You dont realise the level of responsibility signalmen had until you watch these old films, peoples lives were literally in their hands. A wonderful glimpse into the past. Bless them all.
Nope not just you... we all wanted to be a train driver in the good old days.. I remember how, about 65 years ago, we used to sit on the benches at the station watching the trains go by..
Thanks. Didn't know anybody else thought tne same. Also, no stupid slogans on 'clothes'; no imbecilic comments; no one trying to make everything they say 'funny'.
When we comment (especially if we're one of the 1st) we should type something like 'Brilliant video, well narrated, no music.' You bet I'm subscribing !
This was my playground growing up in the sixties. the trees in the background @ 18.00 were known as the jungle by all the local kids, it had tree houses and rope swings. i went to Naunton park school which was 5 minutes walk away from the station, and grew up in Leckhampton. happy days indeed.
Lets see: The bosses aren't sitting back expecting someone else to do the work, the workers aren't sitting back waiting for a boss to give them an order. All are doing the work assigned to them and they are trained for. Result, really fine and rapid execution of the job. And every single person takes pride in doing their job.
@@richmanwisco "Not in real life" ??? I have had what I described happen with me involved a number of times. That is bosses just sitting around and workers waiting for orders, really messes things up. I have also been in a situation where everybody does what they are supposed to do when they are supposed to do it and the way they are supposed to do it. Messed up happens a good bit in gov. jobs and working well happens a lot in civilian jobs where getting it right earns you a good paycheck. The gov. jobs pay you regardless if you please and protect higher ups. Oh, I have worked both situations.
@@richmanwisco You don't seem to understand that this DID happen in real life. This was a training film for railway employees to understand what procedures were carried out in the case of a train failing to pass through the block section between signal boxes under mechanical (semaphore) signaling. All the actions depicted are laid down in the Railway Rule Book, which is a Legal Document. GST, Driver (retd) OOC 81A.
@@richmanwisco it may have been a scripted exercise, but I’ve been involved in such incidents in various ways to know the only part that doesn’t happen now is the presence of a tea lady 👍
from IMCDB:" filmed on a section of the old MSWJR line between Cheltenham and Andoversford Junction, which closed in 1962 and was removed by the mid-1960s. In the film, the made-up station name 'Aybury' was in fact Cheltenham Leckhampton, and 'Beaton' is Andoversford Jnc. Most of the film was shot at or between these two locations but Cheltenham Malvern Rd engine shed features, (the shed still surviving as part of Travis Perkins), Hatherley Loop, and most notably, extremely rare brief exterior shots of both Gloucester stations - Eastgate, now an Asda and Central, rebuilt in 1976"
Apart from a change to train detection (for most of the network) rather than time based signalling, and the complications of different train operating companies, this is still very much how it is done. A brilliant film.
People in the 1950s and other steam decades didn't understand the complexity of the railways, and railwaymen didn't receive the respect they deserved. I think this documentry goes some way in righting this wrong, in illustrating the intelligence, dedication and professionalism of these men.
Really, was everyone except railway workers stupid prior to 1st January 1960? (Maybe you should consider today’s world and what people actually know about it, I suspect the general level of knowledge was greater in the 50’s than today)
@@andyxox4168 given that the sixties started on 1st January 1961 you may wish to revise that statement . The year 1960 was the last year of the 1950s ( there are ten years in a decade )
It reminds me of the many instructional films I watched in my early naval training in the 60;s. I'm convinced the voice-over was the some person and he must have been kept very busy making hundreds of these films. Delightful!
As a retired Railroad Engineer, for Norfolk-Southern Railroad, it is amazing to see how Railroads we’re run in the past, thank you for letting see how Railroad were run in the past.
Railroads? Is this in the US? In Europe they're called railways, not railroads. Where the heck is a road under the railways? Roads are for cars, rails are for trains.
This is a good video showing up on RUclips. My ancestors worked on the railway from wicklow to clontarf. Great grandparents on maternal side of my family. Year 1900-backwards to late Victorian times. Then our current relatives from the 1940-1950s had a go also. My son ended up a trainspotter from the nineties to the second millennium. He is thirty one years old. He went to every exhibitions display of railways three times a year.
Having procedures well-known to staff is essential in situations where there is the potential for injury and/or loss of life. What lovely footage of steam locomotives! Apparently this film was made in 1958. That would have been quite near to the last days of the steam engine. I was born in 1952. In my childhood, I saw only one steam locomotive. To this day, I can remember clearly the sound of the steam whistle.
I was born 2 years after you and saw loads of them. i guess it depended on where you lived. my mother was from Swindon so obviously their were plenty there, being a railway town. i grew up in Leckhampton Cheltenham and a stones throw from where this film was shot. Cheltenham had 7 stations at one point, so there were plenty there as well.
I have long had an interest in process and systems. This documentary details the series of rules in place at a point in time mandating how to respond to an incident on British rail. For interested parties it illustrates the evolution of a complex set of responses and actions which combine to ensure the prevention of further mishaps, address the safety of all parties directly involved in the mishap, resolve all aspects of the incident and implement work around measures to maintain service. There are many moving parts to this process and overall reflect that a great deal of thought and experience has been invested in reaching this stage in the evolution of the response process.
I am proud to see such a responsible team of railway men.we should learn from them that with such a limited resources the accident was attended in least time delay.thanks Kaushlendra Joint General Manager/Electrical Ircon International Limited New Delhi
Tea! It’s what our nation runs on if you’re are cold, tea will warm you; If you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are exhausted, it will calm you. William Gladstone
I always tell my wife, who is a lot younger than me and only drinks coffee, that tea was how we won the War!! I well remember that a good strong cuppa was the answer to everything.
Living on the Great Plains (American West) the sheer distances between stations or towns would have made anything like this well-ordered British response near impossible. The calm (most of the time) and trained discipline where all know and perform their respective jobs is (unfortunately) a thing of the past. Great film!
