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Hi Thanks for putting me right. If I had done my homework properly, or at least waited 24 hours, I would not have made so many errors.Also the long ramble about ERTMS Level 3, failed to state the result of the inexperienced Railtrack. With considerable naivety they believed the hype on ' Moving Block', despite the latest London tube line, the Jubilee line extension, struggling with level 3, and giving up So away they went, promising Sir Richard Branson's Virgin West Coast, that delivery of Level 3 would give him the 140mph speed, important for the psychological London to Glasgow in under 4 hours for which they had contracted.The cost of this unwise decision, escalated the cost of the 125mph upgrade achieved, with conventional signals, the maximum speed allowed for driver sighting, started a cost escalationsteam roller  to somewhere around the £5 billion, roughly $10 billion, when original estimates were a fraction of this.Then the Hadfield nonsense, and the near disintigration of the network, eventually led to political involvement, with the then Minister of Transport, forcing Railtrack into bankrupcy, with my 300 shares! Network Rail replaced it, ostsibly a plc, but in near reality renationalisation.At the start of the panic, creation of hundreds of Permanent Way Speed Restrictions , most PSR's being 20mph, my Wife and I had flown into Heathrow from holiday in Prague. Living in Macclesfield on the WCML Stoke-on-Trent route, about 16 miles south of Manchester, we normally flew from Manchester Airport, using BA Air Miles.Sadly there was no direct  BA flight, so via Heathrow it had to be.The hourly Inter City service pre Pendalino, was about 2 hours 20 minutes. On this day the train barely recovered from one TRS before breaking back from about 60 to 20mph, thejourney taking well over 5 hours! I've told this story, to emphasise the absolute nadir state of the system.How times have changed. My late Father was the Permenant Way Engineer, for the WCML between Preston and Carlisle. In July 1965 a sleeping car express derailed at Hest Bank, due to a broken rail and travelling about 75mph (For passenger comfort sleeping car trains stick to a maximum of 80mph, line speed 100mph. Ultasonic testing was then fairly new and crude.When we arrived on the scene, the local man on the spot told Dad what had caused the wreck. At that time Steam was on the way out, and an instruction existed that all sections of track over water troughs, Viaducts, and Tunnels had to be tested every 3 months, as well as the daily inspection.Like most industries there is never enough people to do the job, and many of the locations had gone between 6 and 12 months. Dad was facing the sack.He got his assistant, a friend of mine to go to the office, and dig out the last report. From memory it had only been done about 2 weeks previously. The Inspecting Officer of Railways, more or less put it down to an Act of God, apart from Workington Steel Works who had rolled the duff rail.Apart, hopefully being of interest, the point I am trying to make of a huge increase in red tape is that the train derailed about 02.00. One line was clear and open by 13.00 same day, both lines at 17.00. In comparison any accident today, takes ages maybe a weekfor the line to re-open. To add to the ludicrous way we do things in UK plc, everyone is scared of criminal action being taken against them, any case involving passenger injury, is now automatically declared a crime scene.The broken rail was towards the end of water troughs, and although a real mess, the troughs actually kept the train less spreadeagled than it would have been, although apart from the Class 47 diesel, and the first 3 coaches, some were upside down, some on their sides, and down the shallow embankment.Fortunatly despite one of the biggest wrecks I've seen,only about 10 to 12 people were injured, the worst case out of hospital in three hours.Yes I am aware of the EU directive, but I am only realising the depth of knowledge this forum has. The UK ones I sometimes post on, vary from little more than loco number collectors up to your standard, so I try topost in a casual way. Please accept my apologise for insulting your intelligence.Yes I do know that ERMTS is becoming good at level 1 and to a lesser degree level 2 in mainland europe.A line has been chosen for the first UK test, the single line from Shrewsbury to Aberystwth, through the Welsh mountains and moors, with about 5 to 6 trains each way per day. No freight. Talk about jumping in at the shallow end.Those of you who don't get' Todays Railways Europe', or an odd one, as I used to buy 'Trains', the best article I've seen is in Issue 127 July 2006. I had to smile when the article said that a Eurostar had to carry six signal/train protection systems for the London -Paris/Brussels run, and Thalys PBKA eight on the Paris -Brussels - Koln/ Amsterdam route.Having posted that multi voltage loco's are not much more than single voltage, the cost of all this non compatable ATP systems,puts 50% on the cost of a loco, diesel or electric, and the extra weight I was rabbiting on about yesterday.For those who have not seen the article, the magnitude of the problem is listed by Country. Don't ask what they do other than being cab signals, and a Signal Passed At Danger SPAD prevention device. Apart from knowing enough of the main principles, for me to do my job when I was working, , thanks to the recent posts, they may help me in a planned ' fall ' job as a Terminal design consultant.Personally I think a degree in withcraft is needed with the technical to be a Signal Engineer.<ul><li>Austria                         Indusi/PZB & LZB</li><li> Belgium                       Crocodile, TBL 1 &2</li><li>Czech Republic             LS90</li><li>Denmark                      ZUB 123</li><li>Finland                         EBICAB 900</li><li>France                         Crocodile, KVB & TVM</li><li>Germany                      Indusi/PZB &LZB</li><li>Hungary                       EVM</li><li>Italy                             BACC?RS4 codes &RSDD</li><li>Luxembourg                Memor</li><li>Netherlands                ATB &ATB-NG</li><li>Poland                        SHP</li><li>Portugal                     EBICAB 700/CONVEL</li><li>Slovakia                      Mirel ( as Czech Republic)</li><li>Spain                          EBICAB 900, ASFA &LZB</li><li>Sweden                      EBICAB 700 & LI 0000</li><li>Switzerland                Signum/Integra & ZUB</li><li><div align="left">UK                              TVM 430, AWS &TPWS</div></li></ul>Source : AlstomNote <ul><li>   Finland 1520mm                  track gauge</li><li><div align="left">   Spain & Portugal 1686mm          "</div></li></ul>Finally the Belgian class was 16 not 26,all 8 of themWell I think you've had enough from me for a bit, so I will leave you in peace for a whileOh! If you want to take out a subscribtion to Todays Railways-Europe, and/or TR-UK, or just a back number e-mai <a href="mailto:info@wiseowlmagazines.com">info@wiseowlmagazines.com</a>  Tel (760) 603-9768 Fax (760) 603-9769.The address of the US/Canadasubscription agentWise Owl Worldwide Publications, 5674 ElCamino Real, Suite D,Carlsbad, CA92008-7130.Take care friends, Andrew.
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