Driver checking front of train before departure

trainophile · 1 May 2019

I’m staying in a hotel room with a good view of the local (Scotrail) train arrivals and departures into the station below. Have observed that the driver always seems to get in his cab, spends a few minutes adjusting the seat etc, then just before the doors close he gets out and walks a few yards to the front, glances at the front of the train, then returns to his cab and sets off.

Just wondering what he is looking for. It seems to be a standard part of departure procedure.

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bionic · 1 May 2019

Probably just checking headlights and destination are set up correctly. Some units don't have headlight proving indicators in the cab so you need to check the front.

Qwerty133 · 1 May 2019

If the station is at the start of a route or following a reversal they are probably checking that the headlights are correctly turned on (and hence the tail lights at the other end will be showing).

causton · 1 May 2019

Qwerty133 said:
(and hence the tail lights at the other end will be showing).

Maybe not hence - they may have checked the tail lights when they got out of that cab (or the previous driver did etc) :smile:

trainophile · 1 May 2019

Ah, that would explain it. It is indeed a terminus station (the beautiful Oban) so of course things need reversing.

hexagon789 · 1 May 2019

bionic said:
Probably just checking headlights and destination are set up correctly. Some units don't have headlight proving indicators in the cab so you need to check the front.

If it was an HST or 156 they don't have a display showing the head/marker/tail light set-up. I think 158s and 170s both do.

Nevertheless, seems to be a common check across on all stock types, perhaps it's a TOC-policy to double check the front.

chuff chuff · 1 May 2019

hexagon789 said:
If it was an HST or 156 they don't have a display showing the head/marker/tail light set-up. I think 158s and 170s both do.

Nevertheless, seems to be a common check across on all stock types, perhaps it's a TOC-policy to double check the front.

HST'S do have them.

hexagon789 · 1 May 2019

chuff chuff said:
HST'S do have them.

Not the ones I've seen. Presumably only certain ones do.

chuff chuff · 1 May 2019

hexagon789 said:
Not the ones I've seen. Presumably only certain ones do.

All the scotrail ex gwr one's I've driven have in cab light tell tales.

dk1 · 1 May 2019

chuff chuff said:
HST'S do have them.

GA156s do too. Thought we'd all caught up by now.

hexagon789 · 1 May 2019

chuff chuff said:
All the scotrail ex gwr one's I've driven have in cab light tell tales.

Well I've never seen the cab of a ScotRail one, so I didn't know sorry.

DanDaDriver · 1 May 2019

chuff chuff said:
HST'S do have them.

Some HST’s have mimic panels for the front lights but nothing for the rear. Most have nothin which is why it’s part of the changing ends drill to check your lights among other things.

158’s also have mimic panels for the front only.

Most modern stock will have a mimic panel for front and rear and a “remote tail light,” button to put reds on the back if you’ve forgotten.

Kneedown · 1 May 2019

Our (EMT) HST's don't generally have mimic panels, although I seem to recall the ex GC one's do (Been a good while since I last worked one!)
I always check the front of all units whether mimic fitted or not. It becomes part of the drill then and guards against an inadvertent departure with wrong lights displayed. Even when I have a Guard who I know full well will change lights over when changing ends I still check. It's not due to a lack of trust, but not everyone does it and even the best can forget sometimes.

londonboi198o5 · 1 May 2019

hexagon789 said:
If it was an HST or 156 they don't have a display showing the head/marker/tail light set-up. I think 158s and 170s both do.

Nevertheless, seems to be a common check across on all stock types, perhaps it's a TOC-policy to double check the front.

Class 156 has it to as does ALL hsts

DanDaDriver · 1 May 2019

londonboi198o5 said:
Class 156 has it to as does ALL hsts

Not ALL HST’s....

hexagon789 · 1 May 2019

londonboi198o5 said:
Class 156 has it to as does ALL hsts

Well, I couldn't see anything that looked like the indicators 158s and 170s have in the 156 and HST cabs I've seen.

Anvil1984 · 1 May 2019

londonboi198o5 said:
Class 156 has it to as does ALL hsts

Scotrail 156s do NOT have the in cab indicators for the head / tail lights and neither do the Northern ones (nor the ex Scotrail ones which transferred to Northern)

Dave1987 · 1 May 2019

Always check my headlights even if the panel or computer says they are on.

