Greeny
Member
Here's the tale of an incident at Garston Junction in 1981. I posted in on connect in late 2007 but only Network Rail staff would have seen it so I'll put it on here too in the hope readers on this forum find it amusing and possibly even helpful. The Signalman and two sets of Train Crew didn't find it very funny but everyone else did. Everybody involved has now left the railway for one reason or another but I won't use any names.
A few things to explain first to help people better understand it. First, in 1981 SPADS were called SPD's. Garston Jn, Allerton Jn, and Speke Jn formed a triangle with Speke at the east, Allerton at the west, and Garston at the south. Church Road Box was to the west of Garston Jn and controlled the Freightliner Depot and Coal Tips. The 'Drawback' loco was a Class 08 shunt engine. All car trains arriving at Speke for Silcocks car compound had to arrive at Speke with the headlights facing west (towards Liverpool), otherwise they would have to rotate the whole train, or reverse the cars off - no easy task. Also, Blocking Back is a procedure for occupying the line inside or outside of the Home Signal. Which we had to do at Garston because there were no Station Limits. 2-4 was the bell signal for a Block Back inside of the Home Signal, and 3-3 was the bell signal for outside of the Home Signal.
On the day concerned, I came into Garston Jn at about 13:15 for late turn to find the day turn man bouncing off the walls. I asked him what was up and he said "that c**t (Driver) on the drawback just SPD'd three signals and told me to f**k off". Just then, the AMI and Train Crew Manager walked in and they could barely keep their faces straight. Then it all came out.
The Signalman at Allerton had requested Garston to get the Drawback loco to pull 6T62 from Allerton to Garston. 6T62 was a Warrington Tripper and this day, it was conveying five loaded 'cartic 4' wagons which was a fairly long train. Some time after the request, the Drawback had whistled up from the Loop line, where it was stabled, and Garston Jn sent it on the 'Up Goods 2' Line which required a 3-3 block back to Church Road Box. He signalled it to Allerton on the 'Up & Down Goods' Block Instrument and pulled off when it was accepted. When the loco cleared Vineyard Street level crossing, the Garston Signalman returned the crossing lights to green for road traffic, sent the 2-1 (Obstruction Removed) bell signal to Church Road for the block back, and returned to his crossword.
Shortly after this, he heard a shunt engine whistle blowing like hell. Then he received '2-5-5' (train or vehicles running away in wrong direction) bell signal on the Up & Down Goods and '7' (stop and examine train) bell signal on the Down goods from Allerton (nobody ever established what the '7' bell was for because there was no train on the Down Goods to stop). Anyway, my colleague went to the window to have a look and, to his dismay, he saw the Drawback coming back from Allerton like a bloody missile in the wrong direction (well, it was a bi-directional line) with 6T62 about a yard and a half behind it and catching up rapidly.
What had happened was that the Train Crew on 6T62 had nodded off. 6T62 was standing on a slight rising gradient and was being held only on the straight air brake (I assume that was so they could tell when the Drawback had attached to the rear of his train but, no doubt, the Drivers will be able to explain that better). Anyway, the straight air brake had leaked off and 6T62 started to roll back and the Train Crew were woken by the jolt, and thought that the Drawback had attached and was pulling them back (it was actually running away). It was common at the time for the train loco to assist the Drawback on its way with a little push so, trying to be helpful, the driver on 6T62 applied power and left it on.
The Driver on the Drawback saw 6T62 coming back and decided that cowardice was the most sensible option so he stopped, put the loco into reverse and came back towards Garston like a rocket.
Back in Garston Junction, the Signalman was working up to a state of alarm, which instantly turned to horror and almost sh**ing himself when he saw the Drawback loco pass GN14 signal at danger and fly over the level crossing with the lights still at green for road traffic.
So quick as a flash, my colleague grabbed the flags, and hung a red one out of the window to the Drawback Driver. The Driver, still going like the clappers and blowing the whistle, leaned out, and with extended fingers, screamed up at the Signalman "YOU CAN F**K OFF" and kept on going all the way to Church Road Box on the 'Up Goods '2' line, passing both of Church Roads signals at danger too and not stopping until he was well inside of the Freightliner Depot.
Meanwhile, 6T62 was still pushing away. When the loco passed the box and my colleague with his red flag, the Driver obviously didn't know what the flag was for so just shrugged as if it had nothing to do with him and HE kept on going too, only stopping in rear of GN89 signal. He soon found out what it was for when half the Managers at Garston climbed into the cab with his relief in tow.
Everybody involved (except the Signalman) were taken off the job for a while. For sheer knockabout comedy, Mac Sennet couldn't have written a better script.
The Signalman was livid at being told to Foxtrot Oscar, so I asked him what he thought was going to happen - did he really think that the Driver was going to stop for a loony with a red flag in front of him when he had about 1300 tonnes of steel coming behind him like a rocket ?.
I still have a snigger when I picture that poor Driver, white with terror, and with 1300 tonnes coming at him screaming 'eff off' at the Signalman, and the Signalman hopping mad with his red flag. I think though, in that situation I'd have said quite a bit more that 'eff off' to the Signalman and I could certainly give the Driver a few more suggestions to hurl if he'd been stuck for any.
