QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERING
I want you to read the next passage and then answer the questions on this.
Can’t do it safely, don’t do it: Take a look at this scenario, a driver sets of on a journey, it’s a cold damp day, like many days we have in this country. Rather like the train between Church Fenton & Micklefield and numerous other incidents.
The driver builds up speed to 100mph, he enters an area of twists and turns, with many bridges spanning the railway, as he approaches a left bend, he goes under a bridge, suddenly not 1000ft away are a gang of track workers, he pushes his warning horn lever upwards, he gets no response, (remember the train is still moving at 100mph, at that speed, you travel 150 feet per second), when he gets over the initial shock of no response if he doesn’t freeze, he presses the lever down, again there is no response, (your still travelling at 100mph, 150 feet per second), WHAT NEXT?
Is it safe therefore to run a train where that scenario could happen? It may well be hypothetical, but in realistic terms, it could happen. IS IT SAFE?
If you believe it is SAFE then give your reasoning.
Are you aware or been made aware of any trains that despite having a complete failure of the warning horn remained in traffic and ran at speeds above 2Omph?
Are you aware or been made aware of any trains that despite having a partial failure of the warning were taken out of traffic immediately?
Are you aware or been made aware of any drivers that didn’t report a complete warning horn failure using the correct procedures?
If yes, did they all receive the same punishment/discipline?
Are you aware or been made aware of any drivers that didn’t report a partial warning horn failure using the correct procedures?
If yes, did they all receive the same punishment/discipline?
Why didn`t York Driver Geoff Akerman receive any response to his IP report (shown below) which actually states, “can I suggest that all warning horns are checked and reported for defects on every occasion before a SERIOUS on track incident takes place”.
Was his IP report logged into the IP system?
Once again, why would a report that carries a warning of potential DEATH be totally IGNORED?
Why two weeks later would the Fleet Engineering Manager Blatantly LIE and say he was unaware of any other reports regarding warning horn failure?
Why when you issued drivers with a reminder about defective on train equipment did you omit the warning horn (as seen below) ?
Once again, why would a report that carries a warning of potential DEATH be totally IGNORED?
Why two weeks later would the Fleet Engineering Manager Blatantly LIE and say he was unaware of any other reports regarding warning horn failure?
Why when you issued drivers with a reminder about defective on train equipment did you omit the warning horn (as seen below) ?
The DRA in this reminder states, “Report when convenient”, in your mind what does the word “convenient” mean?
Would you agree that your idea of convenient might differ from someone else’s idea of convenient?
Does the word “convenient” insinuate a mandatory outcome?
It also states, “AWS/TPWS & another safety system", what is meant by “another safety system”?
How many incidents have you had where drivers have made “hasty decisions on getting the job going”.
What action did you take against each of these “hasty decision” drivers?
Did you take any advice on human factors when looking at drivers making hasty decisions?
As I have previously stated, I only had 3 safety briefs in 5 years, can you explain why its was only
3? Can you also explain why you only had me down as having 2?
Do you think that only 3 safety briefs in 5 years is adequate to keep a drivers knowledge and especially performance up to date?
Manager Stephen Percival made one recommendation from his character assassination of me, and that was “to incorporate the correct reporting procedures into the safety briefs”. So why
more than one year after my incident did you fail to implement this recommendation?
If I told you that drivers ignored complete and partial failures of the warning horn because they
were such a common occurrence would you believe me?
If “no fault found” or “working on arrival” were supposedly no longer being acceptable answers, why did repair slips still contain these answers?
Repair slip number 115837 (below) by C Mcallum of Lancaster: States, “no high tone on horn, low tone not working over 45mph”.
Would you agree that your idea of convenient might differ from someone else’s idea of convenient?
Does the word “convenient” insinuate a mandatory outcome?
It also states, “AWS/TPWS & another safety system", what is meant by “another safety system”?
How many incidents have you had where drivers have made “hasty decisions on getting the job going”.
