PRACTICES THAT MIGHT FALL FOUL OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

Roger · Post by **Roger** » Fri May 08, 2009 10:18 am

Whilst out with an old colleague recently, we chatted about practices that have ceased over the years, but wonder how the Health and Safety brigade would react if they were re-introduced. Here are some for starters:

1. Slip coaches

2. Shunting staff running alongside wagons to pin down brakes.

3. With the S&D in mind, leaning out of cabs to position or collect from the locomotive apparatus the single line tokens whilst the train was travelling at line speed.

I am sure other users of this site will have many more examples but it might generate some interesting debate.

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:22 pm

Coming at this from a completely different angle, a few years ago I did a steam driving course at the SVR.

When we got to Bridgnorth, we were taken into the shed where our instructor gave us the inevitable H&S lecture.

The thing that struck me was that, whilst he was gving his speech about the mortal dangers of a running shed, he was standing in the four foot

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:27 pm

There was a practice at Bath Green Park where lad cleaners would be given preparation and disposal work.

One trick was to take the engine off the pit road, uphill with just a breath of steam, then jump off, set the points for the adjoinig road, and climb back on as the engine obeyed the laws of gravity and coasted back down.

jolly47roger · Post by **jolly47roger** » Fri May 08, 2009 7:07 pm

Swapping single line tokens at speed wasn't just S&D - I (just) remember it at East Anstey in 1952.

Didn't guards used to wave a green flag from the platform and then get on the train just as it moved off?

And the man who placed detonators on the track in fog.

Climbing signal posts carrying lighted oil lamps.

Breaking coal on the footplate without protective goggles.

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Sat May 09, 2009 11:35 am

Shunters in marshalling yards cadging a lift on moving engines by hanging off the steps to the cab

Blackthorn · Post by **Blackthorn** » Sat May 09, 2009 9:02 pm

H&S won't let anyone have fun will they!

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Sat May 09, 2009 10:07 pm

Loose-coupled freights?

As Gerry Fiennes said in one of his books:

"as the couplings tightened you heard 'clink-clink-clink-clink-clunk' - the 'clunk' was the guard banging his head against the stove pipe if he wasn't paying attention"

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Sat May 09, 2009 10:20 pm

Not strictly Health & Safety, but in my Bath Road days I knew many a driver who "stopped a few going sour" (if you get my drift) before he took his train out.

A friend of mine (unfortunately computerless!) who was fireman at Barrow Road in the late 50s/ early 60s also tells the tale of the day he took ECS from Lawrence Hill sidings to Temple Meads with a 4F single-handed, because his driver had nipped off to the pub and didn't hear the crow of the 4F whistle summoning him back

(He also let the fire go out on a pannier tank on station pilot duty at Swindon one Christmas Eve because him and the driver were in the cabin playing cards, and they ended up being towed back on shed, but that's another story!)

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Sat May 09, 2009 10:26 pm

Roger wrote: 2. Shunting staff running alongside wagons to pin down brakes.

That was against the rules even then!

jules · Post by **jules** » Sun May 10, 2009 3:07 pm

2. Shunting staff running alongside wagons to pin down brakes.

That was against the rules even then!

Shunters running alongside wagons with shunting pole under coupling, then with a quick flip (or frequently full body weight applied to end of the pole!), the rake of wagons were split. Loco brakes on then set back to put the next raft of wagons into the next road ...

Fly shunting on the move

More dangerous than just pinning brakes down and probably even more against the rules, but it certainly went on a lot ....

Robin Summerhill · Post by **Robin Summerhill** » Sun May 10, 2009 7:07 pm

jules wrote:
2. Shunting staff running alongside wagons to pin down brakes.

That was against the rules even then!
Shunters running alongside wagons with shunting pole under coupling, then with a quick flip (or frequently full body weight applied to end of the pole!), the rake of wagons were split. Loco brakes on then set back to put the next raft of wagons into the next road ...

Fly shunting on the move

More dangerous than just pinning brakes down and probably even more against the rules, but it certainly went on a lot ....

I was thinking of fly shunting rather than pinning down brakes when I used the quote.

Then I read Jules' post and read the original post again

Ho hum .....

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Mon May 11, 2009 8:25 pm

"Hooking on" an Instanter coupling, standing in the four-foot as the loco eased forward against the carriages! Used to terrify me!

As a secondman at Reading in he early '70s the "Down Line Pilot" turn involved sitting in a 47 on the centre road between the Relief Line platforms, awaiting intermittent shunting of, mainly, parcels stock from one side of the station to the other (and, occasionally, rescuing failed trains). Officially, we were supposed to drive "forwards" and keep "changing ends". Of course, this never happened, leading to much reversing, sometimes at astonishing speeds to get moves done between traffic on the main lines. Inevitably, much time was spent brewing up in the shunters' room and it was not unknown for the secondman to go off and drive alone for the odd manoeuver.

The Reading LowLevel Pilot was always an 08 turn, complete with brick on the Deadman's Pedal". One day, an MP inspector turned up and the brick was hastily discarded. His comment on leaving was "that Deadman's is a bugger on these - see if you can find a brick somewhere"!

Hobbler · Post by **Hobbler** » Tue May 12, 2009 6:06 pm

I wonder what modern H & S would make of the use of a steam locomotive in a narrow single line tunnel like Combe Down where there was a very real risk of the crew being overcome by fumes.

Agency_Scum · Post by **Agency_Scum** » Mon May 18, 2009 1:18 am

I live life in the fast lane. Contrary to the H+S instructions on the side of the structure at Yatton Station, when using their footbridge I don't use caution.

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:58 pm

Back in the '60s, as I schoolboy travelling the Severn Beach line regularly, I spotted an abandoned GWR ground disc ("dummy") lying around by the level crossing at St Andrew's Junction. I wanted it for our back garden, so my dad made enquiries at Temple Meads, and purchased it as "scrap". Armed with a receipt as authority, we were told - "It's all yours, go and get it" Which we did - unsupervised by the trackside!

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PRACTICES THAT MIGHT FALL FOUL OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

PRACTICES THAT MIGHT FALL FOUL OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

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