
during the day.

It was on the weekend of the introduction of the second line, Lara-Corio,
the new signalling was in situ but not commissioned, the old equipment was
still in use, from what I was told at the inquiry, after the disruption to
the wiring new temporary cables were laid to the relay box and were wired to
the wrong relays (all too complicated for me), when I passed the the
preceeding it put the next signal to stop, after the last vehicle of my
train passed the bell block for Canterbury Road level crossing (until then
unprotected) the preceeding signal cleared to Normal Speed Warning.  The
Driver of the Pass saw Yellow, shut off, was about to apply the brake when
his mate called out RED LIGHT when he saw the RED Kero tail light of my van.

"BANG"

Bob.