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Lineside video - is this a safe distance?

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Marty82

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Not sure if this is the correct section so please feel free to move if necessary.

Genuine question - is the position of the engineering team in this video safe? Can't attach the video as the forums don't allow MP4 files but it is here on TikTok.


I am no railway expert, merely a keen observer, but to me this looks rather unsafe. Trying to work out where on the network this is - it appears the train is a CrossCountry Voyager or Super Voyager to me.

Video description - group of around nine workers wearing high vis sitting/lying at edge of line on track ballast. One is wearing a COSS armband. Train approaches at speed causing workers to be buffeted by the train's wake. Most lean forward and one covers face with helmet to avoid being hit by any ballast spray.
 
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Ianno87

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Not one staff member appears to raise their arm to acknowledge the approaching train....
 

alxndr

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Unless there's some very strange things going on with camera angles/distortion, absolutely not.

I assumed it was the person holding the camera.

Should be each of them anyway.
 

ScotRail158725

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Not one staff member appears to raise their arm to acknowledge the approaching train....
its a still photo where the train is right there, the camera man could have done it without us seeing and the other guy in frame before this was taken
 

FrodshamJnct

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The person who posted this on TikTok is now claiming that the video was taken over 5 years ago. It’s made it on to Twitter too and has attracted a fair bit of attention. A lot of users have tagged Network Rail in their tweets. Railways Illustrated have also retweeted the original tweet with the video.

There’s also another video by that TikTok user of a Virgin 91 set passing a lineside gang at speed.
 

pdeaves

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Genuine question - is the position of the engineering team in this video safe? Can't attach the video as the forums don't allow MP4 files but it is here on TikTok.
I'm not too bothered about the actual distance. I'm more bothered that it appears (stress, appears) that someone in the work group is getting distracted playing with their phone camera!
 

alxndr

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The person who posted this on TikTok is now claiming that the video was taken over 5 years ago.

Can't work out if this is true or not. The one helmet you can see is of a style that was more common a few years ago (although some people use them well beyond expiry), but the style of COSS badge is newer. I can't think exactly when those first appeared.
 

FrodshamJnct

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Can't work out if this is true or not. The one helmet you can see is of a style that was more common a few years ago (although some people use them well beyond expiry), but the style of COSS badge is newer. I can't think exactly when those first appeared.

I did wonder whether this claim was being made falsely. The other video on that user’s TikTok account does appear to be older (91 set with Virgin livery clear to see on the loco and DVT).
 

ComUtoR

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It's a fairly safe assumption that *somebody* acknowledged as the train appears to be going full chat, rather than being in emergency brake with the horn blaring.

There are many times where you don't see the PWay right until the last second. Blowing the horn is worthless because you just blew past them at linespeed.
 

najaB

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There are many times where you don't see the PWay right until the last second. Blowing the horn is worthless because you just blew past them at linespeed.
Yeah, but this is a pretty straight stretch of line. The train is visible right at the very start of the video so its likely that they were visible to the driver:
1598451464784.png
(Screen grab showing train visible in the distance)

As to who gave the acknowledgement, there's another person standing who's completely blocked until the end of the video:

1598451685546.png
(Screen grab with arrow highlighting the person standing)
 

High Dyke

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There are many times where you don't see the PWay right until the last second. Blowing the horn is worthless because you just blew past them at linespeed.
Reminds me of a question I heard on a training course, for Personal Track Safety (PTS). The scenario was that you were in charge of a work gang and you see a train approaching. The instructor asked "what you would do?" One person responded by saying "I'd blow the men off." The instructor replied "that's very considerate, but shouldn't you get them to a place of safety first!"
 

gazr

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Good timing this... I took a video this morning between North Pole Junction and Sudbury Junction (via the UWR - Single line working) and only after playback on my phone did I notice 3-4 workmen at the start that appeared to be no more than a foot away from the window I was filming through! I have not uploaded it, as my computer isn't powerful enough to handle 4K editing, but I was intending on uploading the raw footage straight from the phone. Should I upload or not?
 

alxndr

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I did wonder whether this claim was being made falsely. The other video on that user’s TikTok account does appear to be older (91 set with Virgin livery clear to see on the loco and DVT).

There's also the video of Didcot Parkway flooded, which I think happened in 2016 and 2018, so I'll concede could be that they're going through old videos and posting them now, although it's a bit of an odd thing to be doing in the first place, let alone years later.
 

Darandio

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Quite sad to see the amount of self-confessed trainspotters on Twitter though, it's been a race to tag Network Rail as quick as possible. One is even now asking about disciplinary action. I'm sorry but it's none of their busines.
 

FGW_DID

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From the Rule Book:

If the maximum speed is 100 mph (160 km/h) or less, you are in a position of safety if you are at least 1.25 metres (4 feet) from the nearest line on which a train can approach.

If the maximum speed is over 100 mph (160 km/h), the distance increases to 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches).


Mind you, saying that, the old authorised walking route from Plt 1 at Reading Stn to the old depot in the triangle where it crossed Caversham Road, was so narrow it was protected by lights which extinguished when a train was approaching, when they did you had to stand in one of the refuges and the train passed probably about a foot and a half away if that! Quite an experience when it happened the first time, even though the turbo was trundling past at walking pace.
 

najaB

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If the maximum speed is 100 mph (160 km/h) or less, you are in a position of safety if you are at least 1.25 metres (4 feet) from the nearest line on which a train can approach.

If the maximum speed is over 100 mph (160 km/h), the distance increases to 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches).
It's close, but if the line speed was 100mph or less then they're probably in a position of safety.
 
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