Staff accident on Foxfield Railway

[hq1hitchin]

Looks like the individual concerned was lucky not to be more seriously injured:

http://www.raib.gov.uk/publications/bul ... 1_2011.cfm

It was something most people used to do years ago and, by and large, most of them got away with it ...

[StoneRoad]

Very lucky indeed.

alighting and boarding moving vehicles is not a good idea.
unless you are well trained and in practice - but I would still advise against it.......

(although I used to do it a lot as a narrow gauge passenger guard - but via the platform, not from track level!)

[JustinTime]

At 10':50" a good example of what was expected of the man with the pole!

There must have been some horrendous accidents at these yards. A very interesting film, especially the overdubbed voices. Possibly the inspiration for Harry Enfield's Mr Cholmondley sketches?

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?doc ... 6722026209#

[hq1hitchin]

At 10':50" a good example of what was expected of the man with the pole!

There must have been some horrendous accidents at these yards. A very interesting film, especially the overdubbed voices. Possibly the inspiration for Harry Enfield's Mr Cholmondley sketches?

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?doc ... 6722026209#

Just the sort of job I was thinking of, a chaser, whose job was literally to chase after wagons with a pole - or brake stick - and pin the brake down on the move. Those wagons could roll almost silently through the yards once they'd come over the hump and at night they were a particular hazard. The fairly casual method of working marshalling yards in those days would definitely draw the attention of the HMRI nowadays. Incidentally, notice one of the 350hp shunt engines is an LNER product? Ben Gimbert GC, one of the heroes of the Soham explosion of 1944, ended his days on the shunters at Whitemoor. 'A quiet old boy' according to someone who worked with him there.

[StevieG]

... those 'wagon chasers' !
Many a young-ish Elf & Saferty manager/advisor of today, if unexpectedly faced with such activity, would surely have to go off sick with apoplexy and nightmares.

[sirbrian]

The principal error made by the guard in this case is attempting to climb on-board the moving brakevan at the leading end. As someone who has climbed on to countless moving brakevans in the UK and cabooses in the USA, I am well aware that I must always climb on-board via the steps at the trailing end of the brakevan or caboose. The rationale is that if I should slip, I will simply land on the ground, with no risk of falling under the wheels of the vehicle or being dragged along, as in this case.

In the old days, when a brakevan or a caboose ran at the rear of a freight train, the guard in the UK, or the conductor and rear brakeman in the USA, would meet with the engine crew before the trip began. When cleared to proceed, the engine would move away slowly, with the tail end crew watching and checking all the cars as they passed. As the brakevan or caboose arrived, the guard or conductor and brakeman, and me if I was present, would get on-board at the trailing end of the brakevan or caboose. Once all were safely on-board, the engine crew were signalled that everything was O.K. During this operation, the engine was supposed to be driven at walking pace. All too often, the driver's perception of walking pace was more like the speed of a four-minute mile runner! I never fell or got hurt in any way, and I am sure that very few accidents have occured in the operation described above.

Those were the days, now so long ago, but still fresh in my memory!

Sir Brian