I think you are confusing signalling stations with passenger stations or freight depots. As the film indicates the signal station operates independently from the passenger station. They are small block houses usually on a platform with a short stairway leading up. I know on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor abandoned ones still stand every few miles, some near and some not so near a passenger station. I'm sure on some of the older lines out West like the Santa Fe line these block houses still exist as well.
that distance is lost on 99.9999% of Europeans who can’t fathom how far places are from one another let alone how long a train ride can be to get between major cities outside the east coast
When I was training to be a guard in the early seventies, we were shown that film as part of our training. It was fascinating to see it again. I was a bit horrified to realise how much of that I've forgotten. I also (out of interest) took a course in the rules and signalling regulations, around that time, so I'm pretty sure I knew most of it back then. But then I left the railway service in 1982 to go to university. So I suppose I've had 38 years to forget it all. By my time diesels had replaced steam locomotives, and, because of faster train speeds, the protection distance had been increased from three quarters of a mile to a full mile. Moreover the three detonators had to be placed 20 yards apart (previously it had been 10) so that, even on a fast moving train, the driver would hear three distinct cracks. But apart from that, most of what was shown in the film was still relevant, especially on lines with traditional signalling, using the "Absolute Block" system. Which I suppose is why we were shown the film. By the way, I never had to deal with a main line accident during my railway career -- only a few minor mishaps in goods sidings. I wonder how such an accident would be handled today, when freight trains (and some passenger trains) don't even carry a guard. I believe that radios are now considered reliable enough for safety critical messages. They weren't in my day. And it does concern me that, when the driver is the only person on the train, he could be injured or even killed in an accident, and therefore be quite unable to do anything about protecting the train. If any modern railway staff are reading this, I'd be fascinated to hear how such an incident would be dealt with nowadays. Are train crews still required to carry detonators?
Groundstaff here. Modern trains are tracked through GPS through to the boxes, the electro signalling circuits, and along with the GSMR system build into locomotives giving communication with the signaller means that the driver can communicate effectively when something goes wrong, provided they are uninjured. They also have their mobile phone either personal or work provided as a backup communication device, but official lines are preferred as they are recorded on call now as a backup for later investigations. If the train does get stuck in section and there is no communications, the signaller will put a block on the line, and the passing line as a precaution, until Network Rail and groundsman from the operating company can attend on scene and inform them otherwise. Detonators are still used and placed 1 mile from the afflicted train and at 30 yards apart on all approaches to the incident, and signal telephones are then used to communicate details as you can always reference yourself from said telephone "Sierra four two, Up Fast" or "Charlie eight one, Goods Reception" for example. The box will then put a temporary block on lines surrounding that signal, and await instructions from Network Rail authorities.
As. Former fireman I remember the rule book instructions for protecting trains on running lines And signing the register in signal box for rule 55 which were carried out if you were stood at signal for a long period and had to see the signalman place a loop over the signal lever as to remind him you were at that signal and not. Allow any train in that section
VERY INTERESTING! This bit of railroad history is most enjoyable in its calmly tasteful British format. (Comment from Wayne, 80, in northwest Arkansas, USA) God bless everyone.
I grew up in the 60s England I remember finding a box of those detonators. I was 10 at the time, we used to throw them at trees and walls. Wow the bang was deafening. They were very sensitive to shock, because they contained fulminate of mercury, Happy days.
Remember those boxes of colorful “cracker balls”? You’d throw them hard down on the sidewalk and they’d make a small but pretty “loud for the size” explosion. They were especially loud if you threw them down on the hard cement or tiled floor of a hallway at school, but that might get you expelled for a few days if caught. They were also great inside concrete stairwells, especially like those emergency stairwells in buildings like hospitals and hotels. About anywhere you could get a big echo. Since you weren’t lighting a 🔥match or dealing with fire like firecrackers or M80s it was more likely a younger age boy could get his hands on them than just about any other decent type of fireworks a cautious parent might allow. But leave it to the imagination of a kid and his friends with even limited access to black powder (or any reasonable facsimile 😎) and they were bound to come up with clever and ingenious ways of blowing stuff up 💣 or making noise or explosions just about anywhere they could find an audience or surprise or scare someone (even it was just themselves.) So finding an entire box of detonators💥like @terry wagg at age 10 and his friends must have been the equivalent of an old gold prospector striking the Mother Lode after decades of scratching out an existence! Can you imagine how exciting that would have been for you and your friends if that had been YOU at ten years of age? I bet the adrenaline rushes had you guys over the moon for months! If my name ain’t TNT! 🧨
@@Sticks-of-TNT-tf1tn Excellent way to describe how we young men “boys” would handle the situation when gifted with such wonderful noise makers. Hope no one lost any fingers.
Also grew up in England in the 50’s in Wigan. Lived near tracks and warehouse distribution hub. Got to ride in steam engine and caboose car which still had homing pigeon cages. Loved playing on the rail sidings. Parents never worried about us getting hurt. Have lived in the U.S. since 1960. Great memories as a kid. I miss Smarties, Flake bars and meat pies!
70 years ago, our father showed us how to do the 'track is clear' hand signal and we kids would line up and do this and always, the engineers would blow their whistle and make the 'arm's up' gesture while smiling! Recently, I did this without thinking when standing in front of a train in Upstate NY and the engineer...returned the 'all's clear' signal back to me while smiling!
Very watchable and informative. Thank you as ever! Actually, I have sent a link to this video to the 82045 Group who are busily building the next engine of the extinct Riddles 3MT class which stars nicely at 11:57 with 82007.
@reverse thrust I am now informed: Back in the day, the Police would have notified the WRVS, who would immediately deploy the tea urn. The second shift would arrive with sandwiches and cake. ... so the crumpets are on their way.
@ the younger ones won't take things seriously or lazier today as they prefer arguing with you using an off peak ticket on a service leaving the station 60 seconds before off peak begins.
Fascinating insight into the workings and the organisation involved with such a well oiled machine as the British rail transport system, It seems so calm and tranquil, that It looks much better back then, than it does now, in the high tech 2020's.
As a person always fascinated by trains it was interesting to see the detailed responsibilities of the workers. Everyone had to do their job accurately to achieve a positive result. If only every business was run as efficiently. Thank you for an enlightening video.
I started working at Kings Cross in 1983 and I was given an LNER pocket watch. It didn't work so I chucked it in my bag and two years later I found it had been smashed to pieces by the detonator tin pounding it every time I chucked my bag on the floor.
@Pissed off at society go spiritual -- the detonators are strong enough to be heard over the roar of the engine but not strong enough to do any damage. They are a warning device.
Those exact procedures were still in use when I joined New Zealand Railways almost 25 years later, before the rail was gutted and privatised. Good memories.