Can you imagine what would happen today if that happened ?. HCC would run out of Couriers.
It did have one odd upshot though. The Signalman at Garston Jn got a spanking for not sending 2-5-5 twice to Church Road (he just sent it once). I know the argument that Church Road would know he had two runaways coming at him. But how many people in that situation would realise that ?. Out of sheer surprise you would probably think it was just the Signalman sending it doing so twice if it wasn't acknowledged quickly. To my knowledge, the only previous incident of two wrong line runaways on the same line, at the same time that I can ever recall was in 'The Great St. Trinians Train Robbery.' It's just possible that Garston could have diverted the 2nd runaway to the 'Up Goods '1'. However, that would have meant Church Road had a wrong line runaway coming at him on two different roads at the same time and both runaways would have still ended up in the Freightliner Depot as Church Road Signalbox couldn't divert either. Or Garston could have possibly diverted 6T62 right line to Church Road on the 'Down Goods' except that it would have collided with a run of coal on that line so and blocked all three roads. So, he was b***oxed whatever he did.
Probably the funniest runaway I ever had was as I was passing out in Garston Junction in 1978, though it was pretty tame compared to my colleagues runaway.
I was working away merrily with the AMI watching me when all of a sudden, we heard a loud 'crack' and somebody outside shouted "OH F***IN ELL' 'ell" and we saw a whole train running away off the 'Loop'. It was 9T45 tripper unfitted. The loco had hooked off and dropped down to the Box to go to Allerton TMD. However, nobody had screwed the train down and the line from Speke Jn to Garston Church Road was on a falling gradient, so guess what happened !.
Anyhow, I did everything correctly, stopped a Freightliner coming up from Church Road which would have hit the runaway head on, stopped a run of coal from the Low Level Sidings for Church road which would have stopped me sending the runaway right line to Church Road - remember, the light loco was on Up Goods 2, the Freightliner was on UG 1, and the coal would have been on the Down Goods. Anyhow, I did the next bit right too - called up and sent 4-5-5 (train running away in right direction) to Church Road Box on the Down Goods block instrument. The Signalman at Church Road didn't acknowledge it but rang me instead. He said "I don't want that" ???!!!!. So I told him in two words what he could do. He actually meant it too. To this day I still haven't got a clue what he thought I was going to do with it - God and Nature were in charge of that one. Anyhow, it was doing 40 mph when it got to the docks and demolished three 8 foot blocks of reinforced concrete, which will give people an idea of the force involved in the collision.
Anyhow, I hope people found this at least amusing and possibly even helpful.
G.
A few things to explain first to help people better understand it. First, in 1981 SPADS were called SPD's. Garston Jn, Allerton Jn, and Speke Jn formed a triangle with Speke at the east, Allerton at the west, and Garston at the south. Church Road Box was to the west of Garston Jn and controlled the Freightliner Depot and Coal Tips. The 'Drawback' loco was a Class 08 shunt engine. All car trains arriving at Speke for Silcocks car compound had to arrive at Speke with the headlights facing west (towards Liverpool), otherwise they would have to rotate the whole train, or reverse the cars off - no easy task. Also, Blocking Back is a procedure for occupying the line inside or outside of the Home Signal. Which we had to do at Garston because there were no Station Limits. 2-4 was the bell signal for a Block Back inside of the Home Signal, and 3-3 was the bell signal for outside of the Home Signal.
On the day concerned, I came into Garston Jn at about 13:15 for late turn to find the day turn man bouncing off the walls. I asked him what was up and he said "that c**t (Driver) on the drawback just SPD'd three signals and told me to f**k off". Just then, the AMI and Train Crew Manager walked in and they could barely keep their faces straight. Then it all came out.
The Signalman at Allerton had requested Garston to get the Drawback loco to pull 6T62 from Allerton to Garston. 6T62 was a Warrington Tripper and this day, it was conveying five loaded 'cartic 4' wagons which was a fairly long train. Some time after the request, the Drawback had whistled up from the Loop line, where it was stabled, and Garston Jn sent it on the 'Up Goods 2' Line which required a 3-3 block back to Church Road Box. He signalled it to Allerton on the 'Up & Down Goods' Block Instrument and pulled off when it was accepted. When the loco cleared Vineyard Street level crossing, the Garston Signalman returned the crossing lights to green for road traffic, sent the 2-1 (Obstruction Removed) bell signal to Church Road for the block back, and returned to his crossword.
Shortly after this, he heard a shunt engine whistle blowing like hell. Then he received '2-5-5' (train or vehicles running away in wrong direction) bell signal on the Up & Down Goods and '7' (stop and examine train) bell signal on the Down goods from Allerton (nobody ever established what the '7' bell was for because there was no train on the Down Goods to stop). Anyway, my colleague went to the window to have a look and, to his dismay, he saw the Drawback coming back from Allerton like a bloody missile in the wrong direction (well, it was a bi-directional line) with 6T62 about a yard and a half behind it and catching up rapidly.
