Person climbs OHLE Warrington

[DaleCooper]

In all fairness I always wondered if I was just being 'soft' (as i'm sure was thought of me at the time).

Problem is, you can't really compare heights of things easily from the ground, so what might look like a good few meters from the floor can be considerably different. Guessing how far the electricity will jump just seems daft.

I always live by the rule, if in doubt there ain't any doubt. We take enough risks day to day without dancing with the HV :P

You probably saved his life.

 

[Zamracene749]

One for the older ones on the forum, I'm sure I can remember there being HV electrical wire safety ads broadcast nationally on TV in the 70s? Along the lines of the 'Charley says ' or 'Green Cross Code' ads they went out prime time to educate kids....perhaps something similar nowadays would at least help prevent accidents due to ignorance?

Edit - found some- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0xmSV6aq0g

 

[HilversumNS]

perhaps something similar nowadays would at least help prevent accidents due to ignorance?

Use them for Youtube etc adverts would probably reach a bigger target audience, but basically yes.

Notice the bike one has some red bits on the road next to the helmet? Some would say that would have to be shown post 21:00 now.

 

[Iron Girder]

One for the older ones on the forum, I'm sure I can remember there being HV electrical wire safety ads broadcast nationally on TV in the 70s? Along the lines of the 'Charley says ' or 'Green Cross Code' ads they went out prime time to educate kids....perhaps something similar nowadays would at least help prevent accidents due to ignorance?

Edit - found some- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0xmSV6aq0g

If those are the ones I remember, they're pretty shocking viewing...I can remember seeing one of them as a fairly young person (the "races" one, I think) and being really quite disturbed by it for some time afterwards!

I suspect, though, that for a certain kind of kid who might not be so keen to take advice on trust, they might be a very useful deterrent.

To be honest, threats and punishment are pointless, though - if someone isn't going to be "threatened" by the prospect of being electrocuted, someone shouting at them isn't going to cut it. I do think that the idea of having authoritative figures - like railway staff or BTP - go in and deliver training is a good idea, and I hope that it's the majority of schools that do that. Films like those public information ones would be a very useful part of that, even if they were toned down a little for the delicate sensibilities of 21st century children

 

[Albatross]

I know the school liaison unit at BTP Manchester closed a few years back now, no idea if anyone else picked up the job, network rail etc.

When they were running though you always got the argument "why are they paying coppers to go round schools teaching kids stuff their parents should be telling them when there's none on the beat"

I thought they did a good job myself. Working on the railway I've always been paranoid about my kid playing on there and have drummed it in to him the world of absolute hurt he will find himself in if it's ever brought to my attention that he's been *****ng about on there.

You'd be surprised how many people still don't understand the dangers fully. A mate of mine (48 year old man) recently said to me "is it true that if you only grab those electric wires with one hand you'd be ok?"

 

[Marvin]

I can't help feel that if this thread was about anyone else, or even a member of train crew, this thread would be very different...

A member of train crew wouldn't have been stupid enough to climb up the OHLE while the wires were live!

 

[MCR247]

A member of train crew wouldn't have been stupid enough to climb up the OHLE while the wires were live!

Interesting you should say that...


*I know its not the same thing*

 

[Crossover]

*I know its not the same thing*

You can say that again!

 

[SPADTrap]

Interesting you should say that...


*I know its not the same thing*

So why post it? :-?

 

[8A Rail]

If this is at Winwick Jn, then how the f*** has he got onto the line in the first place? Around there, it's surrounded by 10ft high palisade fences ....

10ft????? Only about 4ft above what they actually are! People can if they try hard enough and also want too, also climb them could get on any line. Likewise, any fences can be vandalised if they try hard enough too, some harder than others.

 

[D6975]

You'd be surprised how many people still don't understand the dangers fully. A mate of mine (48 year old man) recently said to me "is it true that if you only grab those electric wires with one hand you'd be ok?"

On more than one occasion I've heard people talking about getting electrocuted by standing on the rails - in an OHLE area...

