General (basic) railway and train knowledge

TrainBotherer · 20 Sep 2017

Hello everyone, I have zero knowledge about the industry and wondered if anyone can help with the basics. Does anyone have any links to any info where I can read up general industry knowledge?

It seems a very difficult subject for a beginner to google as everything is so technical and I don't know what I'm googling!

Or can someone explain it to me like I am a child (haha)...

I would like to know things like what are all the "lines" called (are they called lines?) i.e. the ECML, MML, etc..

What's the difference between a train manager and a guard?

What does electrification mean?

What is the HS1/2?

Who are the governing bodies?

How does the track work? (as in how do the trains know which way to go because sometimes as a passenger you go backwards on the same track)

Why are there what look like electric lines above some tracks but not others?

What does DEMU and DMU etc actually mean?

See what I mean about basics? Apologies if I sound like a complete moron, but reading these forums, they may as well be written in Greek because you all seem to discuss things and know what you are all on about!!!

Thank you for you help!

RailUK Forums

U-Bahnfreund · 20 Sep 2017

Welcome to the forum!

I try to answer as many questions as I can.

TrainBotherer said:
Does anyone have any links to any info where I can read up general industry knowledge?

I always find Wikipedia an enjoyable and free source for information. Maybe you can start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Great_Britain

TrainBotherer said:
What does electrification mean?

Trains can be powered by multiple means. In the beginnings of the railways, trains were steampowered, which was later replaced by diesel. An alternative and also more environmentally friendly way is by powering trains with electrical power. For this power to reach the train, a railway line has to be equipped with either a third rail (electric line next to the track) or with overhead wiring (above the train). The process of installing these electric devices is called electrification.

TrainBotherer said:
What is the HS1/2?

The HS in HS1 and HS2 stands for High Speed. High speed lines are specially built for fast trains with speeds up to 300 kmph (185 mph). The old traditional lines are not be capable of handling these fast trains. HS1 is the high speed line linking London with Kent and the Channel Tunnel to France, connected with the French LGV Nord to Lille and Paris. HS2 is a high speed line still planned (controversially). It is supposed to link London with Birmingham and the North of England by around 2030.

TrainBotherer said:
How does the track work? (as in how do the trains know which way to go because sometimes as a passenger you go backwards on the same track)

Tracks are connected at junction by points. These are controlled by signal boxes, located along the railway line at stations. The signal men in these boxes set the points and also the signals which lead the train to its destination. But as signal men are also human, they sometimes make mistakes and send a train the wrong way. Then the train has to reverse.

TrainBotherer said:
Why are there what look like electric lines above some tracks but not others?

Most railway lines are still from the time when trains were steam powered and electric things were not so common. It is expensive and also complicated (e.g. sometimes the electric would not fit under an old bridge) to electrify (see electrification above) such old lines and so, not all lines have been electrified yet.

I hope this helps a bit.

noddingdonkey · 20 Sep 2017

I'll have a go at a few of these:

ECML - East Coast Mainline, the former GNER route from London King's Cross to Leeds/York and beyond

MML - Midland Mainline, from St Pancras to Derby and beyond

WCML - West Coast Mainline, Euston to Manchester and beyond.

Guard is the role which is responsible for safety. In more recent times Guard has been rebranded (in passenger facing contexts) to Conductor or Train Manager. But as far as the railway rule book is concerned, they are the Guard, although they may have additional duties such as checking and selling tickets or managing other on-train staff.

Electrification - providing the infrastructure to deliver current to electric trains. Either third rail or more likely these days OHLE - Overhead Line Equipment.

HS1 and HS2 are different phases of the project to provide new high speed rail routes.

Points are used, controlled by the signaller, to move trains between different tracks according to the required route. Some pieces of track are set up to be worked in both directions - "bi-directional" - most are not. There are methods of using non bi-directional track in a bi-directional way during disruption such as track defects in certain circumstances.

OHLE has been retrofitted to the network but it's expensive to do so has only been done in selected areas where it has the most benefit. It also requires different trains, so it's usually only done as part of a wider project to provide the right rolling stock.

