Train an unusually long time in section

Deliberately stupid question coming up.

I've always assumed that 'an unusually long time' is deliberately broad and open to interpretation. It's a judgement call, based on experience.

But, since I was asked 'how long is an unusually long time' I thought I'd check: is there any guidance given, perhaps buried somewhere, as to what should be considered an unusually long time. I know we like to have everything in black and white these days.

And as for the Central Wales line (a section in excess of 30 miles...)!!!

I had in mind four minutes (extra) in a section but I don't know where I got that from. I'm also not a signaller! But with the 25+ mile sections others have mentioned, that doesn't seem sufficient in those cases.

GeoffM in post 120363 said:

I had in mind four minutes (extra) in a section but I don't know where I got that from. I'm also not a signaller! But with the 25+ mile sections others have mentioned, that doesn't seem sufficient in those cases.

I remembered where I got that 4 minutes from - caffeine must have kicked in . it's the default IECC alarm time for a track occupied longer than expected (an ARS alarm).

As a Signaller, you will know the area you work, the length of Signal Sections and time taken for trains of varying types to traverse those sections. You get a feel for it. Then you will notice if a train takes longer than usual to traverse a section. There is no set time limit because as mentioned above, Signal Sections/Block Sections can vary from a few yards to several miles, also line speeds vary, TSR/ESRs are imposed, and trains travel at different speeds dependent on type.

Giantray in post 120377 said:

As a Signaller, you will know the area you work, the length of Signal Sections and time taken for trains of varying types to traverse those sections. You get a feel for it. Then you will notice if a train takes longer than usual to traverse a section. There is no set time limit because as mentioned above, Signal Sections/Block Sections can vary from a few yards to several miles, also line speeds vary, TSR/ESRs are imposed, and trains travel at different speeds dependent on type.

Indeed. It's part of your training when you are learning the box. After a while you just "know" when something isn't quite right.

In this instance you advise the Signalman in rear (send 6-2 to the box in rear under old school SGIs), place or maintain signals on the opposite/adjacent line to Danger and caution the Driver of the next train and ask him to report what has happened to the train. You can also try and contact the train by GSM-R, smoke signals or telepathy.

Kev

Kev

6-2 was, in latter days at least, only intended for use where there were more than two running lines (so that a second train could be signalled from the box in rear, on another line, whilst the first was busy being an unusually long time in section) *and* where a train had already been accepted but not yet entered the section. It's come out of the regs altogether now, but I'm not sure whether it's still contained in special instructions at the few locations with multiple running lines?