Re: Sydney Rail strike tomorrow

["Notagunzel" <notagunzel@bigfoot.com>]

Railway Rasputin <bob@fastlink.com.au> wrote in message
37F1EB4B.2F3D07A6@fastlink.com.au">news:37F1EB4B.2F3D07A6@fastlink.com.au...

> gonoNOCRAP@bigpond.com wrote:

> > Here we go again i gotta ask you why are they shedding operational
> > staff when you have the ridiculous situation where some employees
> > drive all over the state in four wheel drives pressing buttons on
> > level crossing equipment to see if it still works???? this has to be
> > one of the most inefficient work practices known to man.
> > In Vic they fitted "healthy state indicators" A flashing white light
> > attached to the crossing lights if this does not flash it is the
> > drivers responsibility to report this to train control
> > I'm sure if SRA adopted this policy they could shed 500 non productive
> > workers and save thousands of litres of fuel and wear and tear on
> > vehicles a week !!!
> > Regards Paul Johnston (mnrc)

> I don't think you would have to fit the extra light. Haven't F and E
> type level crossings have hole in the side of the barrel of the light so
> drivers can see if they are working?

In Victoria the Healthy State Light is actually controlled by more than just
if the crossing is operating.  IIRC the box of electronics driving the
light, mounted in a Q type relay case, checks that all Flashing Light busses
(1LE, 1RE, 2LE, 2RE etc...) are actually operating, that the AC is on, and I
think that DC voltage is OK.

The idea is that if there is a fault, particularly AC power fail, that it
gets reported by train crews via the Healthy State Light before the crossing
dies.

In Victoria, the lights are checked by the Ganger who patrols the track.  Is
this once a day in Victoria, or only Monday -> Friday?  You really need
someone to at least check the lights, one a day is nice, to check that
everything is working, especially things like Bells (not wasp proof), and
Light Heads (not proofed against persons of low intellectual capacity
unilaterally refocussing the lights for aircraft, or ants), and that the
globes are still intact. (Although LED's fix this problem).

--
Mr Notagunzel.
Level Crossing Connoisseur.
notagunzel@bigfoot.com
(Waiting for any move at http://www.bigfoot.com/~notagunzel)