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| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 13:34 #46181 | |
maxand
1637 posts |
Signallers, being only human, can't always be glued to their consoles, as the photos seem to portray them. So, what happens in real life when there are trains whizzing in all directions and the signaller needs to take a break? Pressing Pause won't stop the world. :blush:
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| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 13:49 #46182 | |
flabberdacks
582 posts |
Well, if the box isn't busy you can just go between trains, busier boxes will have a tableperson/desk/relief who you can hand over to for a few minutes if you need to go.
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| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 13:59 #46183 | |
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Sacro
1171 posts |
Just don't get yourself locked in the outhouse...
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| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 14:06 #46184 | |
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Hooverman
306 posts |
Personal Needs Breaks are always taken when it's convenient to traffic and even in the busiest of times you can set routes and run. Some of our panels are moving 70 trains an hour (off peak) and you can still find time, as most of the time your mate(s) will always listen for incoming phone/CSR/GSMR calls. Anything longer than a quick run would usually require the SSM to watch the panel. We do have meal releif but often the call of nature will not tie in with that.
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| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 19:32 #46200 | |
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arabianights
138 posts |
Is it a disciplinary offence to, er, put oneself in a position that one will not be wearing the same trousers the next day? I would hope that it is not, for safety reasons. Although I also hope this is a hypothetical only question! It is no uncommon amongst professional online poker players (a job that sounds easy to pause but depending upon factors that you won't understand if you don't know much about online poker and will be obvious with a bit of thought if you do can be effectively impossible to pause, or at least not without paying a large amount for the privilege) , by the way, to have "piss bottles" so they can remain at their computers for hours. [idle thought]I wonder what the situation is for Air Traffic Controllers... at least with signalling everything is fail safe...[/idle thought] Last edited: 30/06/2013 at 19:35 by arabianights Log in to reply |
| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 20:42 #46203 | |
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Signalhunter
177 posts |
" said:Due to the high stress level (even higher than the busiest IECC workstation!  ) ATC staff only work for quite short periods. Then, they take a mandatory rest break. Surely, (SimSig style)signallers will need a VDU break? They can "nip" to the loo then, then. Log in to reply |
| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 20:43 #46204 | |
Splodge
704 posts |
ATCO's only spend a maximum of 90 minutes at a console before having a 30 minute break, so not too difficult to work PNB's in. Generally there is a watch manager (at least in larger towers) who would be able to step in if the situation required.
There's the right way, the wrong way and the railway. Log in to reply |
| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 21:50 #46206 | |
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Ben86
126 posts |
" said:It is no uncommon amongst professional online poker players ... to have "p*ss bottles" so they can remain at their computers for hours.Presumably that's only the ones who don't win any money, and can't afford a pot? Log in to reply |
| How does the Pause button work in real life? 30/06/2013 at 23:29 #46209 | |
BarryM
2158 posts |
ANSWER: you press the "P" button!
Barry, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Log in to reply |
| How does the Pause button work in real life? 01/07/2013 at 10:13 #46218 | |
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kbarber
1712 posts |
What Dabbadaz and Flabberdacks said, basically. I never signed anywhere so busy you couldn't find a moment, even in the peak - usually the 'West Wing' was either a door off the operating floor or on the balcony at the top of the stairs. Some places had a hut at the bottom of the stairs - you had to time it a bit more carefully then. Finchley road was such a location; it could be quite busy in the peak (40 trains an hour and a flat junction to regulate) but even then there was usually the odd minute (wait until Carlton Road gave 'section' on the down - that meant the best part of 2 minutes before anything much could happen). There was also a train recorder who would cope with phone calls and, in one case, well able to work the box as well as do his own job (Bob had been asked to return as a train recorder after retiring as a signalman and, in his 70s, was well able to handle both jobs with ease). Or of course they made use of the 'visitor' to look after things... It was said that Borough Market Junction, near London Bridge (the box now in the yard at York Railway Museum) was so busy that the train recorder had to be a fully qualified signalman. Although the box was double manned (each signalman had just 15 levers to work) it was so busy in the peak that, even for a minute, one man couldn't keep it going! There's more information on Borough Market here http://www.wbsframe.mste.co.uk/public/Borough_Market_Junction.html Log in to reply The following users said thank you: maxand, BarryM |