Paul Jones 88
Member
When driving a train and you have to use both hands on the controls, what do you do if you have an itch on your back or lower leg?
Not so silly a question. All of us have areas we don’t know much about and we can only find out by asking.
Going back further, it has always been a dead mans handle and not a pedal, certainly back to 38 stock, and others may be able to provide more info.AIUI that's only on National Rail. ISTR LT still have the dead mans handle incorporated in the traction brake controller which is the opposite way around to National Rail. i.e. push forwards to apply power and pull back to brake. And if you accidentally let go, it springs back and applies the emergemcy brake. To disengage the dead mans handle when stationary, you turn the handle through 90 degrees. IIRC this dates from the D78 stock onward Unless I'm mistaken. Tyne & Wear Metro and possibly other more recent light rail systems have a similar arrangement
This seems to make more sense and reminds me of 3D computer games where you pull the mouse back to look up and push the mouse forward to look down. The old pilots saying "Pull the stick back and the houses get smaller, push it forward and they get bigger".i.e. push forwards to apply power and pull back to brake.
I'm sure Manchester Metrolink stock may incorporate the deadmans into the traction brake controller as well. If memory serves correct, the T68's may have also had the whistle on there as wellAIUI that's only on National Rail. ISTR LT still have the dead mans handle incorporated in the traction brake controller which is the opposite way around to National Rail. i.e. push forwards to apply power and pull back to brake. And if you accidentally let go, it springs back and applies the emergemcy brake. To disengage the dead mans handle when stationary, you turn the handle through 90 degrees. IIRC this dates from the D78 stock onward Unless I'm mistaken. Tyne & Wear Metro and possibly other more recent light rail systems have a similar arrangement
I scratched myself in .... well let's just say it was near Swansea.Well, I imagine it's not such a silly question to someone who has no idea of the mechanics of driving a train. I would think that a lot of people from outside the industry would imagine that a driver has to constantly use both hands when driving a train.
The train is controlled by a power and brake control handle. On older trains, these are separate handles, and on newer trains, they are combined into one handle. (Push it forward to apply the brake, pull it back to apply power, middle position is coasting.) The controls are not sprung, so once they are in the desired setting, you don't have to keep hold of them. So for the vast majority of the time, a driver is hands free, and only needs to use the hands to adjust the power/brake, operate the doors, radio, PA etc. The only thing the driver has to maintain constant control with is the DSD pedal, operated with the feet. That involves keeping the pedal pressed down all the time until the vigilance device beeps, at which point the driver releases the pedal and then presses it down again to cancel the beeps. If that's not done, the train's emergency brake applies.
Push it forward to apply the brake, pull it back to apply power, middle position is coasting.
I believe the idea of pushing forward for brake is that if the driver takes ill and collapses onto the controls, in theory they should knock the brakes on rather than the power, just in case their weight is still on the DSD.This seems counter intuitive. Why is it that way round?
He obviously wasn’t talking about passengers. The clue is in the word minorAnd there was me thinking that those minor irritations were called passengers
I believe the idea of pushing forward for brake is that if the driver takes ill and collapses onto the controls, in theory they should knock the brakes on rather than the power, just in case their weight is still on the DSD.
Then the train will accelerate to whatever speed it can attain in the 30 to 60 seconds before the vigilance goes off on the trains so equipped. I'd say while potentially possible it's go to next one of those 1 in so many million or billion chances thoughSeems a bit dubious, what if they collapse backwards while holding onto the handles
I'm sure Manchester Metrolink stock may incorporate the deadmans into the traction brake controller as well. If memory serves correct, the T68's may have also had the whistle on there as well
Correct. M5000s have a pair of pedals, one for whistle, one for horn. T68s had a button that looked like the hill start button on other CTBC handles. In street/street without steps pressing it would sound the whistle. In segregated it would sound the horn. Later mods made it for whistle only and a separate buttton on the desk was fitted for horn.
That's something I've always thought as well.This seems counter intuitive. Why is it that way round?
This seems counter intuitive. Why is it that way round?
This seems counter intuitive. Why is it that way round?
me tooThat's something I've always thought as well.
It was not a serious suggestion! I was just using it to illustrate how daft the "fall on the controls" scenario was.Then the train will accelerate to whatever speed it can attain in the 30 to 60 seconds before the vigilance goes off on the trains so equipped. I'd say while potentially possible it's go to next one of those 1 in so many million or billion chances though
It's more a UK thing, Europe is normally power forward/brake backwards.me too
boats and planes, push forward to go forward, pull back to slow down. (The last bit even applies to horses)
do trains all over the world obey this convention ? or is it a uk/european trait ?
I knowIt was not a serious suggestion! I was just using it to illustrate how daft the "fall on the controls" scenario was.
me too
boats and planes, push forward to go forward, pull back to slow down. (The last bit even applies to horses)
do trains all over the world obey this convention ? or is it a uk/european trait ?