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Heritage railways diesel train driver safety devices.

Vespa

Vespa

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I have wondered do heritage railways diesel locos and DMUs use driver safety pedals (DSD), automatic warning system (AWS) and train warning protection system (TPWS)

Considering most lines are allowed up to 25mph withsome exceptuons in certaincircumstances like the Great Ventral Railway as far as I'm aware.
 
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As a general rule - DSD (deadman's) yes, AWS is fitted in some locations, TPWS no.
 
168lover

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Part of the job of a diesel secondman is to be there incase the driver keels over and the DSD is not operational, the 2nd man would bring the train to a stand
 
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mdewell

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Vespa said:
I have wondered do heritage railways diesel locos and DMUs use driver safety pedals (DSD), automatic warning system (AWS) and train warning protection system (TPWS)

Considering most lines are allowed up to 25mph withsome exceptuons in certaincircumstances like the Great Ventral Railway as far as I'm aware.
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168lover said:
Part of the job of a diesel secondman is to be there incase the driver keels over and the DSD is not operational, the 2nd man would bring the train to a stand
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Which of course means that if DSD is operational, trains can safely be single manned. Useful if the railway is short of staff/volunteers.
 
D365

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Not all diesels have a facility to fully isolate the DSD, so I would expect that it’s maintained operational.
 
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Krokodil

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If there is no DSD operational (such as with some industrial shunters and of course all steam locomotives, at least on standard gauge) then the loco should be double-crewed. I would be interested to know if any AWS/ATC ramps are installed on heritage lines. The only time you'd find a TPWS grid on a heritage line would be one installed for testing mainline registered locos.
 
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Lemmy282

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Having visited heritage railways for many years I have never seen a single crewed loco or DMU. Prototypically they should have at least two crew members in the cab for the era they are portraying, and usually I locos there seems to be "standing room only" with so many onboard.
 
matt

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On some lines the 2nd man is needed to pick up the token on the move from the signaller, on the Severn Valley for example.
 
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norbitonflyer

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Lemmy282 said:
Having visited heritage railways for many years I have never seen a single crewed loco or DMU. Prototypically they should have at least two crew members in the cab for the era they are portraying, and usually I locos there seems to be "standing room only" with so many onboard.
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I doubt there are many services on heritage lines which are short of volunteers to ride in a cab! How much training is needed to be an official "secondman" (or whatever the gender-neutral term is)
 
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D Williams

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norbitonflyer said:
I doubt there are many services on heritage lines which are short of volunteers to ride in a cab! How much training is needed to be an official "secondman" (or whatever the gender-neutral term is)
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Rules and regs training and exam, PTS, Medical, Traction training, Route Knowledge, 20 turns as a trainee then secondman exam and assessment. This may not be common to all heritage railways.
 
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RGM654

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What about miniature railways where there is no space for anyone besides the driver?
 
1Q18

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Lemmy282 said:
Having visited heritage railways for many years I have never seen a single crewed loco or DMU. Prototypically they should have at least two crew members in the cab for the era they are portraying, and usually I locos there seems to be "standing room only" with so many onboard.
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I’ve regularly seen DMUs running with a driver and no second-person on a fair few heritage railways over the years. Not sure about locos - I can’t say I’ve particularly looked - but knowing how much many heritage railways struggle for volunteers I’d be shocked if many strictly require a second-person unless it’s considered necessary as a safety mitigation.
 
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Krokodil

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Mat17 said:
Don't all DMUs have deadman's handles though, usually on the throttle?
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All Blue Square ones certainly do (not sure about prototypes or GWR ones). Plus a holdover switch on the secondman's side so that a driver can leave the seat to exchange the token on that side without stopping the train.
 
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trebor79

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Yeah I've driven an 03 solo on passenger service many times when I was a volunteer. It had a deadman pedal at both driving positions.
Of course nobody ever jammed the shunters brake stick between the window frame and deadman pedal to stop it from dumping the gearbox air if we were in reverse and wanted to stand at the window tobr able to see the line better.
 
jp4712

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In terms of the other part of the question, can anyone please advise where there might be operational AWS magnets on a heritage railway?
 
InkyScrolls

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jp4712 said:
In terms of the other part of the question, can anyone please advise where there might be operational AWS magnets on a heritage railway?
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There is one on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey, on the approach to Embsay Down Outer Home (sig. 20), but no stock used on the line has AWS operational.
 
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Where I volunteer DMUs didn't run with a secondman for many years but they were introduced as a SPAD mitigation following a few incidents - all trains have at least 2 footplate crew these days.
 
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sycamores

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InkyScrolls said:
There is one on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey, on the approach to Embsay Down Outer Home (sig. 20), but no stock used on the line has AWS operational.
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Magnet not operational...

It was put in decades ago for the Class 107 DMU but never wired up to signal 20 - just acted as a permanent warning to test the AWS horn. Whether it gets relocated to a more suitable location when the Bolton Abbey signalling scheme comes on line, who knows!
 
Wilts Wanderer

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When BR introduced DMUs and EMUs they were not as a rule double-manned. Hence why the associated driver grade was ‘Motorman’ as it avoided problems with pre-existing union agreements.
 
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