Re: Crossing loop design (r.e. Southern Aurora crash)

[Tony Gatt <baulko@tig.com.au>]

MarkBau1 wrote:

> <<<<<<<NZ uses catchpoints on its short crossing loops on the Johnsonville line
> (running into sand traps).  The speed is not so great.  This allows
> simultaneous entry of two trains, and even the crossing of one overlength
> train per peak.  The system works very well.>>>>>>
>
> You don't need catchpoints on the loop to have running crosses. Even VR's
> crappily signalled Melb - Wodonga SG allows simultaneous entry with both trains
> getting the wonderfully informative aspect of "low speed caution"

I do get the feeling, you are not happy with some of the "later" signalling
decisions that were made in Victoria...:)

> Why can't V/Line trust its drivers? When I worked on the Rio Grande I was
> amazed and glad to see crossing loops signaled properly. If you were going into
> the loop you got a bottom yellow, no speed proving, no "safety distance" from
> home departure to the points. You know whats going on and you know where to
> stop the damn train. This is on a railroad that runs 15,000 ton trains on 1 in
> 50 grades. If on the mainline you would get a top yellow.
>
> VR, V/Line signal engineers should be shot for some of the crap they have
> gotten away with!

There is only one sure way to save your job... make more work for yourself...

> The same engineers also set up some very unsafe signal practices, there was no
> consistency at all.
>
> The topper is the underground. The Engineers will tell you that Reg 74 is a
> perfectly good way to run trains but when the underground was built why did
> they dispense with automatics? They installed all home signals in the
> underground because they wanted to remove any possibility of a rear end
> collision in the underground, but its ok to run the rest of the system (above
> ground) with automatics! Go figure!

They cheated. The signals are automatic in Home configuration.

You're right, they trust no-one..

> Mark.
>
> Visit my train pic website at:
> http://home.earthlink.net/~markbau/

--
Thanks, Tony.

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