A minor incident in the evening peak 1973

[Mickey]

***To give you an idea of what was 'going on' in the lead up to an error being made worst i've tried to 'paint a picture' of what was happening in the s/box in the minutes leading up to what happened*** Here's a true story for you, it's a tale of how a 'minor error' can be exacerbated 'ten fold' by someone not thinkng?. Back around the time of the introduction of the 1973 summer timetable a 'new train' an outter suburban train running as a class-1 (not a Cambridge buffet service) was booked to call at Welwyn Garden City on the down line during the week days 'evening peak' service which at Welwyn Garden City s/box started around 4:pm and lasted until about 8:pm thats when things started to calm down and the kettle was filled up and put on the belling cooker also for the signalman to sit down and bring out his cheese and cucumber sandwiches. As alot of you know a train making a stop at Welwyn Garden City would either have to be travelling down the slow line from Hatfield or be turned in from the down fast to down slow line just to the south of Welwyn Garden City station so as to stop in the platform. This particular evening the time was just coming up to 6:30pm and the evening peak was at it's hight. In the s/box the signalman has just given 2 bells 'on line' & 2-1 'train out of section' to Hatfield No2 s/box who offers straight away another 4 bells 'be ready' which the Welwyn signalman accepts on the down fast line and puts back in the frame behind an up express thats just passing on the up fast line outside the box nos 35, 34 & 33 signal levers. The signalman gives 2-1 'train out of section' to Welwyn north s/box which in turn then offers and is accepted by Welwyn Garden City a 3-1 class-2 train that is stopping at Welwyn Garden City in the up side platform. In the meantime the signalman has 'blocked back inside home signal' 2-4 bell to Hatfield No2 s/box over the down slow line and has pulled off out of the down line no 1 platform (Luton line platform) for a train that has already terminated shortly before that and is made up of non-corridoor inner suburban stock and is hauled by a Brush type-2 (class 31). The 'empties' in no 1 platform are propelling back out onto the down slow line as far as the 'limit of shunt' board and then will draw forward through the down platform and out onto the down main line (when there's a margin on the down main?) north of the s/box. The empty stock will then be propelled back through the main to main crossover and into the up slow platform and for the trains loco to run/round it's train and eventually form a train back up the slow line to Kings Cross. The signalman receives 2-1 'train out of section' from Welwyn north s/box for the previous train and immediately offers on the 4 bells class-1 to Welwyn north s/box over the down main line which is accepted and the signalman in Welwyn Garden City box pulls off the down main line signals nos 22, 23, 24 & 21 down fast distant!. Hatfield No2 s/box has already given 2 bells 'on line' for the class-1 which is acknowledged by Welwyn Garden City but just then the up local is leaving the up back platform no 4 so the Welwyn Garden City signalman offers a 3-1 bell on to Hatfield No2 s/box gets it accepted and pulls off the up slow line starting signal no 46 and then turns to the telegraph lad and says "This 4 bells on the down fast is it the parly?." Just then he receives 2 bells 'train on line' for the class-2 on the up fast line from Welwyn north s/box and sets the road up for the 'parly' coming up the fast line from up fast to up slow line platform. The telegraph lad says "Oh, i'm not sure?. I'll ask Hatfield." After asking the Hatfield No2 signalman and finding out that it IS the 'parly' on the down fast line and is booked to STOP at Welwyn Garden City the signalman laughs and say "Oh s***!. I'll leave the 'boards off' and he can stop at No 23 signal." (where the down train can be re-routed into the down platform). A short time after the track circuit lights up on the down fast line at no 22 signal (down fast outter home signal) then the track circuit lights up on the approach to no 23 signal (down fast inner home signal) then the track circuit lights up in advance of no 23 signal!!! and the front of the loco (Brush type-2) appears at the south end of the station on the down fast line pulling a rake of BR mark-1 coaches moving slowly down the fast line through Welwyn Garden City station and towards the s/box where it slowly comes to a stop outside. The driver's side window is dropped down and the driver sticks his head out of the locos cab window and shouts up to the signalman "Hey up my old fruit!. We should be in the down platform my ducks!." Just at that moment carriage doors swing open and upwards of 200 good citzen's of Welwyn Garden City decend from the train that is standing on the down fast line into the 4ft and scramble across the down slow line and up onto the down slow platform!!!. Unfortunetly for everyone involved one of the 'good citizen's' who's riding on the train and who happens to be amongst the other 200 good citzen's is a member of the 'noble trade of journalism' which in next to no time reports 'the unusual incident' at Welwyn Garden City railway station and becomes the 'front page story in the local rag' in the next edition!. The signalman and the driver found themselves on the carpet at Kings Cross shortly after the incident and went into see the guvnor!. I can still hear the signalman's words in my mind 37 years later when he said "Why didn't that silliy f****r stop outside at no 23 signal i could have turned him into the platform?." Micky

