How Do Trains Get To The Right Place

[tight5]

TRUST is a part of TOPS , that scotrail link earlier tells you about it .

Bearing in mind that this isn't part of what I do , I think it goes like this -

TOC asks NR for a schedule with approx times for a route .
NR has a look at TRUST to see if they can get that path and tells the TOC of their running times .
TOC makes a diagram and sends it to the relevant depot .

[RedYellowGreen]

mrloudly said:

"old leverframes with signals and points being worked from the box by metal rods and wires"

Dear God, please tell me we're not still using these!!!!

Yep and many are well over 100 years old.

[RedYellowGreen]

Seight_Returns said:

Getting there, thanks. Still a bit curious as to who/how the presumably hugely complcated schedule to ensure that all the passenger/freight/other services gets co-ordianted.

What's "TRUST" ? Is that the scheduling system that produces these route maps - similar to the "TOPS" system that Tonker describes above ?

If for example, the owner/operator of Tornado needs to get the loco from Hither Green where I believe it lives, to Kings Cross to pull a mainline special, then back to Hither Green again at the end of the day - do they just call up Railtrack with their requirements and one of these route maps with the times and route get emailed to them along with an invoice for whatever parts of the network they've used ?

Edited by Seight_Returns on Thursday 2nd June 17:00

Well for a move such as that, the train company in charge of the train will submit a request to Network rail who will get a planner to work out a path for the train, the planner will simply look for gaps in the permanent timetable between regular passenger and freight trains and then program the timings ,plus a description of the loco and coaches, into the TRUST system an internal network used by the industry. When the train is ready to leave Hither Green the signalman will see the timings in the TRUST system and route the train to where it needs to go.
Trains are planned as far in advance as possible and if there is time it will even be put directly into the programme that is used in the computer controlled signalboxs so in theory the signalman will only have to press a button and the computer workstaion will do the rest. However trains can be planned at the last moment and in emergency run without any timings at all.

People asking whether trains can run without a driver at the controls? Some of the more modern trains actually can, more than you would think. However someone able to take the controls would need to be on the train anyway in case of an emergency or simply some sort of unplanned situation ,as any commuter will know happens far to often, so they might as well drive the thing in the first place I suppose. However like anything and any industry around the technology is only getting better so trade unions not just in the UK but across Europe will have I suspect a tough time proving the worth of the position of someone being in constant control of the train.

[Seight_Returns]

Thanks everyone. Curiosity now satisfied !

[matchmaker]

RedYellowGreen said:

mrloudly said:

"old leverframes with signals and points being worked from the box by metal rods and wires"

Dear God, please tell me we're not still using these!!!!

Yep and many are well over 100 years old.

And still do the job safely and efficiently!

[davidjpowell]

The train that I was on this morning stopped at Welyn Garden City for the driver to investigate a fault warning.

How do they do this? Do they just pull up at a platform, or must they contact someone and possible even ask them to divert the train to a platform (it was a intercity service)?

[Chrisgr31]

davidjpowell said:

The train that I was on this morning stopped at Welyn Garden City for the driver to investigate a fault warning.

How do they do this? Do they just pull up at a platform, or must they contact someone and possible even ask them to divert the train to a platform (it was a intercity service)?

I believe that these days all trains have radios so they can contact the signalbox, and indeed the signal box contact the train. This lack of contact meant that the Cowden train crash happened. The signalman knew that a train had gone through a red light and was on the single track and heading towards the train which had the right of way. It was rumoured that he phned the mergency serv ices to warn them that there was going to be a train crash but couldnt say where.

However on the busy tracks the trains also indicate to the signallers where they are. So twice recently the communication cord has been pulled on our train and we have halted suddenly. The signaller will know that we have not emerged out of that section of track and therefore not allow another train in until we are clear.

[tight5]

If possible , contact the signaller and ask for a loop or station or somewhere out of the way .
some problems will put the brakes on and then it's a case of telling the signaller what's going on so he can divert or use bi-directional working .
Sometimes they will have to wait for the problem to be fixed or the train to be dragged out of the way .

[Working class]

matchmaker said:

And still do the job safely and efficiently!

Debatable. I detest working on mechanical signals and mechanical points.