DMU - Diesel Multiple Unit EMU - Electric Multiple Unit DEMU - Diesel-electrc Multiple Unit. The diesel engine drives a generator which produces electric current which drives the traction motors.

PeterC · 20 Sep 2017

I would like to know things like what are all the "lines" called (are they called lines?) i.e. the ECML, MML, etc..

East Coast Main line - the main route out of Kings Cross which runs up the east side of the country
Midland Main Line - the main route out of St Pancras, first operated by the Midland Railway
Also
WCML - West Coast Main Line - main route from Euston which runs up the opposite side of the country to the ECML
GEML - Great Eastern Main Line - specifically the route from Liverpool Street to Norwich via Colchester and Ipswich.
Other names may be geographical, refer to former operating companies or may be marketing labels applied by British Rail at times in the past.

a_c_skinner · 20 Sep 2017

I always worry that my railway jargon comes from PECO catalogs and is actually model railways only. Home and distant signals (Hornby that, before PECO), single and double slip crossings, do big points have frogs, because OO gauge ones do? (I know the rails are not 12V though!). A nice glossary would help.

Andrew

ComUtoR · 20 Sep 2017

noddingdonkey said:
Guard is the role which is responsible for safety. In more recent times Guard has been rebranded (in passenger facing contexts) to Conductor or Train Manager. But as far as the railway rule book is concerned, they are the Guard, although they may have additional duties such as checking and selling tickets or managing other on-train staff.

I'm not so sure about this definition. A Guard is a safety critical member of on board staff with various safety responsibilities. The can dispatch trains and assist in evacuation. Not sure if they can help protect the line but I think they can. They can also act as a competent person. They have operational duties.

On board managers and other on board staff may or may not have those competencies. They are commercial based. I believe that due to the on board grade having evolved somewhat over the years this role has been blurred. The Guards role has also evolved to also encompass customer service and ticketing duties. My TOC has Guards, Train Managers, Revenue Protection/Enforcement, We had CSA's (customer service assistant) who only sold tickets and held no competencies.

Many Guards post here so they can give a much better insight and clearer definition than I.

ComUtoR · 20 Sep 2017

TrainBotherer said:
I would like to know things like what are all the "lines" called (are they called lines?) i.e. the ECML, MML, etc..

My perspective is different. I see 'what are the lines called' as 'Up/Down/reversible/fast/slow and the line name from a route perspective. Those are found in the Table A diagrams of the Sectional Appendix. Eg. 'Catford Loop' 'Chatham Main' 'Holbourn' etc.

6Gman · 20 Sep 2017

ComUtoR said:
I'm not so sure about this definition. A Guard is a safety critical member of on board staff with various safety responsibilities. The can dispatch trains and assist in evacuation. Not sure if they can help protect the line but I think they can. They can also act as a competent person. They have operational duties.

On board managers and other on board staff may or may not have those competencies. They are commercial based. I believe that due to the on board grade having evolved somewhat over the years this role has been blurred. The Guards role has also evolved to also encompass customer service and ticketing duties. My TOC has Guards, Train Managers, Revenue Protection/Enforcement, We had CSA's (customer service assistant) who only sold tickets and held no competencies.

Many Guards post here so they can give a much better insight and clearer definition than I.

"The Guuard is the man
Who sits in the van
At the back of a long, long train.
The man at the front
Thinks ..... "

Sorry, children on here.

EM2 · 20 Sep 2017

a_c_skinner said:
I always worry that my railway jargon comes from PECO catalogs and is actually model railways only. Home and distant signals (Hornby that, before PECO), single and double slip crossings, do big points have frogs, because OO gauge ones do? (I know the rails are not 12V though!). A nice glossary would help.

Andrew

It's all correct except for frogs, but then again big trains don't have to worry about shorting out across the rails!
The frog is really a combination of the crossing, the nose and the wing rails.

PudseyBearHST · 20 Sep 2017

ComUtoR said:
I'm not so sure about this definition. A Guard is a safety critical member of on board staff with various safety responsibilities. The can dispatch trains and assist in evacuation. Not sure if they can help protect the line but I think they can. They can also act as a competent person. They have operational duties.

