Hi Guys, Just thought I would have a bash and taking on a bit of shunting in the Class 08. I have started one small short timetable, were it tells me to wait ONE minute before setting off, no problems I come to the stop section, were it again tells me to wait. I then set the reverser to the forward position, get the go ahead and come across a RED signal which does not seem to change. I know in TSW3 you had to contact the signaller to get permission but how do I do that on the XB and controller? There's no phone what I can see.
Just out of idle curiosity, how would a shunter driver do this in real life? As Cottonmouth says, there's no phone in the cab and none as far as I can see on the signal.
The shunter walks to a telephone pole or uses a old walkie talkie in the times before the cells came in use. The walkie-talkie however was in common use in the 70's. but it was an open radio channel and everybody could use it for that time. On visual contact with the signaller the engine whistle was used combined with flag signals or hand signals given by the signaller.
Normally a flag, hand lamp, walkie-talkie, square key or related key, warning jacket should be available and stored away in the cabinets in every cab of a train. Why is not present in TSWx I don't know but these safety equipment should be present anyway. This should be checked prior to every shift in every cab of the train and even so to check the safety glasses or pins of the emergency brake and door override switches should be checked as well. Depending the length of the train this check-up procedure could last for a while, but in real life it is mandatory. When you start a shift you have to set up a train. You start in the back of your train and works all the way up to the front checking every emergency device and other interior parts.
Back in the days before they had walkie talkies, If a freight was held at a red signal without a phone for more than a couple of minutes, then the guard would have to go to the box and sign a book stating where his train was and the time it was stopped. This was done to ensure the signalman was aware of the trains presence. This was done to comply with rule 55 and was known simply as "doing rule 55".
Even before the advent of walkie-talkies, it was possible (if not exactly common) to fit a radio in the cab of a shunter (from 11:45): Note that so long as there's a clear understanding of what is to be done, the signalman can clear a shunt or call-on signal into an occupied track without needing to speak to the driver. The point of a shunt signal is that it guarantees only that the route is set and gives permission to proceed, not that it is clear of obstructions. That's one of the operational details that TSW persistently gets wrong.
The basic premise of a Restricting signal in the US is "be prepared to stop within 1/2 visual range."
