Safety Index

I intend to run this as a list of incidents and personal experience which we can learn from.

If you would like to send any details of an incident which the benefit of experience should be passed on please email me details. Paul@rideonrailways.co.uk. Details can be with held, more interested in personal experience

INJURY - an incident which has resulted in injury

• RoR - we haven't had a serious injury on our line, but have had plenty of accidents. We conciously have taken the decision to avoid putting adults on sit in ride on trucks. Sit astride lowers the bodies centre of gravity and allows feet to go out in in case of an emergency. To date we have had very few incidents of people on their side in the flowers (except my mad brother on his speed attempts).

• Club incident - a hot ember from a moving steam train landed on the jacket of an 8 year old girl. It burnt a hole through the jacket (cost £30). Not sure of full details but insurance ended up paying compensation of £1500 as the girl suffered "stress and trauma" from the whole event.

Whether you agree with the payment or not is irrelevent.

What is more imporant is to learn from it. These claims are happening.

Now you are aware of this incident, what steps are you taking to avoid it happening to you?

• Simple warning signs? (long disclaimers don't work)

• Spark arresters?

• Offer alternative motive power - diesel or electric

DAMAGE - incident involving only damage

• RoR - not checking line before running - resulted on Polly 1 derailing and smashing off cyling drain cocks. LESSON - Check rails before running, fitted 1" angle to protect valves

• Paul from Bristol - The accident I had was on a raised section of track.  For about 10 feet of the line, along my patio, the track runs on wooden supports about  a foot above the patio height.   There is no fence or any other protection.    A kid decided to get off the train while it was running along this section.  He tipped the carriage over and he fell all the way from the top of the carriage to the patio (about 3 feet) and the carriage crashed down on top of him.   Not nice.
  
  Only solution to this problem is to put supports that run next to the rails just under the height of the footrests - this way if the carriage tries to topple over the footrests hit the supports which stop it toppling.   It's no good telling kids to wait till the train's stopped - they're too excited to remember.
  

NEAR MISS serious incident which could have been a lot worse

• RoR - after two run away trains - decided to opt for deadmans switches and hand control for the electric loco's. Also stopped using loose chain coupling, replaced with bar coupling. (large hole will fit over a hook on a Polly)

• Paul from Bristol - My railway is on a continuous gradient from the patio (the lowest point) to the end of the garden (the highest point).   Despite being told not to, one boy pushed a heavy bogie truck up to the top of the garden and let it go.   By the time it got to the patio it was travelling at 10-15 m.p.h.   How it ever stayed on the track is a mystery!    It careered through the station on the patio and went crashing into the access door to my garage, taking a large chunk of wood out of the door.   Other children were hanging around the patio station area at the time, but thankfully none of them were in the way of the runaway truck..  If they had have been, it would have broken their legs.  My solution to this problem is generally to leave the truck out of sight and to derail it - it's so hard to put it back on the rails, anyone old enough to accomplish that should know better.
  

Paul and David Middleton
20 Eastern Ave East, Romford, Essex. RM1 4DR. UK

Tel/Fax 01708 708768 Evening/weekend calls welcomed

Mobile 07932 077449 E mail Paul@rideonrailways.co.uk