Post by Charles EllsonMost of those are in the relevant Sectional Appendix. Gradients are in
gradient profile diagrams (or whatever modern equivalent).
There are also gradient posts at suitable points along the line, though for most of the time the driver only needs to know if the line is going uphill, downhill or staying on the level.
Far more important, and definitely /not/ in the SA, are signals. There is AFAIK no single standard document for these. The Five Mile Line Diagrams made a heroic stab to show these, along with some other eclectica missing from the SA, like culverts and bridges. But they were never comprehensive and don't seem to have been updated much.
I'm sure Anna will be along shortly to tell us all, but the drivers I know seem to rely on three things. These are simulators, for learning a whole new route (and/or traction); cab rides if your employer will grant you the time and organise a pass; and for new or re-signalled sections of line, specially drawn signalling diagrams, often in an interactive form like Powerpoint. I'm not sure if these have entirely replaced the older [1] "yellow perils", which were signalling diagrams printed on yellow paper. The diagrams for the Ordsall Chord have been available since last year, even though the chord itself won't be commissioned for some months yet.
ATEOTD nothing really replaces being at the controls with an experienced driver to tell you where to start braking. Historically, you picked all that up as a fireman or secondman, by a process of osmosis. These days it has to be learned much more quickly and, arguably, much more thoroughly, with more time spent on the complicated bits like station throats.
To return to Michael's original question, yes, it's written up somewhere, but in different places, and not all of it can ever be written up. I doubt that there's any document that says "this bit of line gets really greasy on winter mornings" or "this bit is always the first to flood", but it's the sort of detailed knowledge that drivers store away mentally.
And yes, there will be an equivalent for Tyne and Wear Metro. I can't actually /find/ one on t'Web so I suspect that it's rather more PRIVATE and not for Publication than the Network Rail stuff.
[1] Not that much older akshully. I remember the days [TM] when whole routes got converted from semaphore to multiple aspect signalling over a weekend, often with a new track layout, and all the train crews got for Monday morning was a brief note in the weekly operating notice. But they had seen the new signals being erected in the weeks beforehand, each with a big white X over the head, so they had a fair idea what to expect.
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Joyce Whitchurch, Stalybridge, UK
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