On board managers and other on board staff may or may not have those competencies. They are commercial based. I believe that due to the on board grade having evolved somewhat over the years this role has been blurred. The Guards role has also evolved to also encompass customer service and ticketing duties. My TOC has Guards, Train Managers, Revenue Protection/Enforcement, We had CSA's (customer service assistant) who only sold tickets and held no competencies.

Many Guards post here so they can give a much better insight and clearer definition than I.

Apologies if this sounds like a confusing question: If the Train Manager job changes so they no longer have operational duties (i.e. DOO) but they remain OBS style, could they keep the same job title or would it change? As we know it, a Train Manager is essentially a guard but does it necessarily have to be this way as the job title itself has no indication to an ordinary passenger that they have any operational duties?

Chris M · 20 Sep 2017

a_c_skinner said:
A nice glossary would help.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_rail_transport_terms

ComUtoR · 20 Sep 2017

PudseyBearHST said:
Apologies if this sounds like a confusing question: If the Train Manager job changes so they no longer have operational duties (i.e. DOO) but they remain OBS style, could they keep the same job title or would it change?

I believe it would change. The Guard and their duties are set out in the rule book. It's rather more than just a job title. I would hazard a guess that it is because the role changed that the name changed too. My employment law is a little rusty but when you change someone's job so drastically and amend their contract etc then part of the redundancy/re-employment etc is saying that role A no longer exists and role B has replaced it. Our 'Service Delivery Managers' were redeployed as 'Resource Managers'. effectively the job is the same but the location and terms changed considerably.

As we know it, a Train Manager is essentially a guard but does it necessarily have to be this way as the job title itself has no indication to an ordinary passenger that they have any operational duties?

A Train Manager is a Train Manager. A Guard is a Guard. There is no 'essentially' about it (at least that I'm aware of)

As to the affect on the Ordinary Passenger. Sorry but they don't count in this situation. We are talking the specifics of the role and the technical differences which are very important to the operational railway. The Ordinary Passenger probably don't even know the job title of the person on board.

Shakespeare would be horrified

Railsigns · 20 Sep 2017

a_c_skinner said:
I always worry that my railway jargon comes from PECO catalogs and is actually model railways only. Home and distant signals (Hornby that, before PECO), single and double slip crossings, do big points have frogs, because OO gauge ones do?

EM2 said:
It's all correct except for frogs

'Home and distant signals' isn't correct. There are distant signals and there are stop signals. Stop signals may be further categorised as either home signals or starting signals, depending on where they're placed.

noddingdonkey · 20 Sep 2017

ComUtoR said:
A Train Manager is a Train Manager. A Guard is a Guard. There is no 'essentially' about it (at least that I'm aware of)

But a Train Manager is very likely to also be a Guard.

3141 · 20 Sep 2017

That Wikipedia list is very interesting, but it doesn't explain "safety critical" or "competent person". I'm sure many railway staff are competent people, but it must have some more specialised meaning.

the sniper · 20 Sep 2017

noddingdonkey said:
But a Train Manager is very likely to also be a Guard.

Or a train driver, in the case of GBRf!

PudseyBearHST · 20 Sep 2017

ComUtoR said:
I believe it would change. The Guard and their duties are set out in the rule book. It's rather more than just a job title. I would hazard a guess that it is because the role changed that the name changed too. My employment law is a little rusty but when you change someone's job so drastically and amend their contract etc then part of the redundancy/re-employment etc is saying that role A no longer exists and role B has replaced it. Our 'Service Delivery Managers' were redeployed as 'Resource Managers'. effectively the job is the same but the location and terms changed considerably.

A Train Manager is a Train Manager. A Guard is a Guard. There is no 'essentially' about it (at least that I'm aware of)

As to the affect on the Ordinary Passenger. Sorry but they don't count in this situation. We are talking the specifics of the role and the technical differences which are very important to the operational railway. The Ordinary Passenger probably don't even know the job title of the person on board.

Shakespeare would be horrified

Thanks for the reply.

I always thought the reason for calling Senior Conductors/Guards Train Managers was for the benefit of the passengers as it makes firm who is in charge of the train from a customer service point of view especially when there is multiple train crew on board.