I was a fireman on the stem engines in those days. I DO REMEMBER IT BEING ON THE B.B.C NEWS..... All the correct emergency procedures were quite correctly carried out by the Railway staff,. Ron Syms. Weston-s-Mare..
Takes me down memory lane to when my dad was a guard on the old branch line from Highbridge then when that closed he was put in parcels at Bridgwater. Brings it all back, the smell of the trains, the uniqueness of the buildings. My dad was Henry John Alford also known as jack, he left the railway through illness and didn't quite get to retire.
This was in my lifetime!! No computers. No internet. No mobile phones. No pointless ‘health and safety’. No fluorescent jackets. No tatty looking stations. No rubbish thrown over the embankment. No waiting hours for emergency services. Just everybody working together on a simpler, postwar world where EVERYBODY knew what to do. Gosh how I miss that period in our history.
4:32 being quite a verteran of these British Transport Films, I of course noticed that the rail joints just ahead of the fireman are likely in need of either shims or a maintenance fish plate. ;-)
Yep - a boy in my primary school stole one, and set it off in the playground by hitting it with a stone. He got a scar on his eyebrow which would last the rest of his life, and was damn lucky that the chunk of steel missed his eye.
Great video! I love the Tea lady too. I'll visit your channel to see what else is there and I may subscribe! I just subscribed. We in America have very little passenger service left. The Airline, automobile manufacturers, over-the-road freight haulers and oil companies killed it years ago.
Growing up next to Seaboard in North Carolina in the 1950s, a treasure chest was finding fusees. The main entertainment value was in finding metal objects to melt with them. Several years ago, while working as a crew van driver, I was showing railroad employees how to make use of a wet fusee.
My Father was a Guard with British Rail before 1967, when We came to Australia and he joined the South Australian Railways. His Detonators were a pre shaped Clip which was simply pushed down onto the Rail.
Right, it's simple, really. In the event of an incident, you do this, this, this, and this, ensuring you don't forget that, that, that, and that, and making sure that he is, he is, he is, and they are all informed, all while walking about 3 miles in total, up and down the lines. Oh and whatever you do, don't forget to make the Tea!
Great video. Interestingly, this could have been filmed in Victoria, Australia, where the same uniforms were worn and the tunnel design and the signal houses were exactly the same.😊😊😊
Bet you she's been building up to that event all her lifewtih regular attendance at the CWA......her chance to shine for 15 minutes with tea and sandwiches....
I love the pace. I had to laugh - the conductor at the beginning reminded me of the short, bald actor from Benny Hill. The film speed on him was a little faster. Thank you, Brits!
…everyone just happened to be in their sunday finest, even when working in a job where they’d be covered in sweat and grime? yeah…not badly staged at all
My father, Donald Potter, was a Railway Signalman around the time this short film was made. He was stationed in the Dagenham area, in a box similar to the one in the film.
14:11 Here we see the most vital element of response to any accident or emergency in England. Tea must be supplied to all involved as soon as is possible and practical.
Also at 12:35. It's true though. I remember a power outage at a (Dutch) military base when I served my conscription there. Emergency generators kicked in and the essential equipment kept functioning, and we continued work. Until we found out that the coffee machines weren't hooked up to the essential power bus... things broke down very quickly after that.
It might have looked slow, and inefficient, but hard experience had proved that every one of those rules and procedures was necessary. And they kept people safe.
@@nativeafroeurasian Compared to the time and cost in coal it needs to stop the train and picking them up? Dirt cheap. Compared to damage or injury? Don't even ask.
I really enjoyed watching this. My grandad was a signalman in a 174 lever signal box, one of many but his favourite. This would be in the 1940’s and 50’s. 🙏🏻
Men still do tthier jobs. That is part of a man's responsibility to himself his family, his nation. And God. We put away childish things as we pass a certain age.
Hi good morning, i really like all these old educational transport films, with proper english speaking gentlemen. I wish i could go back in time to 1948. When i reackon it would have been great to live in Britain. Life just seemed to be better back then .
It's a TRAINING FILM - and the point of it was not to show authentic looking blood and gore, but to help operating staff understand how to deal with accidents.
Railway is serious business, so improvement of technology has reduced the time in communication, repairs, signaling, but still utmost care is taken in this kind of situation by railway official across the world. Conclusion: Still railway workmen do their job with care.
A lot different ! Aybury ( Leckhampton and Cheltenham South )Station replaced by block of flats and small industrial units . Beaton ( Andoversford )Station now small housing development. Breakdown Train leaving Malvern Road Engine Shed is now very recently housing . The tank engine running light would have been approaching Pilley Bridge ( under )after Aybury I mention that as the original was destroyed by the Luftwaffe and has the distinction of being the last road bridge to be rebuilt in England ! Talking of which between Aybury and before Sandywell Tunnel on the approach to Beaton was Dowdeswell Viaduct. Built of Staffordshire Blue brick it was blown up in the late sixties the line having closed in the early sixties. It was so solid it required twice the usual amount of explosive ! PS . There is a fair bit of artistic license in the film and the map of the diversion for rail traffic is shall we say “ Not to scale “ Then again I suppose as it’s just a staged training film it really doesn’t matter.
It may seem like a lot of detail and BS to get the job done, but this system was devised over many years, to provide maximum safety for life, limb and property!
That was an enormous amount of safety procedures those men had to deal with(and remember). In these mobile phone, computer days things have simplified a lot I guess.
2020: Signal control centre is over 100 miles away and have no clue as to the location. No staff at the unmanned stations to raise any help. Train is also DOO so the driver is left to do it all himself, but be quick as the delay minutes are mounting up.....come back 1958, all is forgiven....
Urgh, tell me about it, same here in Belgium. Got pulled onto an occupied line in a yard not long ago with my train. It took the best part of two hours for somebody to come as there was also an incident at the other side of the district and nobody was available. All that time to give me permission to set back a few yards to clear the points. Ridiculous. And all that time I was blocking a level crossing to a factory, leaving the night shift stuck at one side and the morning shift on the other side of my train. Kept my doors shut and my head down ...
@@KuptisOriginal If its like our UK military was in the 60's, accident report forms needed submission in quadruplicate! Can't remember the form number. One of my prouder accident reports, that my 2 wheel trailer was 'blown over' by wind. I omitted to state I rolled it over several times during a jack knife 'incident'. The army used strong trailers in those days and the land rover only suffered a small dent!