[hq1hitchin]

Great story, Michael - railway operating in the raw. I can just picture it...

[Mickey]

You said it was a box that some fella's didn't want to know!. Ha ha ha... Micky

[Mickey]

Thinking abit more about this incident like i said both the driver and the signalman found themselves on the carpet at Kings Cross to explain to the manager what went wrong?. I think the driver took the blame for not stopping at no 23 signal (at the south end of Welwyn Garden City station even though it was showing in the off position) and contacting the signalman and advising him that he was booked to stop at Welwyn Garden City and that he (the signalman) had cleared for the wrong route down the fast line in error. Micky

[StevieG]

I unfortunately set up exactly the same possible scenario there one Saturday morning, and my friendly relief signalman didn't 'twig' the error either. However, the outcome was less problematic.

Once the train was 'on Line' from Hatfield 3, I looked back at the box 'simplifier' [train list customised for the location from the WTT(s)] for some other reason, and suddenly had the awful realisation that the train we were 'all Off Down the Main' for (all signals cleared), was 1B66, the Camb.'Buffet' express, which needed turning 'in' and out again, in order to call at WGC (no platforms on the Fast lines).
Simultaneously with this, the first Down Fast 'track went down' (track circuit changed from showing clear, to occupied) about a 1/2-mile away, at the approach to No. 22, the 'outer' ("First") Home, accompanied by almost continuous distant horn-blowing. Watching the times of occupation of the first, then the 2nd 'track' (track circuit which commenced at No.22), we were both satisfied that the train was travelling slow enough that the driver was intending to stop at 23 'inner' ("Second") Home so that it could be put back to Danger, the road (14 points and 13 facing point lock) could be changed, and 12 signal cleared to get the train into the Down Slow platform (then Plat.2; the station's platform numbering was later reversed).
So the 'through' signals were put back to Danger before he arrived at 23, and thus getting the 2-minute safety backlock timer on 23 lever, running that bit sooner : the horn-blowing immediately ceased.
The 'Buffet' duly did stop at 23, and after a minute or so (when the 'backlock' had completed it's two minutes), was crossed to the Down Slow line platform.
I'd also set the road back out onto the Main again (so the whole operation sequence was : - put 23 fully back to Normal from its backlock-ed position, put back 13, pull 14 & 13, put back 18, pull 19, 18, 12, 10, & 24). I don't think I'd ever made 10 lever moves quite so quickly before!

With 10 signal 'Off' as the train ran in, 1B66's Class 31 could come to a stand just past the signal, with its leading cab right outside the Box's south corner window : - - A driver-character known far and wide (in these parts) mainly as just 'Impey', then appeared in the cab doorway and had a few jokey words with the signalman about what had occurred.
Somewhat well known as often running, .. er, .... 'enthusiastically', it was no surprise that Dave's parting words were "We'll be right time at Hitchin."

Nothing more was heard, from Control or anyone, so he presumably succeeded in keeping his promise.

[ Edited 06/02/11 to make corrections by changing facing point lock lever moves from 'pull' to 'put back', and vice versa.]

[Mickey]

I think it was Norman Greenwood who said to me?. "Thats the trouble with Welwyn Garden City (even now days) it's the only station that trains have got to be turned in slow lines to stop at it." leaving a side Wood Green (nothing got turned in off the down fast line that was booked to stop there) the main stations such as Finsbury Park, Potters Bar, Hatfield and all stations northwards trains could arrive on the down fast line. The only exceptions being Hatfield trains coming up the fast line from Welwyn Garden City being turned in up the slow line at Hatfield No2 or the other exception was at Hitchin either being turned in down the slow line at Hitchin south or coming up the fast line from Arlesey being turned in up the slow line at Hitchin Yard. Micky Great days...