Re: VR Staff & Ticket and Pilot Working

["Gavin Potter" <gavpot@ozemail.com.au>]

<jdennis@acslink.net.au> wrote in message
7ibgot$s9a$1@nnrp1.deja.com">news:7ibgot$s9a$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
: Another splendid lunch, a fine bottle of wine, and an interesting
: discussion on Train Staff and Ticket as it applied in Victoria.
:
: We believe there are provisions in the Rules for a Pilotman to be used
: in the event a staff is lost or damaged.  Makes sense, and is easy to
: understand, as the pilotman basically replaces the staff - although
: the thought of quite how he would unlock staff locked sidings leaves the
: eyes watering :-)
:
: However, what happens in the situation where the pilotman is introduced
: to replace a long section staff, which is then needed to be split into
: two (or more) short sections.  The most likely scenario we could think
: of was that the pilotman would appoint others to act as pilot-people for
: the other short sections.  However, at the end of the bottle of wine,
: the suggestion was made that perhaps the pilotman, following the letter
: of the rules in that he *is* the staff, stands in front of the staff box
: whilst the short section staves are in use.  Could be a little boring.
:
: Is our originial premise, that additional pilotmen be appointed, the
: correct one?
:
: Cheers...JD
: --
:
: John Dennis
: Home of the Dutton Bay Tramway
: http://www.acslink.net.au/~jdennis/dbt.html
:
:
: --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--
: ---Share what you know. Learn what you don't.---

For a start, I have never heard of a long train staff and ticket section
being divided by a divisible staff. Block posts could be introduced or time
interval introduced. If the section was to long for permanent working then
the section could be divided into shorter sections by the introduction of
another staff section on a permanent basis.

If a long staff section was to be broken up into shorter staff sections,
then you would originally have had to have been working under the electric
staff system. A divided staff was used to make long electric staff sections
into shorter train staff and ticket sections.

You could run trains through the section using block posts, time interval or
just the normal staff section.

i.e. Block Post.  Hamilton to Dunkeld could have the divided staff withdrawn
and the block post became Hamilton, Strathkella, Mountajup and Dunkeld. You
could not use the divided staff in this section if the Bank Engine Key was
needed.

i.e. Time Interval. This was used between Hamilton and Branxholme as there
were no sidings or block phones. Trains were dispatched on 12 minute
intervals.

If a section of the divided staff was unable to be withdrawn from the
instrument then ordinary electric staff working continued. If the staff was
broken after withdrawal from the instrument then train running would
continue using the broken sections of the staff until either the signal
fitters reset the electric staff instruments and then reintroduced electric
staff working or all trains cleared the section and electric staff pilot
working was introduced.

If a train staff was lost or broken on the train staff and ticket system
then pilot working would be introduced with the pilot man becoming the
staff. If a train was required to run from the opposite end of the section
to which the pilot man was located then the pilot man would be transported
to the other end of the section by any means other than rail. Line clear
reports could not be issued when pilot working was in force.

If there was a siding that was required to be shunted and an annett key was
available for the section then the pilot man can tack possession of it and
unlock the siding, otherwise the loading would have to be either left ahead
of, or worked past the siding. The signal fitters could also make
arrangements to unlock the siding.

As far as I knew, in Victoria there was nowhere where the staff on the staff
and ticket system was divisible. I think everyone is thinking of the divided
staff on the electric staff system.
--------------------------------------------
Gavin Potter.

e-mail
gavpot@ozemail.com.au
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