What action did you take against each of these “hasty decision” drivers?
Did you take any advice on human factors when looking at drivers making hasty decisions?
As I have previously stated, I only had 3 safety briefs in 5 years, can you explain why its was only
3? Can you also explain why you only had me down as having 2?
Do you think that only 3 safety briefs in 5 years is adequate to keep a drivers knowledge and especially performance up to date?
Manager Stephen Percival made one recommendation from his character assassination of me, and that was “to incorporate the correct reporting procedures into the safety briefs”. So why
more than one year after my incident did you fail to implement this recommendation?
If I told you that drivers ignored complete and partial failures of the warning horn because they
were such a common occurrence would you believe me?
If “no fault found” or “working on arrival” were supposedly no longer being acceptable answers, why did repair slips still contain these answers?
Repair slip number 115837 (below) by C Mcallum of Lancaster: States, “no high tone on horn, low tone not working over 45mph”.
Would you agree that this train had a complete failure of the warning horn when travelling above 45mph.
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for the usual, “tested ok”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. “It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk”
YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
If no, explain why not.
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for the usual, “tested ok”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. “It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk”
YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
If no, explain why not.
Repair slip number 122964 (below) by S Somers of Scarborough: States, “low tone of horn not working above 20mph (works fine below 20) high tone very poor above 60mph”.
Would you agree that we have a complete warning horn failure above 60mph and a
partial failure between 20mph and 60mph?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to less than 60mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If yes, did they instruct the driver to reduce speed below 60mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
How did Siemens confirm the following, “horns tested above and below 20mph”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. “It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk” YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
partial failure between 20mph and 60mph?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to less than 60mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If yes, did they instruct the driver to reduce speed below 60mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
How did Siemens confirm the following, “horns tested above and below 20mph”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. “It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk” YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
Repair slip number 121617 (below) by M Green: States, “loss of horn between Grange & Silverdale, warning horn mcb tripped and horn area doused in warm fluids, high tone not available, retried at Lancaster both tones working, mcb tripped back in”.
Would you agree that this train had a complete failure of the warning horn?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for the usual, “tested low tone”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. "It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk” YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
If no, explain why not.
Have you risk assessed the pouring of boiling water over horn trumpets?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for the usual, “tested low tone”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. "It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk” YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
If no, explain why not.
Have you risk assessed the pouring of boiling water over horn trumpets?
Repair slip number 115640 (below) by I Harrison of York: States, “low tone of the warning horn not working at mid – high speeds, low tone just squeaks”.
Would you agree that this train had a partial failure of the warning horn?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for failing to test this unit and therefore allowing it to
re-enter service with a partial failure of the warning horn which contravenes the rule book?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. “It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to
follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety
of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk”
YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for failing to test this unit and therefore allowing it to
re-enter service with a partial failure of the warning horn which contravenes the rule book?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. “It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to
follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety
of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk”
YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
Repair slip number 108234 (below) by E Bartlett of York: States, “both tones of horn not working, front of train covered in severe ice”.
Would you agree that this train had a complete failure of the warning horn?
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for the usual, “horn tested ok”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. "It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk”
YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
QUESTIONS CONTINUED IN PAGE 2:
Was this reported to the signaller YES/NO?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Was the train speed reduced to 20mph?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
Were TPE control informed YES/NO?
If yes, did they insist that this train is to be removed immediately from traffic?
If no, what action did you take against the driver?
What action did you take against Siemens for the usual, “horn tested ok”?
Should the same statement made by Route Driver Mark Atkinson to me also apply in this instance. "It is my belief that this charge is proven that on the day in question you did fail to follow the correct procedure. The unit stayed in service was putting the safety of staff on the railway at risk”.
Was that unit by being allowed to stay in service, “putting the whole of the railway at risk”
YES/NO?
If yes, what action did you take against the driver?
QUESTIONS CONTINUED IN PAGE 2: