Seeing the picture in the 'Railway Magazine' of Tangmere standing on the junction at Wootton Basset after the infamous SPAD of 7th March made me wonder what the crew are expected to do in a situation like that. Obviously they inform the signalman immediately, but do they then rely on the signalling system to stop all trains in the vicinity, or are there circumstances in which they would be permitted or expected to move the train to a less dangerous position? And would the answer have been different in the days when the signalbox could only be contacted from a telephone at a signal?
Certainly if I'd been in the cab my instinct would have been to reverse off the junction as soon as possible; and presumably there might be situations where moving forwards would be safer than staying put.
(Another question: are detonators still ever used to protect trains that have stopped somewhere unexpected?)
Certainly if I'd been in the cab my instinct would have been to reverse off the junction as soon as possible; and presumably there might be situations where moving forwards would be safer than staying put.
(Another question: are detonators still ever used to protect trains that have stopped somewhere unexpected?)