It is in the piece above. - This was filmed on a section of the old MSWJR line between Cheltenham and Andoversford Junction. In the film, the made up station name 'Aybury' was in fact Cheltenham Leckhampton and 'Beaton' is Andoversford Junction.
@@clivehorridge I was two and a half - assuming they filmed this in the summer of '58. Hadn't yet moved to Cheltenham at that time... '61 or '62, I think.
Very Prepared for anything, that makes them trustworthy- this film also explains what to do if faces in this situation which is very informative. If the Crew were knocked out then wouldn’t the guard have to do it alone
The idea is that warning trains on the opposing line is the higher priority. The signals back then were manual and there was nothing to detect that the opposing line was fouled by the wreck and automatically set the signal to danger.
That's why the guard went to the engine to check that the fireman was able to protect the opposite line. If the fireman had be unable to do that, then the guard would have gone forward to protect the opposite line as that is a higher priority than protecting the rear. (Rule 217) Had the engine still been on the rails then Rule 218 would require him to detach and drive forward to the next signal box or if that is more than 3/4 mile he should drop off the fireman at 3/4 mile , the fireman would then place three detonators on the opposing line, the engine (without fireman) would then proceed to the box. In this case, the loco was off the rails and the fireman had to walk.
If a derailment were to occur in the tunnel, the process would still remain mostly the same, but emergency services would most likely be called to the accident site directly to aid the passengers who may be injured or suffering from smoke inhalation.
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You dont realise the level of responsibility signalmen had until you watch these old films, peoples lives were literally in their hands. A wonderful glimpse into the past. Bless them all.
Signallers are still just as responsible today - just things are done a bit differently to account for the tech.
Is it just me or is anybody else fascinated by old trains?
Nope not just you... we all wanted to be a train driver in the good old days.. I remember how, about 65 years ago, we used to sit on the benches at the station watching the trains go by..
@@baggieshorts1406I love the thought of been a train driver...ah my favourite old film was ghost train by Arthur askey
@@grahamrsparker ruclips.net/video/mcaGaAv8v8I/видео.html link to ghost train... enjoy
@@baggieshorts1406 thanks
Wonderful things !!
How refreshing for enjoyment and concentration -No background music !
13:32 "They disposed of the injured and other passengers" LOL
Thanks. Didn't know anybody else thought tne same.
Also, no stupid slogans on 'clothes'; no imbecilic comments; no one trying to make everything they say 'funny'.
I totally agree with your
Comment! . Proper English speaking, clear narration. I'm glad that I share similar views.
When we comment (especially if we're one of the 1st) we should type something like 'Brilliant video, well narrated, no music.' You bet I'm subscribing !
Absolutely riveting. No computers, radios or mobile phones. No one had better fall asleep.
Thanks.
With fountain pen for signalman's log!
Oh! How I yearn for such civil and decent times again.
This was my playground growing up in the sixties. the trees in the background @ 18.00 were known as the jungle by all the local kids, it had tree houses and rope swings. i went to Naunton park school which was 5 minutes walk away from the station, and grew up in Leckhampton. happy days indeed.
Lets see: The bosses aren't sitting back expecting someone else to do the work, the workers aren't sitting back waiting for a boss to give them an order. All are doing the work assigned to them and they are trained for. Result, really fine and rapid execution of the job. And every single person takes pride in doing their job.
You understand this was a scripted drill and didn't happen in real life, yes?
@@richmanwisco "Not in real life" ??? I have had what I described happen with me involved a number of times. That is bosses just sitting around and workers waiting for orders, really messes things up. I have also been in a situation where everybody does what they are supposed to do when they are supposed to do it and the way they are supposed to do it. Messed up happens a good bit in gov. jobs and working well happens a lot in civilian jobs where getting it right earns you a good paycheck. The gov. jobs pay you regardless if you please and protect higher ups. Oh, I have worked both situations.
@@richmanwisco You don't seem to understand that this DID happen in real life. This was a training film for railway employees to understand what procedures were carried out in the case of a train failing to pass through the block section between signal boxes under mechanical (semaphore) signaling. All the actions depicted are laid down in the Railway Rule Book, which is a Legal Document. GST, Driver (retd) OOC 81A.
@@richmanwisco it may have been a scripted exercise, but I’ve been involved in such incidents in various ways to know the only part that doesn’t happen now is the presence of a tea lady 👍
@@richmanwisco😂😂😂😂😂
Superb and great quality for its age. The little animation explaining the problem is quite magical!
How articulate and organized, old British way , fabulous.
"Everything is in order, of course"
They no longer can say they have the finest railway system. Sad they ruines it after the war
from IMCDB:" filmed on a section of the old MSWJR line between Cheltenham and Andoversford Junction, which closed in 1962 and was removed by the mid-1960s. In the film, the made-up station name 'Aybury' was in fact Cheltenham Leckhampton, and 'Beaton' is Andoversford Jnc. Most of the film was shot at or between these two locations but Cheltenham Malvern Rd engine shed features, (the shed still surviving as part of Travis Perkins), Hatherley Loop, and most notably, extremely rare brief exterior shots of both Gloucester stations - Eastgate, now an Asda and Central, rebuilt in 1976"
Apart from a change to train detection (for most of the network) rather than time based signalling, and the complications of different train operating companies, this is still very much how it is done. A brilliant film.
People in the 1950s and other steam decades didn't understand the complexity of the railways, and railwaymen didn't receive the respect they deserved. I think this documentry goes some way in righting this wrong, in illustrating the intelligence, dedication and professionalism of these men.
Not all countrys in the 50’s were steam
Some where diesel or electric expirementals
Really, was everyone except railway workers stupid prior to 1st January 1960?
(Maybe you should consider today’s world and what people actually know about it, I suspect the general level of knowledge was greater in the 50’s than today)
@@andyxox4168 given that the sixties started on 1st January 1961 you may wish to revise that statement . The year 1960 was the last year of the 1950s ( there are ten years in a decade )
Please cite your sources for people's understanding and respect.
It reminds me of the many instructional films I watched in my early naval training in the 60;s. I'm convinced the voice-over was the some person and he must have been kept very busy making hundreds of these films. Delightful!
As a retired Railroad Engineer, for Norfolk-Southern Railroad, it is amazing to see how Railroads we’re run in the past, thank you for letting see how Railroad were run in the past.
Retired “engineer” as in driver or designer/builder? Curious.
@@Hambone571 he said "Railroad engineer" which means driver.
@@KuptisOriginal US usage: 'engineer' = driver
@@boggy7665 That's what I said.
Railroads? Is this in the US? In Europe they're called railways, not railroads. Where the heck is a road under the railways? Roads are for cars, rails are for trains.
My compliments for the unsung efficient staff.
The fact that there are enough staff and resources to deal with the signalling, repair and rail replacement is exceptional
This is a good video showing up on RUclips. My ancestors worked on the railway from wicklow to clontarf. Great grandparents on maternal side of my family. Year 1900-backwards to late Victorian times. Then our current relatives from the 1940-1950s had a go also. My son ended up a trainspotter from the nineties to the second millennium. He is thirty one years old. He went to every exhibitions display of railways three times a year.
I love the names of small UK places. You could just make up some funny sounding one and I'd be like "mmhmm yup Dinglesham to Buttfordshire"
Having procedures well-known to staff is essential in situations where there is the potential for injury and/or loss of life.
What lovely footage of steam locomotives! Apparently this film was made in 1958. That would have been quite near to the last days of the steam engine.
I was born in 1952. In my childhood, I saw only one steam locomotive. To this day, I can remember clearly the sound of the steam whistle.
August 1968 was the official complete end of steam railways in Britain.
I was born 2 years after you and saw loads of them. i guess it depended on where you lived. my mother was from Swindon so obviously their were plenty there, being a railway town. i grew up in Leckhampton Cheltenham and a stones throw from where this film was shot. Cheltenham had 7 stations at one point, so there were plenty there as well.
I have long had an interest in process and systems.
This documentary details the series of rules in place at a point in time mandating how to respond to an incident on British rail.
For interested parties it illustrates the evolution of a complex set of responses and actions which combine to ensure the prevention of further mishaps, address the safety of all parties directly involved in the mishap, resolve all aspects of the incident and implement work around measures to maintain service.
There are many moving parts to this process and overall reflect that a great deal of thought and experience has been invested in reaching this stage in the evolution of the response process.
And with no interference from Elfin Safety!!
I gotta go NOW DARNIT
I am proud to see such a responsible team of railway men.we should learn from them that with such a limited resources the accident was attended in least time delay.thanks
Kaushlendra
Joint General Manager/Electrical
Ircon International Limited
New Delhi
What an interesting film thank you
Thank you for uploading this film. It was really great to watch.
Tea! It’s what our nation runs on
if you’re are cold, tea will warm you;
If you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are exhausted, it will calm you.
William Gladstone
Really dude? I thought it's just a joke.
Brilliant, thank you. One to commit to memory. :-) I have commented, above, that you know it's going to be fine when a lady brings in the tea.
I always tell my wife, who is a lot younger than me and only drinks coffee, that tea was how we won the War!! I well remember that a good strong cuppa was the answer to everything.
@@fredfarnackle5455 Along with tea are a few minutes of relaxation and contemplation.:-)
In the 70’s diversity meant having the occasional coffee instead of tea, happy days … 🤔
An excellent film: it is very enjoyable to see the old steamers in action.
Before the beaching acts
Also the engines as well. LOL
Living on the Great Plains (American West) the sheer distances between stations or towns would have made anything like this well-ordered British response near impossible.
The calm (most of the time) and trained discipline where all know and perform their respective jobs is (unfortunately) a thing of the past.
Great film!
11 of the 50 American states are bigger than the entire UK.
I think you are confusing signalling stations with passenger stations or freight depots. As the film indicates the signal station operates independently from the passenger station. They are small block houses usually on a platform with a short stairway leading up. I know on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor abandoned ones still stand every few miles, some near and some not so near a passenger station. I'm sure on some of the older lines out West like the Santa Fe line these block houses still exist as well.
that distance is lost on 99.9999% of Europeans who can’t fathom how far places are from one another let alone how long a train ride can be to get between major cities outside the east coast
@@andyelliott8027the whole of the UK takes up just New York and Pennsylvania…England alone is just about equal to New York in area
@@andyelliott8027 the UK isn’t a country…its a political union between 4 countries.
I love watching these old safety video's! Cheers from Canada eh!
Me too, from Canada.
When I was training to be a guard in the early seventies, we were shown that film as part of our training. It was fascinating to see it again. I was a bit horrified to realise how much of that I've forgotten. I also (out of interest) took a course in the rules and signalling regulations, around that time, so I'm pretty sure I knew most of it back then. But then I left the railway service in 1982 to go to university. So I suppose I've had 38 years to forget it all.
By my time diesels had replaced steam locomotives, and, because of faster train speeds, the protection distance had been increased from three quarters of a mile to a full mile. Moreover the three detonators had to be placed 20 yards apart (previously it had been 10) so that, even on a fast moving train, the driver would hear three distinct cracks. But apart from that, most of what was shown in the film was still relevant, especially on lines with traditional signalling, using the "Absolute Block" system. Which I suppose is why we were shown the film. By the way, I never had to deal with a main line accident during my railway career -- only a few minor mishaps in goods sidings.
I wonder how such an accident would be handled today, when freight trains (and some passenger trains) don't even carry a guard. I believe that radios are now considered reliable enough for safety critical messages. They weren't in my day. And it does concern me that, when the driver is the only person on the train, he could be injured or even killed in an accident, and therefore be quite unable to do anything about protecting the train. If any modern railway staff are reading this, I'd be fascinated to hear how such an incident would be dealt with nowadays. Are train crews still required to carry detonators?
Agreed - that single manning has been dreamed up by penny-pinching accountants and 'business administrators' who couldn't give a damn about safety.
Modern railways use automation instead. I don’t think having a guy running up the track is more reliable than that.
Groundstaff here. Modern trains are tracked through GPS through to the boxes, the electro signalling circuits, and along with the GSMR system build into locomotives giving communication with the signaller means that the driver can communicate effectively when something goes wrong, provided they are uninjured. They also have their mobile phone either personal or work provided as a backup communication device, but official lines are preferred as they are recorded on call now as a backup for later investigations.
