The imbalance could commonly occur on lines where assisting engines went one way on double-headed trains, but returned light engine separately to the train. The Taunton to Barnstaple line regularly got this in the summer, where Taunton 43xx would work down to Ilfracombe in varying combinations on Saturdays assisting the holiday trains. I never knew how the rebalancing was done, but did hear that on one or two odd occasions there had been severe delays because the tokens had run out at one end.
The different colours indicated the configuration of the key token: Red was an A configuration. The colours may have been the manufacturer’s standard ones or a nationally agreed standard. I think that there were six token configurations, although E and F were rare, and their colours were black and white (or v.v.).
wasn't there an incident recently on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch recently where procedures were not correctly followed which nearly caused and accident.
I thought I could see the distinct red shape of a token machine as I drove across Midge Hall crossing yesterday. Clearly I was not imagining it.
There are a lot of things here that make me shudder, but two main points seem to be serious errors.
One wonders how someone actually in the train could see A being switched out and B being switched in, both being done while the train they were in was running.
My interpretation of #185 was that the person in the train recognised the signalman as being the same person both at the beginning and the end of the section. It could have been theoretically possible that the signalman who oversaw the train’s departure then handed over to another signalman, travelled by road to the second signal box and took over from a signalman who had been there all the time. However, it would look odd to anyone who was interested and knowledgeable. With only one signalman it would not normally be possible to switch out, even if the boxes were so equipped.
For a normal box-to-box token section, a single line token cannot be withdrawn at A without cooperation from B, just as with a normal line clear release in a double-track Absolute Block area. There is a loophole, however. If B is closing early, a token could be cooperatively withdrawn beforehand and left out of the system for an engineering possession, or possibly a later departure as long as local rules and instructions allow the practice and everything is properly agreed and recorded in the registers of both boxes. The standard circuitry stores the block signal release state (for one pull) indefinitely, so the subsequent clearance and departure could be accomplished with only a signaller at A. For this to be allowed, the block acceptance conditions at B must be maintained and any risks at intermediate crossings properly managed. With modern mobile communications, a nominated person in charge could plausibly remain in full communication with the train for emergency purposes even while driving between such block posts. In Scotland, some token sections have remote release circuitry enabled where cooperation is not required and the dispatching box can withdraw unilaterally, if safe. This is not unlike the tokenless block method widely used north of the border, where a box normally leaves their block switch in the 'accept' state and it's a first come first served scenario. The Park signalling digital DiBloC token system is even more flexible, plausibly allowing many remote sections and instruments to be managed over the internet from a central control point. Decades-old NSTR, as employed on the Central Wales line today, already represented a significant change from the standard token block procedures and allows traincrew to remotely withdraw without an electrical release from the signaller (although verbal permission must be sought), and clearly, in any modified method, safety validated checks are always carried out automatically by the equipment to ensure that only one token for the particular section can ever be out of the particular system at once. Closing a box is not the same as switching out. Switching an intermediate block post in or out changes the extents of the blocks concerned either side so can only be carried out when there is no train in section, interestingly allowing a train to be stationary within the station yard limits of the box switching in or out though. Standard token rules and regs can and are modified for many installations on the national network and particularly on heritage lines.
Tom Rolt, prominent railway author and also pioneer early 1950s manager of the Talyllyn in volunteer times and with no lineside phones, wrote that when there were issues with the one remaining serviceable locomotive he would drive along the parallel road and visit each station to check how they were getting along. He had a distinctive vintage (even then) sports car, and wrote he wondered if anyone in the train noticed the same car at each station.
Summary of the incident
There is, that's the ETB from Midge to Rufford.From Rufford it was a staff, but it was done away with a few years ago.
