That's impossible haha otherwise the train stops, for the rubber-tyred it's pretty old, from 52 with a test on a closed part of a line with the first rubber-tyred subway the "Grand-mère", "Grand-mother" and in 56 the first rubber-tyred line is converted with the MP55. The project of rubber was from Michelin in the early 30's and the automatic system was created in 52 and used since 67
Why do Japanese train drivers point at everything?
- Thread starter davesnow
- Start date
Yup. That makes sense, unlike our idiot driver!
I didn't realize the system was as old as that, the rubber wheel system, and the automation too. Wow.
That's different to the AWS alert we have. The alert you're talking about is known as DVD (driver vigilance device) or DSD (driver safety device) (Depending on function).
With DVD you keep a pedal depressed, if you don't do anything for a particular amount of time you get a beeping noise and have to lift your foot and depress to stop the noise, otherwise you get an emergency brake application. You can lift your feet at any time but it will beep until its depressed again or you'll get a brake application
DSD is the older version, which people call the dead man's handle (even though in most cases its a pedal), with DSD you don't get the vigilance noise.. If you lift your foot at all, you get an immediate brake application.
They added the vigilance part later although some trains still have the basic DSD... Infact I've come to a halt a few times when I've tried to adjust my posture and accidently lifted my foot! Much to the displeasure of my guard who's smacked into the wall as we come to a stand :hehe:
Both are commonly known as the deadmans handle by people outside the industry as on older trains it used to be the throttle handle you had to keep held down... Which sounds like a recipe for injury to me!
I didn't know about the DVD or DSD. I remembered from the ECML route included in TANE has the AWS system, and it makes that buzzing sound; and if you don't push that button the brakes automatically apply. That's why I was comparing it to the alerter.
This is what the driver I mentioned in my post above attempted to override, and ended up being thrown on the ground by a moving train. I can only imagine that sinking feeling in his stomach as he went chasing after his very fast moving train which scooted out on to the mainline. Several stops later, the train was stopped by cutting the power, due to letting the train have some space between the other consists.
The Red, Orange, and parts of Boston's Blue line system operate on third-rail similar to the UK's Southern Region commuter service. Mainline speeds on the Braintree to Quincy then from Quincy up to Dorchester are up in the 50-60 mph range so that mainline train was scooting pretty fast especially if the driver left the throttle in full power position.
On the 7th August 1926 an electric train without a driver collided with a goods train in Newcastle. It turned out that for some reason the driver had tied down the deadmans handle, making it inoperative, and leaned out of the luggage compartment to look in the first compartment and had struck a bridge and been killed. In the account there was no mention of any other fatalities.
Last edited:
Probably because it's a hard thing to simulate in a sim/game. Train Sim has done it by requiring you to press a button when it beeps, rather than keeping your finger on a key which would make driving rather difficult!
AWS is newer than DVD and has a similiar but different role. Just to check you have acknowledged the signal or speed ahead of you. We use commentary/press and call with the AWS. The DVD/DSD is just something you do automatically as it's not really tied to signals or anything important, except checking you're alive