If the train does get stuck in section and there is no communications, the signaller will put a block on the line, and the passing line as a precaution, until Network Rail and groundsman from the operating company can attend on scene and inform them otherwise.
Detonators are still used and placed 1 mile from the afflicted train and at 30 yards apart on all approaches to the incident, and signal telephones are then used to communicate details as you can always reference yourself from said telephone "Sierra four two, Up Fast" or "Charlie eight one, Goods Reception" for example.
The box will then put a temporary block on lines surrounding that signal, and await instructions from Network Rail authorities.
As. Former fireman I remember the rule book instructions for protecting trains on running lines And signing the register in signal box for rule 55 which were carried out if you were stood at signal for a long period and had to see the signalman place a loop over the signal lever as to remind him you were at that signal and not. Allow any train in that section
No matter how bad the incident the old British cup of tea will put it right 🙂
VERY INTERESTING! This bit of railroad history is most enjoyable in its calmly tasteful British format.
(Comment from Wayne, 80, in northwest Arkansas, USA) God bless everyone.
I grew up in the 60s England
I remember finding a box of those detonators. I was 10 at the time, we used to throw them at trees and walls. Wow the bang was deafening.
They were very sensitive to shock, because they contained fulminate of mercury, Happy days.
You must have been one popular guy while they lasted. I’d have really liked watching you set those off.
Remember those boxes of colorful “cracker balls”? You’d throw them hard down on the sidewalk and they’d make a small but pretty “loud for the size” explosion. They were especially loud if you threw them down on the hard cement or tiled floor of a hallway at school, but that might get you expelled for a few days if caught.
They were also great inside concrete stairwells, especially like those emergency stairwells in buildings like hospitals and hotels. About anywhere you could get a big echo.
Since you weren’t lighting a 🔥match or dealing with fire like firecrackers or M80s it was more likely a younger age boy could get his hands on them than just about any other decent type of fireworks a cautious parent might allow.
But leave it to the imagination of a kid and his friends with even limited access to black powder (or any reasonable facsimile 😎) and they were bound to come up with clever and ingenious ways of blowing stuff up 💣 or making noise or explosions just about anywhere they could find an audience or surprise or scare someone (even it was just themselves.)
So finding an entire box of detonators💥like @terry wagg at age 10 and his friends must have been the equivalent of an old gold prospector striking the Mother Lode after decades of scratching out an existence! Can you imagine how exciting that would have been for you and your friends if that had been YOU at ten years of age? I bet the adrenaline rushes had you guys over the moon for months! If my name ain’t TNT! 🧨
@@Sticks-of-TNT-tf1tn Excellent way to describe how we young men “boys” would handle the situation when gifted with such wonderful noise makers. Hope no one lost any fingers.
sounds fun
Also grew up in England in the 50’s in Wigan. Lived near tracks and warehouse distribution hub. Got to ride in steam engine and caboose car which still had homing pigeon cages. Loved playing on the rail sidings. Parents never worried about us getting hurt. Have lived in the U.S. since 1960. Great memories as a kid. I miss Smarties, Flake bars and meat pies!
70 years ago, our father showed us how to do the 'track is clear' hand signal and we kids would line up and do this and always, the engineers would blow their whistle and make the 'arm's up' gesture while smiling! Recently, I did this without thinking when standing in front of a train in Upstate NY and the engineer...returned the 'all's clear' signal back to me while smiling!
Very watchable and informative. Thank you as ever! Actually, I have sent a link to this video to the 82045 Group who are busily building the next engine of the extinct Riddles 3MT class which stars nicely at 11:57 with 82007.
You have my thanks! It's fascinating to see all the working parts for a single accident, especially back in the day.
My younger brother was just 2 days old that June. Seems like yesterday. One never forgets steam train journeys.
Thanks for sharing such a unique video. Love Brittany for its contribution in building such infrastructure and systems.
Brittany is in France.
It was absolutely superb. I turned off Come Strictly dancing to watch it.
Nice one lol 😆 🤣 😄
I'd turn that off to watch the fridge defrost :-)
Very professional video.... thoughtful and generous informative. Thanks .
Note the rapid deployment of the emergency tea lady.
@reverse thrust I am now informed: Back in the day, the Police would have notified the WRVS, who would immediately deploy the tea urn. The second shift would arrive with sandwiches and cake.
... so the crumpets are on their way.
In France they would be using red wine and a cigarette.
@ the younger ones won't take things seriously or lazier today as they prefer arguing with you using an off peak ticket on a service leaving the station 60 seconds before off peak begins.
A very British reaction to any emergency.... ;-)
The English ALWAYS have their priorities correctly aligned!!! Tea anyone?
Many thanks - thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of correct procedures, and care by/for all concerned.
Great respect to the staff members with sheer intelligence & problem solving approach in those days.
Awesome and beautiful. It riched my English stock of words. Thank you Sir.
Fascinating insight into the workings and the organisation involved with such a well oiled machine as the British rail transport system, It seems so calm and tranquil, that It looks much better back then, than it does now, in the high tech 2020's.
Great video!
I love these old railway videos.🚂❣️🚂
Pretty safe and efficient way to handle the problem!
As a person always fascinated by trains it was interesting to see the detailed responsibilities of the workers. Everyone had to do their job accurately to achieve a positive result. If only every business was run as efficiently. Thank you for an enlightening video.
I notice it’s all Standard locos and Mk1 stock, but the guard had a GWR pocket watch! Excellent film, I look forward to these showing up. Thank you.
I started working at Kings Cross in 1983 and I was given an LNER pocket watch. It didn't work so I chucked it in my bag and two years later I found it had been smashed to pieces by the detonator tin pounding it every time I chucked my bag on the floor.
@Pissed off at society go spiritual -- the detonators are strong enough to be heard over the roar of the engine but not strong enough to do any damage. They are a warning device.
@@lewisner fuck your rough with your gear.....
Those exact procedures were still in use when I joined New Zealand Railways almost 25 years later, before the rail was gutted and privatised. Good memories.
I was a fireman on the stem engines in those days. I DO REMEMBER IT BEING ON THE B.B.C NEWS..... All the correct emergency procedures were quite correctly carried out by the Railway staff,. Ron Syms. Weston-s-Mare..
This is a training film, not an actual incident.
Takes me down memory lane to when my dad was a guard on the old branch line from Highbridge then when that closed he was put in parcels at Bridgwater.
Brings it all back, the smell of the trains, the uniqueness of the buildings.
My dad was Henry John Alford also known as jack, he left the railway through illness and didn't quite get to retire.
What a beautiful document! Thank you very much!
As long as everyone gets a nice cup of tea.
Have to maintain civility old chap.
The British way
@D Lopez No, fraid not. 'A spot of tea' is a meal. This is definitely 'a nice cup of tea' - with a biscuit of course!
@@jeffkwells2003
It MUST be accompanied by a biscuit, anything less would be uncivilized.
Eee by gum put the kettle on and everything will be fine!!
This is incredible stuff. Accident procedures so thorough and disciplined.
Fascinating 👌👍😊
I could and am watching this all day thanks
Great old film. Thanks for posting.
This was in my lifetime!!
No computers.
No internet.
No mobile phones.
No pointless ‘health and safety’.
No fluorescent jackets.
No tatty looking stations.
No rubbish thrown over the embankment.
No waiting hours for emergency services.
Just everybody working together on a simpler, postwar world where EVERYBODY knew what to do.
Gosh how I miss that period in our history.
I agree, no fluorescent jackets... good OLD British Rail, when things were a lot more simple...miss it !!!
@ 👍
4:32 being quite a verteran of these British Transport Films, I of course noticed that the rail joints just ahead of the fireman are likely in need of either shims or a maintenance fish plate. ;-)
I remember someone coming to our primary school to warn us of the dangers of those detonators, some of which had gone missing locally.
Yep - a boy in my primary school stole one, and set it off in the playground by hitting it with a stone. He got a scar on his eyebrow which would last the rest of his life, and was damn lucky that the chunk of steel missed his eye.
I can't understand 'dislikes' - this is a past-era information reel - it is what it is. I've been captivated by them.
Great video! I love the Tea lady too. I'll visit your channel to see what else is there and I may subscribe! I just subscribed. We in America have very little passenger service left. The Airline, automobile manufacturers, over-the-road freight haulers and oil companies killed it years ago.
Very impressive 👏 presentation given for a 1958 scenario 👏 😊
Growing up next to Seaboard in North Carolina in the 1950s, a treasure chest was finding fusees. The main entertainment value was in finding metal objects to melt with them. Several years ago, while working as a crew van driver, I was showing railroad employees how to make use of a wet fusee.
Jerry Lentz uuuujjj
My Father was a Guard with British Rail before 1967, when We came to Australia and he joined the South Australian Railways. His Detonators were a pre shaped Clip which was simply pushed down onto the Rail.
Right, it's simple, really. In the event of an incident, you do this, this, this, and this, ensuring you don't forget that, that, that, and that, and making sure that he is, he is, he is, and they are all informed, all while walking about 3 miles in total, up and down the lines. Oh and whatever you do, don't forget to make the Tea!
This brings back good memories.
I really enjoyed this thanku for posting
Great video. Interestingly, this could have been filmed in Victoria, Australia, where the same uniforms were worn and the tunnel design and the signal houses were exactly the same.😊😊😊
That's the most excitement I've had since in lockdown.!!🥱
Good to see that there were enough staff to deal with the signalling, repair, and replacement of service while the breakdown was fixed.
12:33 "Now all the arrangements are in hand." Lady walks in with a tray of tea cups.
.... and a hat!
Bet you she's been building up to that event all her lifewtih regular attendance at the CWA......her chance to shine for 15 minutes with tea and sandwiches....
@@xr6lad - well, if so, she's probably achieved more in that 15 minutes than you've done since you were born . . .
I take it you don't know that a warm sugary drink is good for shock?
I love the pace. I had to laugh - the conductor at the beginning reminded me of the short, bald actor from Benny Hill. The film speed on him was a little faster. Thank you, Brits!
The fireman had the cleanest hands I've ever seen!
He washed the coal before handling it.
…everyone just happened to be in their sunday finest, even when working in a job where they’d be covered in sweat and grime? yeah…not badly staged at all
My father, Donald Potter, was a Railway Signalman around the time this short film was made. He was stationed in the Dagenham area, in a box similar to the one in the film.
14:11 Here we see the most vital element of response to any accident or emergency in England. Tea must be supplied to all involved as soon as is possible and practical.
Also at 12:35.
It's true though. I remember a power outage at a (Dutch) military base when I served my conscription there. Emergency generators kicked in and the essential equipment kept functioning, and we continued work. Until we found out that the coffee machines weren't hooked up to the essential power bus... things broke down very quickly after that.
Was trained to do that, in my time working for BR, in the eighties. There was a designated space in the guards’ bags for the detonators canister
Everything is slow, clumsy and inefficient, but so much better! I'm grateful to be so old that I remember when the railways were like that.
It might have looked slow, and inefficient, but hard experience had proved that every one of those rules and procedures was necessary. And they kept people safe.
I worked at BR,it was a similar procedure for getting a new biro.lol.Great vid.
Thanks.
Who wrote these procedures, the guy who owns the detonator company?
safety is paramount...dets are a tiny cost
@@nativeafroeurasian Compared to the time and cost in coal it needs to stop the train and picking them up? Dirt cheap. Compared to damage or injury? Don't even ask.
No, people who understand penny-wise but pound-foolish is a great way to ruin a business.
Dont post such STUPID comments.
To be fair its that sort of penny pinching that ruined the railways leading to the Beeching hatchet job.
I really enjoyed watching this. My grandad was a signalman in a 174 lever signal box, one of many but his favourite. This would be in the 1940’s and 50’s. 🙏🏻
Legend has it the the train is still sitting there, but is protected by detonators from all directions
Bricked up in the tunnel, but one day Henry will be allowed out again...
Three before, three after, three a little further after...
Legend has it too, that whenever the French heard those detonators they would immediately surrender as a precaution.
@@prg2812 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
hahaha...
A very educative film for the know-how of the general public.
The good days when “people” did their jobs with care, respect, and pride.
And when people wore proper hats and coats!
Indeed, when ten men could do the job of one.
When health and safety didn’t have a price!
Men still do tthier jobs. That is part of a man's responsibility to himself his family, his nation. And God.
We put away childish things as we pass a certain age.
Not doing work with care and pride and respect eats away at the human spirit and is a large contributing factor of depression.
Hi good morning, i really like all these old educational transport films, with proper english speaking gentlemen. I wish i could go back in time to 1948. When i reackon it would have been great to live in Britain. Life just seemed to be better back then .
I love how all 1958 injuries can be cured with.a well placed bandage.
And a fresh cup of tea
To be fair, it was a pretty minor derailment so you'd be pretty unlucky to injured beyond sprains, cuts and bruises.
It's a TRAINING FILM - and the point of it was not to show authentic looking blood and gore, but to help operating staff understand how to deal with accidents.
@@jackx4311 it’s a SARCASTIC COMMENT - and the point of it was not to make people think I actually believed that, but hopefully make them chuckle
and a cup of tea obviously
Great film thank you up loading it I really enjoyed it
Railway is serious business, so improvement of technology has reduced the time in communication, repairs, signaling, but still utmost care is taken in this kind of situation by railway official across the world. Conclusion: Still railway workmen do their job with care.
Fabulous I wonder what this area of line looks like today
A lot different ! Aybury ( Leckhampton and Cheltenham South )Station replaced by block of flats and small industrial units . Beaton ( Andoversford )Station now small housing development.
Breakdown Train leaving Malvern Road Engine Shed is now very recently housing .
The tank engine running light would have been approaching Pilley Bridge ( under )after Aybury I mention that as the original was destroyed by the Luftwaffe and has the distinction of being the last road bridge to be rebuilt in England !
Talking of which between Aybury and before Sandywell Tunnel on the approach to Beaton was Dowdeswell Viaduct. Built of Staffordshire Blue brick it was blown up in the late sixties the line having closed in the early sixties.
It was so solid it required twice the usual amount of explosive !
PS . There is a fair bit of artistic license in the film and the map of the diversion for rail traffic is shall we say “ Not to scale “
Then again I suppose as it’s just a staged training film it really doesn’t matter.
Just to clarify Pilley Bridge is not the one in view
@@Alan-sv1ob My mate used to live in Old Bath road near Pilley Bridge, it still had some German bomb shrapnel imbedded in the brickwork.
It may seem like a lot of detail and BS to get the job done, but this system was devised over many years, to provide maximum safety for life, limb and property!
Yes, indeed - and it WORKED!
That was an enormous amount of safety procedures those men had to deal with(and remember). In these mobile phone, computer days things have simplified a lot I guess.
2020: Signal control centre is over 100 miles away and have no clue as to the location. No staff at the unmanned stations to raise any help. Train is also DOO so the driver is left to do it all himself, but be quick as the delay minutes are mounting up.....come back 1958, all is forgiven....
Today fortunately nothing is planned to go wrong, go wrong, go wrong
Of course, the signal post Telephone is much closer, and both ends of the train can be protected in one phone call
Urgh, tell me about it, same here in Belgium. Got pulled onto an occupied line in a yard not long ago with my train. It took the best part of two hours for somebody to come as there was also an incident at the other side of the district and nobody was available. All that time to give me permission to set back a few yards to clear the points. Ridiculous. And all that time I was blocking a level crossing to a factory, leaving the night shift stuck at one side and the morning shift on the other side of my train. Kept my doors shut and my head down ...
sad but so true.....
In 2020 GPS tells the ROC and Control where the train is. The Driver is also in direct contact with the ROC and/or Control at all times via CSR.
Voice clarity of the Commentator is superb
In those days there was always a form to complete. And every form had a number.
US military still has forms for everything and each with a different number/letter. It's freakin' ridiculous.
@@KuptisOriginal If its like our UK military was in the 60's, accident report forms needed submission in quadruplicate! Can't remember the form number. One of my prouder accident reports, that my 2 wheel trailer was 'blown over' by wind. I omitted to state I rolled it over several times during a jack knife 'incident'. The army used strong trailers in those days and the land rover only suffered a small dent!
Enjoyed those simple days of rail travel
Ah this time I loved beautiful England 💝 at its best.
Imagine this in color! Gorgeous England.
Enjoyed this video.
Priority number one, summon the tea lady.
How's about a nice cuppa. Calm yer nerves.
@@JanPeterson jtfhrfrjffghtggjgjjfj5jghftghttg5gghtthffgjtttjtff5fgf5fjhgf5fyjt4jttj4gtugfggfgtgrfrgfffjfjjfgghjjjjhgjd
this animation is AMAZING for 1958
Most of it was real footage…
Sir Topham Hatt was cross. You have caused confusion and delay.
enters at 7:06
fantastic presentation. thank you
30th June 1957, wonder where they shot this, lovely old film, Thank you for the upload.
It is in the piece above. -
This was filmed on a section of the old MSWJR line between Cheltenham and Andoversford Junction. In the film, the made up station name 'Aybury' was in fact Cheltenham Leckhampton and 'Beaton' is Andoversford Junction.
@Roy Tabberer..many thanks Roy
Chas Carpenter
I was 4 years old 🤣🇬🇧
@@clivehorridge I was two and a half - assuming they filmed this in the summer of '58. Hadn't yet moved to Cheltenham at that time... '61 or '62, I think.
It’s good that those involved could refer to these correct procedures on their mobile phones if a similar situation evolved. 👍😬
Very Prepared for anything, that makes them trustworthy- this film also explains what to do if faces in this situation which is very informative. If the Crew were knocked out then wouldn’t the guard have to do it alone
The idea is that warning trains on the opposing line is the higher priority. The signals back then were manual and there was nothing to detect that the opposing line was fouled by the wreck and automatically set the signal to danger.
That's why the guard went to the engine to check that the fireman was able to protect the opposite line. If the fireman had be unable to do that, then the guard would have gone forward to protect the opposite line as that is a higher priority than protecting the rear. (Rule 217)
Had the engine still been on the rails then Rule 218 would require him to detach and drive forward to the next signal box or if that is more than 3/4 mile he should drop off the fireman at 3/4 mile , the fireman would then place three detonators on the opposing line, the engine (without fireman) would then proceed to the box. In this case, the loco was off the rails and the fireman had to walk.
What if a derailment takes place inside the tunnel ?Is there a different procedure to be followed ?
If a derailment were to occur in the tunnel, the process would still remain mostly the same, but emergency services would most likely be called to the accident site directly to aid the passengers who may be injured or suffering from smoke inhalation.