Re: Bayside Trains driver stood down.

[cmgord@ecr.mu.oz.au (Christopher_Martin GORDON)]

: > Just heard on 3AW that a Bayside Trains driver was stood down today, for
: > driving his train through a Dandenong level crossing while the gates were
: > still up. 

: Given that the automatic trip levers would have stopped a train driving
: through a red signal which should have been showing if the gates were
: up, how could this have happened and why was the driver blamed?

Not correct, if the level crossing has stopping/express selection it
will be protected by a red/red signal, but if the gates have no 
stopping/express selection then the signal will be at proceed, and
you could go through the signal at 'proceed' and the gates still be up.

In other words a level crossing after a station will have a red/red
signal (some expections like Mitcham where it is always set for down
express trains) and a level crossing before a station or the middle of
no where will have no protection (ie signal at Proceed)

On 3LO they said it was a goods train, the crossings there have signs 
"Do Not enter level crossing until booms are horozontal"

Don't worry all the signalling/points and trains on the Dandenong panel are
recorded so they can find out what happened (and there was another person
in the cab of the train)

--
Chris Gordon
http://www.ecr.mu.oz.au/~cmgord