Are trains required to stop a min/max distance from buffers at termini?

[david_VI]

I understand trains have to stop at the specific stop board at stations.. But at the end of the line is there a certain distance from the buffers or is it up to the driver how close he gets?

Maybe someone could quote a rulebook or give a link.

Thanks
David

 

[Vicpaul]

Southern state 6ft from the stops don't knowing that's across the board

 

[TOCDriver]

Certainly no rule I know of. As long as you don't hit them and you leave an adequate gap in case any fitter needs access to the front, there should be no problem or comeback

 

[Latecomer]

Minimum of 2 metres for us (or at defined stopping points). Consideration must be given as to whether it is a permissive platform and whether you have stopped the train sufficiently close to the buffers as to permit enough room for another train to fit in the platform. That train should similarly stop a minimum of 2 metres from the stationary unit.

 

[Zoidberg]

There was a thread on a similar topic recently - in one or two cases, I think, drivers mentioned they had to compress the buffers in order to get all of the train in the station.

I'll post a link if I can find the thread.

EDIT: My skills at using the search function are not great and I've been unable to find the thread/posts. Perhaps I am misremembering.

 

[noddingdonkey]

Presumably with short platforms (eg Huddersfield p5) making sure that the train is close enough the buffers that the back of the unit is on the platform is quite a key consideration.

 

[A-driver]

Technically by the book you should stop 6 foot from any other train. The same is normally applied to buffer stops. But local instructions can alter this.

At kings cross, east coast stop at markers purely to ensure the tanking pipes line up. At FCC we sometimes use the markers but also go to 6' from the stops, driver preference really. On platforms 9-11 we stop right up against the 'stop' boards. They were put in for 365s with the aim that the train would touch them as it's a very tight fit for an 8 car. When you go in ontop of another train in 9-11 we stop 2' from the train, not 6. But then a single 313 stops about 10meters from the stops at kings x 9-11 on a yellow sleeper to ensure you arnt over the tpws loops when you change ends.

 

[Lockwood]

Zoidberg: I think you were looking for http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=92792&page=9

 

[Zoidberg]

Zoidberg: I think you were looking for http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=92792&page=9

Thank you - it was indeed that thread, on that page.

 

[Timothy Turtle]

The RSSB's Guidance Note GI/GN7616 states "The allowance between the face of a buffer stop and the front of a train (including allowance for inaccurate stopping) should not be less than 2 m."

 

[455driver]

There was a thread on a similar topic recently - in one or two cases, I think, drivers mentioned they had to compress the buffers in order to get all of the train in the station.

I'll post a link if I can find the thread.

EDIT: My skills at using the search function are not great and I've been unable to find the thread/posts. Perhaps I am misremembering.

That wasnt at a station but at a yard, it was to ensure the loco (a class 37) was clear of the points so they could be pulled across behind it.

You wouldnt want to hit the buffers in a station!

 

[The Planner]

However i think the distance provided behind the buffers now has increased whenever they need to be renewed. Everything tends to be the big sliding jobs now.

 

[david_VI]

Thanks for the replies!

So it varies?

On the subject of stopping.. Is it a major issue if a driver is not at a car stop marker? How much room for error is there until someone notices and you get in trouble?

David

 

[A-driver]

Thanks for the replies!

So it varies?

On the subject of stopping.. Is it a major issue if a driver is not at a car stop marker? How much room for error is there until someone notices and you get in trouble?

David

Depends. If you stop 4 coaches short of the 8 car mark with an 8 car train so doors are hanging off the end of the platform then it's pretty serious. If you run past the marker by half a coach then no one would say anything-if a manager saw they may tell you to watch it in the future but that's about it. Obviously overshooting a platform is serious and if you miss a monitor or mirror the. You would need to take into account you may need to step onto the platform to safely dispatch the train.

Depends though.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Interesting about the tanking pipes A-driver, it reminded me of the markers at Leeds.

http://railwayeye.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/pointless-signs-leeds-city-station.html

I never understood what the point of them was, given the buffers were only a few feet away.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It could be to avoid the other end of the train being on a TPWS grid or AWS magnet.

 

[asylumxl]

Depends. If you stop 4 coaches short of the 8 car mark with an 8 car train so doors are hanging off the end of the platform then it's pretty serious. If you run past the marker by half a coach then no one would say anything-if a manager saw they may tell you to watch it in the future but that's about it. Obviously overshooting a platform is serious and if you miss a monitor or mirror the. You would need to take into account you may need to step onto the platform to safely dispatch the train.

Depends though.

What if the station has platform dispatchers, the platform is more than long enough and the driver stops almost 2 coaches away from the stop board? Have seen it happen regularly on a specific train, on a specific day on TL.

While inconvinient, I am guessing it would not be viewed as an issue?

 

[TDK]

In laymans terms no closer that 2m. If you need to get closer as I have done on occasions you have to stop a minimum of 2m and then creep up to as close as required. However I do not think there is a rule for further than 2m from the buffers all depending on operating conditions.

 

[Zoidberg]

That wasnt at a station but at a yard, it was to ensure the loco (a class 37) was clear of the points so they could be pulled across behind it.

You wouldnt want to hit the buffers in a station!

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[306024]

The RSSB's Guidance Note GI/GN7616 states "The allowance between the face of a buffer stop and the front of a train (including allowance for inaccurate stopping) should not be less than 2 m."

The London end sidings at Shenfield were designed to accommodate 12 car EMUs, but had to be extended by 2m when this guidance was introduced.

 

[Nym]

The London end sidings at Shenfield were designed to accommodate 12 car EMUs, but had to be extended by 2m when this guidance was introduced.

Try that down at Waterloo Depot or London Road "Depot", you need to pull fully up to the buffers, within about 4 inches or you foul points...(!)