TheNewNo2 · 21 Sep 2017

Quite a few questions have aleady been answered, but here's a few thoughts:

TrainBotherer said:
I would like to know things like what are all the "lines" called (are they called lines?) i.e. the ECML, MML, etc..

There isn't really a specific list of what all the lines are. ML in an abbreviation usually means "Main Line", and these were usually the major route for that company back when the railway was built (railways were built by lots of private companies, for instance Bristol to Exeter was built by one railway, Bristol to Gloucester by another, Bristol to London by a third...) Quite often people can't agree on line names, for instance the route from Charing Cross to Hayes is known by the TOC (Train Operating Company) as the Hayes Line, but is also known as the Mid-Kent Line (there is a North Kent Line - that's London Bridge to Strood via Lewisham and Abbey Wood - but no South Kent Line). Many lines have names relating to the company which built them, for instance the Great Northern Great Eastern Joint Line (Peterborough to Doncaster via Lincoln), or to their non-London terminus, for instance the Brighton Main Line. Others have more prosaic names - the West Coast Main Line - or are named after local geographic features - for instance the Medway Valley Line. Other lines have whimsical names, such as the Tarka Line (Exeter to Barnstaple) but these often have more prosaic names as well. Finally, some lines just don't have a particularly commonly used name, and so end up referred to by their end points, for instance the Crewe to Derby Line.

TrainBotherer said:
Who are the governing bodies?

The UK railway system is ultimately governed by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The ORR ensures safety compliance and regulates access to the network (you can't just buy a train and run it on your local line). The DfT specifies the franchises (the train operators).

The railway is split (vertically disintegrated) - the infrastructure (track, points, bridges, etc, plus stations above a height of about 7ft) are the property and responsibility of Network Rail, which is a publicly-owned company funded by the government and track access charges. The trains are (for the most part) owned by a group of private companies known as Rolling Stock Companies (ROSCOs). The trains are leased to the TOCs, who run them at a service level agreed with the DfT and to a timetable agreed with Network Rail. TOCs are also responsible for maintenance of stations up to a height of about 7ft above platform level. Train maintenance is usually done by the TOCs, but some lease this activity out, for instance Alstom maintain the class 390 fleet for Virgin Trains.

For freight it's a different matter. Freight operating companies (FOCs) are privately owned and usually own their own rolling stock. They operate such work as they can acquire and have timetable slots ("paths") for.

TrainBotherer said:
How does the track work? (as in how do the trains know which way to go because sometimes as a passenger you go backwards on the same track)

In principle, you can drive either way on a piece of track, it just depends whether you put the train in "reverse" or not. Signals however control which way you can go - these function somewhat like traffic lights (of the stop/go variety rather than the left turn variety). Some tracks can only be run one way, others can be run on either way as the timetable requires. For instance at Waterloo, there's (I believe) five tracks into the station, two are "in" and two "out", while the other operates "in" during the morning peak and "out" during the evening peak.

ComUtoR · 21 Sep 2017

TheNewNo2 said:
Quite often people can't agree on line names, for instance the route from Charing Cross to Hayes is known by the TOC (Train Operating Company) as the Hayes Line, but is also known as the Mid-Kent Line (there is a North Kent Line - that's London Bridge to Strood via Lewisham and Abbey Wood - but no South Kent Line).

There is a difference between what the line is referred to from a passenger perspective and from an operational perspective.

Charing Cross to Hayes covers multiple routes and lines from an operational perspective. (Fast/Slow/Up/Reversible/Kent Fast/North Kent/Tanners Hill/Lewisham/Mid Kent/Ladywell Loop) and various junctions too. There is zero benefit to the passenger and would very much complicate matters if delays and announcements referred to the technical line names. Hence calling it the Hayes Line. It is more a reference to the service than the line names.

The North Kent doesn't start at London Bridge and there is no East Kent or West Kent either (that I'm aware of) Although there was the 'East Kent resignalling'

Southeastern is generally broken down to SE Mainline or SE Metro.

