Orange Pinstripe

[thetangoman]

Hi, this has probably been asked before but here goes

Why have all UK DMU's, EMU's & Locomotives have an orange pinstripe along the roofline.

Cheers
Russell

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It's a visual reminder/warning about the presence of 25kv overhead wires. It's commonly referred to as the cant (pronounced kan-t) rail.

 

[pendolino]

Hi, this has probably been asked before but here goes

Why have all UK DMU's, EMU's & Locomotives have an orange pinstripe along the roofline.

Cheers
Russell

It is called a Cant rail, as Cherry Picker says, named after its inventor Brian Cant who was a rolling stock engineer before going on to present iconic 1970s television show 'Play School', after a colleague, whose wife was working in BBC Childrens Television at the time, heard him singing 'The Runaway Train' in the office one day and suggested he go for an audition.

 

[gazthomas]

It is called a Cant rail, as Cherry Picker says, named after its inventor Brian Cant who was a rolling stock engineer before going on to present iconic 1970s television show 'Play School', after a colleague, whose wife was working in BBC Childrens Television at the time, heard him singing 'The Runaway Train' in the office one day and suggested he go for an audition.

Is it April Fools day?

 

[swt_passenger]

It's a visual reminder/warning about the presence of 25kv overhead wires. It's commonly referred to as the cant (pronounced kan-t) rail.

Whoever's been referring to it as 'the cantrail' is wrong - that's incorrect use of the term. The warning line (or stripe) isn't normally referred to as THE cantrail at all. It is physically positioned ALONG the cantrail, the latter term on modern stock simply defining the point where the side and roof meet. On earlier rolling stock the cantrail was a definite part of the structure, where the roof was secured to the sides...

So you'd be fine referring to 'the cantrail stripe', but not using cantrail to mean the stripe itself.

Also, for the original questioner, although it might seem at first glance that all GB stock has such a stripe, SWT's Desiro fleet doesn't, I presume because it never goes anywhere that has OHLE (yet). There are probably a number of sub-fleets that don't actually need it for normal use but carry it as an 'optional extra'.

 

[bronzeonion]

I've heard this from alot of people and wondered how true it is. Is the cantrail stripe there as a safety marker to say if you are below the line you will be 100% Guarenteed safe and if any of you is above the line and with the train under overhead wires there is an increased chance of electrocution?

 

[starrymarkb]

I've heard this from alot of people and wondered how true it is. Is the cantrail stripe there as a safety marker to say if you are below the line you will be 100% Guarenteed safe and if any of you is above the line and with the train under overhead wires there is an increased chance of electrocution?

IIRC you can work below the line with the OHLE live. If working above the line the OHLE must be isolated

 

[Markos72]

IIRC you can work below the line with the OHLE live. If working above the line the OHLE must be isolated

Not allowed to come within 9 feet of any ohle,live or otheriwse.All ohle MUST BE CONSIDERED LIVE AT ALL TIMES.

 

[Zoidberg]

Not allowed to come within 9 feet of any ohle,live or otheriwse.All ohle MUST BE CONSIDERED LIVE AT ALL TIMES.

There must be an "unless" associated with that rule or it'd be impossible to authorise work on OHLE equipment, or does the rule refer only to those working on rolling stock?

 

[jon91]

It has to be considered live until you are told otherwise by the ECO and a permit has been issued. Obviously working on rolling stock is different in that it'll normally be undertaken in a depot that will have the facility to isolate the overhead supply on individual roads.

http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Boo... - AC Electrified Lines/GERT8000-AC Iss 2.pdf Sections 8 and 9 of this PDF cover working on OHLE.

 

[Zoidberg]

It has to be considered live until you are told otherwise by the ECO and a permit has been issued. Obviously working on rolling stock is different in that it'll normally be undertaken in a depot that will have the facility to isolate the overhead supply on individual roads.

http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Boo... - AC Electrified Lines/GERT8000-AC Iss 2.pdf Sections 8 and 9 of this PDF cover working on OHLE.

Thanks, I was going to hunt around the Rule Book a bit later to edumicate myself.

 

[Class377/5]

Whoever's been referring to it as 'the cantrail' is wrong - that's incorrect use of the term. The warning line (or stripe) isn't normally referred to as THE cantrail at all. It is physically positioned ALONG the cantrail, the latter term on modern stock simply defining the point where the side and roof meet. On earlier rolling stock the cantrail was a definite part of the structure, where the roof was secured to the sides...

So you'd be fine referring to 'the cantrail stripe', but not using cantrail to mean the stripe itself.

Also, for the original questioner, although it might seem at first glance that all GB stock has such a stripe, SWT's Desiro fleet doesn't, I presume because it never goes anywhere that has OHLE (yet). There are probably a number of sub-fleets that don't actually need it for normal use but carry it as an 'optional extra'.

Funny when I got my safety critical job it was called the cant line.

Note Metrolink T68 trams carry the line yet new trams don't despite both running off same OHLE gear.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Whoever's been referring to it as 'the cantrail' is wrong - that's incorrect use of the term. The warning line (or stripe) isn't normally referred to as THE cantrail at all. It is physically positioned ALONG the cantrail, the latter term on modern stock simply defining the point where the side and roof meet. On earlier rolling stock the cantrail was a definite part of the structure, where the roof was secured to the sides...

So you'd be fine referring to 'the cantrail stripe', but not using cantrail to mean the stripe itself.

Also, for the original questioner, although it might seem at first glance that all GB stock has such a stripe, SWT's Desiro fleet doesn't, I presume because it never goes anywhere that has OHLE (yet). There are probably a number of sub-fleets that don't actually need it for normal use but carry it as an 'optional extra'.

