One of the Foggiest Ideas

[StevieG]

Not unrelated to the nearby topic of "If ever anyone wonders why steam went out", this short (silent) Pathe clip might also be worth a look :

One of those numerous railway jobs of the past, not often mentioned : The Fogsignalman, with, here, perhaps the greater emphasis on the Clayton 'magazine' fogging (detonator) machine :
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=19272

Pretty sure 'our man' therein, is fogging Belle Isle Up box's home signals gantry beside the box (all unseen), but in the background it looks like BIU's up inner distants (yes, they really were that near) beside Copenhagen Jn. box.
The intervening footage of the passing main line loco and train is at the N. end of Gasworks Tunnel (train on Down Main No.1, passing over the points which led to the Down South London Goods line up to Goods & Mineral), affording precious glimpses (both partial) of ; - KX West box's Up Relief 3-position Home signal bracket structure ; - and Belle Isle Down box's gantry of GNR underslung/'gallows' Homes with Copenhagen's/Goods & M's Distants below them.

[60041]

Quite an interesting clip, I have, of course, often heard of fogmen and knew about their duties, but have never seen one in action before. It must have been a dreadful job in the days of the London "pea soupers", cold dangerous and tedious. A couple of years ago I found an empty detonator box next to the line after an engineering posession, I believe that they are not used now because of health and safety rules.
I have a LNER fogman's hut sitting in the garden, currently home to a grass cutter, but hopefully one day it will be restored and found a place on the re-opened Alnwick branch. It formerly stood next to the ECML near Warkworth, and was "liberated" by one of the linemen for use as a shed. I will post a photo of it tomorrow if it stops snowing long enough to get the shot!

[52D]

Dets were used in other industries but i fear the HSE would have kittens with this useage. When i worked at British Steel one of the old boys told me when they were working on overhead crane rails they had a flagman to warn the crane driver he was too close to the men working and if he missed the flagman the last line of safety was an audible warning given by a det. I dont fancy being close to a det going off, as well as the fright you would get there are small bits of shrapnel flying off it.
Now its all done via permits to work.

[StevieG]

It must be pushing 10 years now since the first initiatives to end use of detonators for possessions began, but they currently are still part of standard Possession protection, though there are some more recent staff safety rules in connection with using them. Work on the aspiration of ceasing this use of them continues.
[They're also used by any trained staff having access to them (e.g. those in driving cabs) as emergency protection for any obstruction of the line, unless protection by signals can be initiated, arranged and confirmed.]

Not sure about now, but not too long ago, with official (and public) concern at an increased level amongst worries of terrorism, mention to any local constabulary of detonators having been stolen could cause excessive alarm because of perceived possible connection/use with bomb-making, so it became wise in such cases to refer to our 'detonators' as 'railway fog signals' to such outside parties.

[52A]

Dets had many uses, ideal for clearing soot out of stoves! At Tweedmouth it was the custom when a retiring driver left the shed for his last trip that dets were laid on the shed outlet line and he left to a 21 det salute!

[60041]

As promised, a picture of the fogman's hut and detonator box

[Bryan]

I think the safety zone around dets is about 30 metres to cater for the flying bits.

[Boris]

They were also used as a wake up call for loco men having a kip whilst standing in loops behind other trains.
One under the wheel of the guards van on the train in front, without him knowing or course.

It woke us up and the guard as well and the language, oh dear.

[manna]

G'Day Gents
Yep them Dets, sure made the cab on a diesel vibrate, thought the floor was about to give way.
Like your fogmans hut, looks a bit like a 'dunnie' here in Oz
manna

[third-rail]

G'Day Gents
Yep them Dets, sure made the cab on a diesel vibrate, thought the floor was about to give way.
Like your fogmans hut, looks a bit like a 'dunnie' here in Oz
manna

bet it does not have the spiders that you get out there

[manna]

G'Day Gents

The old long drop 'dunnie' was probably built in the late fifties early sixties, I took it down in 2008, it was complete with the solid seat with a hole in it and an even bigger hole underneath,sofar I've put about a ton and a half of rubble and rock in it and it's still sinking, and Yes there were plenty of very large spiders in there, one of our spiders is called a Huntsman, and can come in all sizes from baby to ' Oh my God' (about 5" across) I had one about 2 1/2" run up a piece of wood that I picked up, and straight up my arm, until I brushed it off near my elbow, another time I thought I had a fly on my leg, but it was a 3incher slowly crawling up my leg (I had shorts on) that one made me jump??
They are big enough to see there eye's watching you ????? and they are fast very fast
manna