Eggesford Station - services, facilities and incidents (merged topic, ongoing discussion)

[whole diary]

[Umberleigh]

What is pilot working? In my fevered imagination its a class 58 as pilot loco, but I realise this is unlikely

[bradshaw]

Effectively, Pilot working is where a person (the pilot) takes the place of the token.
This gives a detailed description.
https://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/gert8000-p2%20iss%201.pdf

S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) Engineer can probably give a better description.

[jamestheredengine]

So who's allowed to be a pilotman? Is it usually a signalman or a driver?

[SandTEngineer]

Effectively, Pilot working is where a person (the pilot) takes the place of the token.
This gives a detailed description.
https://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/gert8000-p2%20iss%201.pdf

S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) Engineer can probably give a better description.

Correct.  The exemption is where a token is available but cannot be passed through the token machine but this usually prevents the signal leading to the single line section not being able to be cleared so its often quicker to have a 'human token'.  Think RSSB^▸ (Rail Safety and Standards Board) need to come into the 21st Century PILOTMAN  

[SandTEngineer]

So who's allowed to be a pilotman? Is it usually a signalman or a driver?

It can be a qualified signaller, but if its short term its usually the Local Operations Manager (LOM).

[eightf48544]

Before the split between track and train  and bi directional signalling it was often Station Staff who acted as pilotmen particularly when Single line working was instigated temporarily.  There were  fairly lengthy instructions as to who could initiate single line working what forms  of different colours  had to be issued in the particular circumstances, who signed them who saw a copy etc. 

[TonyK]

Turns out the incidents are linked - see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=21282.0 where the others have been merged. I am leaving  the post I've just quoted under "Eggesford" to avoid the various elements getting too scrambled; I would hate anyone to think I had poached a story from the Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) line ...

I know it's Eggesford, but this story is off the boil now. I can't think of a "fried" pun to complete the set.

Correct.  The exemption is where a token is available but cannot be passed through the token machine but this usually prevents the signal leading to the single line section not being able to be cleared so its often quicker to have a 'human token'.  Think RSSB^▸ (Rail Safety and Standards Board) need to come into the 21st Century PILOTMAN  

"Pilotperson" is much more appropriate, especially as the signalling is bi-directional.

[Umberleigh]

Eggesford is exactly midway between my country abode and my daughter's home. Travel to occasional meetings when neither of us can be bothered going all the way to the other's place tends to be by car, but invariably involves lunch at the cafe in the nearby garden centre. You could maybe open a cafe in the station house, but the competition is a quality act.

On a recent trip up to Umberleigh I noticed there is now a cafe in the old sidings yard, named the Eggesford Crossing Cafe. Anyone tried it out?

[TonyK]

On a recent trip up to Umberleigh I noticed there is now a cafe in the old sidings yard, named the Eggesford Crossing Cafe. Anyone tried it out?

Ooh, I might be out that way over the weekend!