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Are you referring to the present day or the timetable-and-train-order era?  And what railway are you referring to, or which rulebook?  Different railways use different rulebooks, and while they all accomplish virtually the same thing, the terminology is different. In the present day, "protect against" in the way I think you're using it means "be aware that there is another train, maintenance of way machine, or foreman within the limits of your authority," which on a railway governed by the General Code of Operating Rules (most present-day western and central U.S. railways) requires you to travel at restricted speed (not more than 20 mph, able to stop within one-half the limit of vision short of anything).  The authority you hold has definite locational limits defined either by the timetable, a track warrant, a DTC authority, or signal indication (as well as a few other less common types of authority).  You can't be on a main track without an authority. Under GCOR rules the following train protection is seldom applied.  If there are two trains within the same authority they are required to move at restricted speed and on most railways have "work between" i.e., non-directional, authorities.  This is commonly used for the obvious work trains but less obviously for attaching helpers to trains, having two locals work industries within close proximity to each other (or very commonly a local and a work train), or more often than you would think, taking one through train close up behind another to do an overtake.  For example, the train that will be overtaken will take a siding but you want that train to hold off the siding until the overtaking train arrives because there are grade crossings you don't want to block (sidings are so frequently found inside towns).  So you put both trains onto a joint authority so you can tuck them right up to each other. S. Hadid
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