Pumbaa · 21 Sep 2017

6Gman said:
"The Guuard is the man

Who sits in the van

At the back of a long, long train.

The man at the front

Thinks ..... "

Sorry, children on here.

And the Guard thinks the Drivers the same

Been a while since I heard that one!

alxndr · 21 Sep 2017

3141 said:
That Wikipedia list is very interesting, but it doesn't explain "safety critical" or "competent person". I'm sure many railway staff are competent people, but it must have some more specialised meaning.

"Safety critical" is a fairly standard phrase I'd have thought, referring to anything which is vital for safety of trains, public, staff, infrastructure etc. Driving, signalling, maintenance all falls into this.

"Competant Person" is, surprisingly, someone who is competent to do a specific task. What that task is will have to be taken in context. For example, I'm competent to work on certain types of point machine but not others as I've not been on every variant of training course (a point machine being electro-mechanical equipment to operate the points to allow trains to switch tracks at junctions and the like).

This Rulebook module might help answer some of the more obscure definitions: https://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/GERT8000-Gloss%20Iss%204.pdf

221129 · 21 Sep 2017

ComUtoR said:
A Train Manager is a Train Manager. A Guard is a Guard. There is no 'essentially' about it (at least that I'm aware

On my TOC we have both Senior conductors and Train Managers. As far as the rulebook is concerned they are both The Guard and hold the same competencies, as has been said previously the reason for the different job title is mainly to differentiate between the terms and conditions of the two roles.

TrainBotherer · 21 Sep 2017

WOW thank you all for these replies !! It's very very kind

Mojo · 21 Sep 2017

ComUtoR said:
A Train Manager is a Train Manager. A Guard is a Guard. There is no 'essentially' about it (at least that I'm aware of)

There are various similar sounding job roles such as On Board Manager on Southeastern Highspeed, and On Board Supervisor on GTR's Southern routes which are not Guards, but all passenger-carrying Tocs that employ a customer-facing member of staff with the job title of Train Manager have them act as the Guard.

Bromley boy · 21 Sep 2017

TheNewNo2 said:
In principle, you can drive either way on a piece of track, it just depends whether you put the train in "reverse" or not. Signals however control which way you can go - these function somewhat like traffic lights (of the stop/go variety rather than the left turn variety). Some tracks can only be run one way, others can be run on either way as the timetable requires. For instance at Waterloo, there's (I believe) five tracks into the station, two are "in" and two "out", while the other operates "in" during the morning peak and "out" during the evening peak.

For some further elaboration on the above - signalling is an interesting topic!

You can physically drive a train in reverse, however there are very, very few times you would! These are uncoupling, certain shunt moves driven from the rear cab (with a competent person in the forward facing cab) and certain propelling movements (mostly done by freight operators).

You can certainly drive the "wrong" way along a line (i.e. up the down) but again only in certain situations. One would be as part of a shunt move (as far as a limit of shunt indicator - marking the limit to which an unsignalled wrong direction shunt move may proceed). Otherwise this would be a "wrong direction move" which is specifically authorised by a signaller/pilot man depending on the situation.

As you say lines available for bi directional movements will be signalled as such. Some may be signalled with simplified bi directional working "SIMBIDS" to allow one track to be used for bi di working occasionally when the adiacent track is blocked, avoiding the issues of setting up single line working, but also to avoid the cost of setting up for bi-di signalling.

Signals are really a movement authority - the basic principle is "one train in one signal section at one time"*. A proceed aspect from a stop signal guarantees you the section protected by that signal is clear**. A single yellow gives you permission to move to the next signal which will currently be red, green means the worst the next signal will be is doubly yellow (with 4 aspect signals). Signals are spaced according to line speed to guarantee that you "service braking distance" from a double yellow to the corresponding red.

In contrast to Europe, signalling in the UK is actually directional rather than by speed - this is what junction indicators (theatre box or feather) are for. Flashing yellows are used on some higher speed lines to indicate you will be taking the highest speed diverging route at the next junction.

*for track circuit block signalling, absolute block signalling is slightly different with "block sections" rather than "signal sections"

**This is distinct from a subsidiary signal or shunt signal which will give you permission to move into the signal section passed a red, but driving on sight and able to stop short of any obstruction. This is regularly used for entry into sidings or to being a train into a terminal platform "on top" of something else.

Chris M · 21 Sep 2017

Bromley boy said:
You can certainly drive the "wrong" way along a line (i.e. up the down) but again only in certain situations.

"Up" and "Down" are common designations for the usual direction of travel on a pair of lines. When lines run towards London, "up" is the normally the direction towards London and "down" the other direction. For example a train from Bristol to London travels on the "up" line (and so is described as an "up" train) and one from Bristol to London on the "down" (and likewise is a "down" train). On branch lines, "up" is usually towards the mainline. If a line isn't a single-ended branch line and doesn't go towards London then "up" is usually towards whichever end had the headquarters of the company that built the line when it was built. There are exceptions though.

If you have more than two tracks then they get additional descriptions, for example express trains will usually travel on the "up main" or "up fast" and local all-stations services on the "up relief" or "up slow" (and similarly on the "down fast", "down main", "down relief" or "down slow"). Sometimes the route is added as well if there are many lines, for example one of the lines leaving Waterloo is the "Down Windsor slow" (because this track is part of the route to Windsor). The names can be anything though, there are four tracks that run between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield in Essex, the express trains use the "main" lines ("up main" and "down main") and the other lines (the ones Crossrail will use) are the "electric" lines ("up electric" and "down electric") - even though all four lines are electrified these days.

If a line is commonly used in both directions then it usually doesn't get called "up" or "down" but something like "reversible" or sometimes "up and down".

johnr57 · 21 Sep 2017

after some shenanigans on another thread with reference to non railway folk looking for non technical explanations of some discussions this has renewed my faith in the general high level of goodwill amongst the members here. thank you gentlemen (and ladies of course) for the informed comment and information provided.

3141 · 22 Sep 2017

alxndr said:
"Safety critical" is a fairly standard phrase I'd have thought, referring to anything which is vital for safety of trains, public, staff, infrastructure etc. Driving, signalling, maintenance all falls into this.

"Competant Person" is, surprisingly, someone who is competent to do a specific task. What that task is will have to be taken in context.

Thanks for your reply. Organisations develop their own terminology, or specific uses of more widely-used terms, which are (usually) understood by those in the organisation but arent so clear to anyone else. Suitably-qualified person would make the meaning clearer, I think.

Driving, signalling and maintenance are obviously all activities which must be done properly in order to maintain safety, but when safety critical appears in these forums it frequently refers to guards. I dont want to get into the discussion about DOO, which is where any further development of this aspect of railway terminology should probably go, but safety critical often comes with the implication that without a guard there cannot be safety. However, trains without guards have been operating safely for at least twenty five years. I was wondering whether there was an earlier and more specific meaning before it got more closely associated with the DOO debate.

ComUtoR · 22 Sep 2017

3141 said:
Driving, signalling and maintenance are obviously all activities which must be done properly in order to maintain safety, but when “safety critical” appears in these forums it frequently refers to guards. I don’t want to get into the discussion about DOO, which is where any further development of this aspect of railway terminology should probably go, but “safety critical” often comes with the implication that without a guard there cannot be safety.

The safety critical aspect is that there is a requirement for it. In the case of Guards Vs DOO it is about other provisions in place. DOO has various caveats applied to ensure that safety element is maintained. For DOO, the PA is considered safety critical. Without it the unit cannot remain in service.

Absolutely, the whole debate is for another thread but think of 'Safety Critical' in an operational sense rather than referring to a specific person/thing.

When a person is considered 'safety critical' they need to adhere to a specific set of competencies and legal requirements. Part of our booking on procedure is that when 'safety critical' you need a minimum of 12hrs rest between duties. However when not safety critical you can have 11hrs rest as a minimum.

@Mojo+221129, Cheers for the update.

greyman42 · 23 Sep 2017

Pumbaa said:
And the Guard thinks the Drivers the same

Been a while since I heard that one!

This sounds like a very amusing ditty. Could you fill in the bits that are missing. Just use **** where required.

General (basic) railway and train knowledge

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