Qwerty133 · 1 May 2019

Either XC 170s don't have them or the majority of drivers don't trust them as you always see drivers checking the lights on both ends at Leicester on the terminators.

Skie · 1 May 2019

Dave1987 said:
Always check my headlights even if the panel or computer says they are on.

Always a good policy. Computer isnt going to know about the pigeon splattered all over the headlight.

LowLevel · 1 May 2019

Kneedown said:
Our (EMT) HST's don't generally have mimic panels, although I seem to recall the ex GC one's do (Been a good while since I last worked one!)
I always check the front of all units whether mimic fitted or not. It becomes part of the drill then and guards against an inadvertent departure with wrong lights displayed. Even when I have a Guard who I know full well will change lights over when changing ends I still check. It's not due to a lack of trust, but not everyone does it and even the best can forget sometimes.

The rule book says both driver and guard should check. Doing so has saved me a few issues in the past when the driver has forgotten.

Kneedown · 2 May 2019

londonboi198o5 said:
Class 156 has it to as does ALL hsts

Nope. EMT 156's do not have it, and as I pointed out earlier neither do the majority of HST's. As regards 153's the majority don't have it either, with the exception of the recent arrivals from GWR which have been retrofitted.

jamesst · 2 May 2019

Yep I always check the back when I get out and the front when I get there. More than anything it also gives u a chance to check for anything else too

XCTurbostar · 2 May 2019

Qwerty133 said:
Either XC 170s don't have them or the majority of drivers don't trust them as you always see drivers checking the lights on both ends at Leicester on the terminators.

All 170s have a Headlight Proving Panel on the left hand side wall of the cab.

londonboi198o5 · 2 May 2019

some 156 do have them https://www.google.com/search?q=cla...4#imgdii=Lp-oh6_8zY3laM:&imgrc=6BgHGJZGy0ezAM:

londonboi198o5 · 2 May 2019

Anvil1984 said:
Scotrail 156s do NOT have the in cab indicators for the head / tail lights and neither do the Northern ones (nor the ex Scotrail ones which transferred to Northern)

Kneedown said:
Nope. EMT 156's do not have it, and as I pointed out earlier neither do the majority of HST's. As regards 153's the majority don't have it either, with the exception of the recent arrivals from GWR which have been retrofitted.

i think you will find some 156 do have them. (sorry couldnt quote you in the other reply for some reason and image is not uploading from google but it is here bottom right of panel

https://www.google.com/search?q=cla...4#imgdii=Lp-oh6_8zY3laM:&imgrc=6BgHGJZGy0ezAM:

Kneedown · 2 May 2019

londonboi198o5 said:
i think you will find some 156 do have them.

londonboi198o5 said:
i think you will find some 156 do have them. (sorry couldnt quote you in the other reply for some reason and image is not uploading from google but it is here bottom right of panel https://www.google.com/search?q=cla...4#imgdii=Lp-oh6_8zY3laM:&imgrc=6BgHGJZGy0ezAM:

Hence why I singled out EMT 156's. I cannot comment on the others as I don't drive them.

steve1981 · 2 May 2019

Light indicator panels can be faulty and show the wrong information so drivers always get out to make sure the train is correctly set to move forward

Mintona · 2 May 2019

I once terminated at a station, flicked the taillights on and headlights off and went to the front to check, but it turned out I’d accidentally flicked the headlight switch the wrong way and had put the night headlight on instead of turning them off, so I had red and white on the train. Checking meant that it was a 20 second job to rectify the mistake before changing ends and leaving on time, not checking could’ve led to at best a delay whilst I trudged back down the change them, or worst some kind of trouble. So I always check they’re correct after terminating and prior to departure, no matter what the panel in the cab shows (the train type I did that on didn’t have a panel).

Minilad · 2 May 2019

Qwerty133 said:
Either XC 170s don't have them or the majority of drivers don't trust them as you always see drivers checking the lights on both ends at Leicester on the terminators.

They have them. It's not really anything to do with not trusting them it's more just belt and braces

Driver checking front of train before departure

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