the dead mans handle is a safety device to stop the train if the driver is incapacitatedYou can do the entire trip from a standing start at Knucklas to Knighton without taking power. There are a couple of drivers who when it's time to leave Knucklas merely release the brake, and don't touch the throttle.
Supposedly back in the 50s/60s when many services in Ireland were worked by AEC built railcars, they had a design feature where the dead man's handle had to be pushed down with one hand all of the time or else the brakes would kick in. However, if you put the reverser into neutral, it would disable the deadman's and given Ireland's generally flat topography, you could coast for miles and save your muscles!
did isolation happen well off course it never happend ------------
------------when the traction inspector was about
if it did he would cough until it was in direction off travel
dmmus only had forward and reverse in the uk
locos and emus on the southern where fitted around the mid to late 1980 with ssf[speed sensitive brake application ]to apply the brakes if in neutral around the 10mph mark to allow driver only operation without a secondman or guard
Last edited: