This came to mind as a result of the other thread on drivers using SG at signals, but I thought it was off-topic enough that a separate thread might be beneficial. I'm mainly asking from the perspective of a driver who wants to understand the signaller's position better.
In training we're told about the use of berth triggered messages and area broadcasts, but in the years I've been driving I've never experienced one. Are signallers wary of using these or is there some other reason why they seem pretty rare? I've seen comments on here which suggest people in other areas experience use of these, so is it a regional thing? In the last couple of weeks I've been stopped at reds to be told of an ESR with no signage and a TSR where the warning board was missing, which would seem fairly good uses for a berth triggered broadcast?
I was also held outside of Leeds during the bag-on-the-OHLE incident. I was stopped at a red and got no response to the SG or phone calls to the signaller answered. From the guard I gathered what was going on and assumed the signaller was busy dealing with it. After around 10 mins I got a call from the signaller to tell me what was happening and that they would phone me back with an update. Again, to someone who doesn't know, it would seem that an area broadcast would save time by not needing to phone every driver who was stopped to tell them what was happening.
And just as a final question, I've heard on here of drivers getting a 'Contact control' message on the GSMR or Control phoning the driver. Is this just a DOO thing, as I've never heard of either of these happening to drivers at my depot (though obviously we often contact Control via the GSMR).
Thanks for any insights.
In training we're told about the use of berth triggered messages and area broadcasts, but in the years I've been driving I've never experienced one. Are signallers wary of using these or is there some other reason why they seem pretty rare? I've seen comments on here which suggest people in other areas experience use of these, so is it a regional thing? In the last couple of weeks I've been stopped at reds to be told of an ESR with no signage and a TSR where the warning board was missing, which would seem fairly good uses for a berth triggered broadcast?
I was also held outside of Leeds during the bag-on-the-OHLE incident. I was stopped at a red and got no response to the SG or phone calls to the signaller answered. From the guard I gathered what was going on and assumed the signaller was busy dealing with it. After around 10 mins I got a call from the signaller to tell me what was happening and that they would phone me back with an update. Again, to someone who doesn't know, it would seem that an area broadcast would save time by not needing to phone every driver who was stopped to tell them what was happening.
And just as a final question, I've heard on here of drivers getting a 'Contact control' message on the GSMR or Control phoning the driver. Is this just a DOO thing, as I've never heard of either of these happening to drivers at my depot (though obviously we often contact Control via the GSMR).
Thanks for any insights.