It's called the cant rail on my train mate.

 

[swt_passenger]

Funny when I got my safety critical job it was called the cant line.

That's fair enough though - I was only disagreeing with calling it a 'cant RAIL' not a cant line. Referring to it as a cant stripe would be ok too, but a painted line or stripe is not really a rail...

 

[Gareth]

Merseyrail trains seem to have this, even though I cannot think of anywhere on the network where they come near overhead wires. The closest is perhaps Liverpool South Parkway, but the Merseyrail trains are on their own separate low level alignment.

 

[jopsuk]

Oddly, whilst SWT's Desiros (that might in the future get Pantographs and thus go AC) don't have it, the 455s (which can never be AC) do.

 

[Class377/5]

That's fair enough though - I was only disagreeing with calling it a 'cant RAIL' not a cant line. Referring to it as a cant stripe would be ok too, but a painted line or stripe is not really a rail...

Don't really understand why you don't agree with term can't rail. It's an acceptable variant.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Oddly, whilst SWT's Desiros (that might in the future get Pantographs and thus go AC) don't have it, the 455s (which can never be AC) do.

Difference is 455 have limited duties under the wires while running into North Pole to reverse tho don't they? (they reverse somewhere on the WLL north of Shepherd's Bush).

 

[bronzeonion]

Don't really understand why you don't agree with term can't rail. It's an acceptable variant.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Difference is 455 have limited duties under the wires while running into North Pole to reverse tho don't they? (they reverse somewhere on the WLL north of Shepherd's Bush).

The South West ones don't touch the WLL

 

[BestWestern]

I would hazard a guess that perhaps some generic standard may have been relaxed in recent times, so that stock such as the SWT Desiro fleet no longer requires it. I would imagine though that up until fairly recently it was very probably a set requirement for everything on the system. To be honest I'm not sure why SWT would feel particularly strongly about not having it, it hardly makes a difference and would blend quite nicely with their livery anyway!

 

[Class377/5]

The South West ones don't touch the WLL

The poster I was quoting didn't state it was only the SWT 455's so my comments stand.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I would hazard a guess that perhaps some generic standard may have been relaxed in recent times, so that stock such as the SWT Desiro fleet no longer requires it. I would imagine though that up until fairly recently it was very probably a set requirement for everything on the system. To be honest I'm not sure why SWT would feel particularly strongly about not having it, it hardly makes a difference and would blend quite nicely with their livery anyway!

Not sure that's true as the 377 including 377/6 all have the strip.

 

[sprinterguy]

To be honest I'm not sure why SWT would feel particularly strongly about not having it, it hardly makes a difference and would blend quite nicely with their livery anyway!

A possibly interesting point to note is that on SWT and EMTs' class 158s and 159s, as well as the EMT 222s, the cantrail stripe is white where it crosses the orange "sweep" of colour towards the cab ends so that it stands out more. This does not seem to have been carried over to the red and blue liveries carried by SWT 455s and EMT 153s and 156s, where the cantrail stripe remains orange throughout.

 

[swt_passenger]

I looked up the group standard just now, and the line has its own document:

Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) Warning Line on Traction and Rolling Stock http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Railway_...ck/Railway Group Standards/GMRT2181 Iss 3.pdf

So it seems the formal term they use for the subject we are discussing is the 'Overhead Line Equipment Warning Line' which probably goes a long way to explaining why no-one seems to call it that on a day to day basis...

Surprisingly, after all the discussion above, the word 'cant' or 'cantrail' does not appear in the group standard at all, even as a recommended location to locate the stripe or line.

There is also a relaxation that allows black or white to be used with orange liveries.

I would hazard a guess that perhaps some generic standard may have been relaxed in recent times, so that stock such as the SWT Desiro fleet no longer requires it...

As you'd expect they also explain why certain vehicles do not need the line at all, basically when they are not route cleared into any AC territory. This live version of the standard dates from 1998 so the lack of a line on certain stock (eg SWT) was OK when they were new.

 

[whhistle]

Whoever's been referring to it as 'the cantrail' is wrong - that's incorrect use of the term.

That's funny. The rule book I have says:

I must have missed an update somewhere...

However, the end of the word doesn't matter. Call it stripe, line, rail, wire, whatever you want; anyone who needs to know what you're talking about will know what you're talking about

 

[swt_passenger]

That's funny. The rule book I have says:

I must have missed an update somewhere...

However, the end of the word doesn't matter. Call it stripe, line, rail, wire, whatever you want; anyone who needs to know what you're talking about will know what you're talking about

You might have miss the point I was originally making. I used a very similar definition of 'cantrail' as the rule book does earlier, i.e. it defines the change from bodyside to roof. One of the early replies said that the orange line was THE cantrail, rather than located AT the cantrail...

People may think I'm being pedantic, (and they're welcome to that opinion), but this really is basic plain English that I'm explaining.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

So it seems the formal term they use for the subject we are discussing is the 'Overhead Line Equipment Warning Line' which probably goes a long way to explaining why no-one seems to call it that on a day to day basis...

We could call it the zap line?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

You might have miss the point I was originally making. I used a very similar definition of 'cantrail' as the rule book does earlier, i.e. it defines the change from bodyside to roof. One of the early replies said that the orange line was THE cantrail, rather than located AT the cantrail...

People may think I'm being pedantic, (and they're welcome to that opinion), but this really is basic plain English that I'm explaining.

It actually said it is commonly referred to as the cant rail. You might want to read it again my friend.