The level of ignorance on the subject of electric trains is not to be underestimated.

 

[SPADTrap]

On more than one occasion I've heard people talking about getting electrocuted by standing on the rails - in an OHLE area...

The level of ignorance on the subject of electric trains is not to be underestimated.

Indeed it isn't, as that isn't impossible!

 

[kevinwaltets]

I think much of this misunderstanding is due to the fact that they played with Hornby trains as kids and turned on the juice to make the train go and turned it off to make the train stop

 

[najaB]

You'd be surprised how many people still don't understand the dangers fully. A mate of mine (48 year old man) recently said to me "is it true that if you only grab those electric wires with one hand you'd be ok?"

Well you would be as long as you find a way to be totally isolated from ground while doing so. They conduct work on high-tension power lines (300kV and up) while the lines are live without getting fried - because they know how to avoid creating a path to Earth. That would end badly, very spectacularly, very quickly.

 

[talltim]

On more than one occasion I've heard people talking about getting electrocuted by standing on the rails - in an OHLE area...

The level of ignorance on the subject of electric trains is not to be underestimated.

Its better that way round than the other (i.e. better they believe there to be even more danger than there is.)

 

[najaB]

Its better that way round than the other (i.e. better they believe there to be even more danger than there is.)

I'm not 100% convinced that there is no danger - they might get hit by a train!

 

[40129]

When I was a kid (1970s/80s) we lived in a part of town that is divided by a railway - bridge at one end of the areas and a level crossing at the other. Despite this, I don't remember any school visits from either BR or BTP regarding the dangers of playing on the railway.

 

[DaleCooper]

I came across this while searching for something completely different.

I can't help thinking that the picture is giving out exactly the wrong message i.e. you can climb on OHLE without fear of electrocution, I know the text says the power was off but pictures have a lot more impact than words.

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/...cut-after-crackdown-on-cable-thefts-1-5585902

Train delays cut after crackdown on cable thefts
Image issued by Network Rail of a youth balancing between the overhead lines in Sunderland. The power was turned off at the time. There were more than 3,000 cases of vandalism and trespass on the railways last year. cable

 

[southern442]

When I was in primary school, there was a man that came in and gave us a presentation (not specifically about the railways but electricity in general) and also showed us a rather disturbing film about a boy who climbed into a substation (you get the idea). It was a great help in educating us about the danger.

Still, there will always (and I mean ALWAYS) be idiots who don't know what they are doing, and there is nothing we can do about that. This is why I am not fussed about replacing level crossings with bridges, because the accidents that occur on level crossings are 99% of the time caused by the pedestrian/road user (I suppose there could be some situations when visibility was poor and insufficient warnings were in place), so no matter how much you try and stop people causing incidents, they always will.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Doesnt bear thinking about if control were unaware of the youth tightrope walking in the sunderland echo article and reenergised the wires.....

Bang! Toasted charver!!!

 

[RichardN]

Doesnt bear thinking about if control were unaware of the youth tightrope walking in the sunderland echo article and reenergised the wires.....

Bang! Toasted charver!!!

I think he might be OK right where he is as everything he is touching looks to be insulated from earth. Not sure if the headspan would get hot (temperature wise), which is a consideration too. Getting down without frying himself would be another matter.

 

[Esker-pades]

A person has climbed onto the OHLE in the Warrington Bank Quay area and severely injured. All lines closed. VT via Manchester Picc, Chat Moss and Golborne Jn where practicable, and ATW Manchester North Wales trains, if possible, diverted via Northwich.

What a moron.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

When I was in primary school, there was a man that came in and gave us a presentation (not specifically about the railways but electricity in general) and also showed us a rather disturbing film about a boy who climbed into a substation (you get the idea). It was a great help in educating us about the danger.

I watched (from the sounds of it) the same video although my Physics teacher at the time introduced it as "a video of people getting electrocuted". Never had the sting it was meant to after that.