What had happened was that the Train Crew on 6T62 had nodded off. 6T62 was standing on a slight rising gradient and was being held only on the straight air brake (I assume that was so they could tell when the Drawback had attached to the rear of his train but, no doubt, the Drivers will be able to explain that better). Anyway, the straight air brake had leaked off and 6T62 started to roll back and the Train Crew were woken by the jolt, and thought that the Drawback had attached and was pulling them back (it was actually running away). It was common at the time for the train loco to assist the Drawback on its way with a little push so, trying to be helpful, the driver on 6T62 applied power and left it on.
The Driver on the Drawback saw 6T62 coming back and decided that cowardice was the most sensible option so he stopped, put the loco into reverse and came back towards Garston like a rocket.
Back in Garston Junction, the Signalman was working up to a state of alarm, which instantly turned to horror and almost sh**ing himself when he saw the Drawback loco pass GN14 signal at danger and fly over the level crossing with the lights still at green for road traffic.
So quick as a flash, my colleague grabbed the flags, and hung a red one out of the window to the Drawback Driver. The Driver, still going like the clappers and blowing the whistle, leaned out, and with extended fingers, screamed up at the Signalman "YOU CAN F**K OFF" and kept on going all the way to Church Road Box on the 'Up Goods '2' line, passing both of Church Roads signals at danger too and not stopping until he was well inside of the Freightliner Depot.
Meanwhile, 6T62 was still pushing away. When the loco passed the box and my colleague with his red flag, the Driver obviously didn't know what the flag was for so just shrugged as if it had nothing to do with him and HE kept on going too, only stopping in rear of GN89 signal. He soon found out what it was for when half the Managers at Garston climbed into the cab with his relief in tow.
Everybody involved (except the Signalman) were taken off the job for a while. For sheer knockabout comedy, Mac Sennet couldn't have written a better script.
The Signalman was livid at being told to Foxtrot Oscar, so I asked him what he thought was going to happen - did he really think that the Driver was going to stop for a loony with a red flag in front of him when he had about 1300 tonnes of steel coming behind him like a rocket ?.
I still have a snigger when I picture that poor Driver, white with terror, and with 1300 tonnes coming at him screaming 'eff off' at the Signalman, and the Signalman hopping mad with his red flag. I think though, in that situation I'd have said quite a bit more that 'eff off' to the Signalman and I could certainly give the Driver a few more suggestions to hurl if he'd been stuck for any.
Can you imagine what would happen today if that happened ?. HCC would run out of Couriers.
It did have one odd upshot though. The Signalman at Garston Jn got a spanking for not sending 2-5-5 twice to Church Road (he just sent it once). I know the argument that Church Road would know he had two runaways coming at him. But how many people in that situation would realise that ?. Out of sheer surprise you would probably think it was just the Signalman sending it doing so twice if it wasn't acknowledged quickly. To my knowledge, the only previous incident of two wrong line runaways on the same line, at the same time that I can ever recall was in 'The Great St. Trinians Train Robbery.' It's just possible that Garston could have diverted the 2nd runaway to the 'Up Goods '1'. However, that would have meant Church Road had a wrong line runaway coming at him on two different roads at the same time and both runaways would have still ended up in the Freightliner Depot as Church Road Signalbox couldn't divert either. Or Garston could have possibly diverted 6T62 right line to Church Road on the 'Down Goods' except that it would have collided with a run of coal on that line so and blocked all three roads. So, he was b***oxed whatever he did.
Probably the funniest runaway I ever had was as I was passing out in Garston Junction in 1978, though it was pretty tame compared to my colleagues runaway.
I was working away merrily with the AMI watching me when all of a sudden, we heard a loud 'crack' and somebody outside shouted "OH F***IN ELL' 'ell" and we saw a whole train running away off the 'Loop'. It was 9T45 tripper unfitted. The loco had hooked off and dropped down to the Box to go to Allerton TMD. However, nobody had screwed the train down and the line from Speke Jn to Garston Church Road was on a falling gradient, so guess what happened !.
Anyhow, I did everything correctly, stopped a Freightliner coming up from Church Road which would have hit the runaway head on, stopped a run of coal from the Low Level Sidings for Church road which would have stopped me sending the runaway right line to Church Road - remember, the light loco was on Up Goods 2, the Freightliner was on UG 1, and the coal would have been on the Down Goods. Anyhow, I did the next bit right too - called up and sent 4-5-5 (train running away in right direction) to Church Road Box on the Down Goods block instrument. The Signalman at Church Road didn't acknowledge it but rang me instead. He said "I don't want that" ???!!!!. So I told him in two words what he could do. He actually meant it too. To this day I still haven't got a clue what he thought I was going to do with it - God and Nature were in charge of that one. Anyhow, it was doing 40 mph when it got to the docks and demolished three 8 foot blocks of reinforced concrete, which will give people an idea of the force involved in the collision.
Anyhow, I hope people found this at least amusing and possibly even helpful.
G.
