Hello,
Are there lines carrying passengers still worked solely on timetable authority without a supervising dispatcher & some form of train order ?
In the 1970th in East and West Germany many Single Lines (so called Nebenbahnen) where worked with Timetable and Train announcing for over
80 Years.That was no Problem, because over this Time it was ever the same working Staff (Steam Locomotive Drivers, Conductors, Signal man) and so there where
supervision by each other.
The 1970th-Years was the beginning of the
disapearing Steam Loco and replacement with Diesel Engines.So no more need for short distances runnings and also the Drivers come more round.Also the closing of small Stations and with that the Staff
roulette (this means a rotary between the Signal Boxes)
took place.This was nessary, because on this Single Lines it was common, that the Staff on the Small Stations could do every Work (Ticket Office, Luggage,
Signal Box) in a rotary Shift system. With the closing of the small Stations the Boxes are still remains and they need relief personnel.
From a distance it appears that the introduction of degraded working at Bad Aibling had too little checks and balances to ensure that the single line was clear or that the rules were not observed or both.
This
Mistery waits for clarification.....
Here

you see the Permission Block Indicator on a German panel . The Yellow Arrow show the direction in that Trains can move (Permission /Erlaubnis).
Why the Signal man from Baid Aibling ignore both Arrows (he had one in Bad Aibling at the Track Sysmbol to Kolbermoor and one in Kolbermoor, is the
Mistery.
That he tried to set a route where even no Problem and that could be happend to every Signal man, because it is
Routine.
But then he had to
hearing the Alarm Bell in his Head.....because the Signal remains in Danger.And whit the Block Indicator it is clear why.
The Rules are simple and also over 150 Years the same, Check out that the last Train on the Line is in the next Station.
For that he had the
Automatic Train Register ,where the Train movements are recorded.Also today the Train Radio (GSM-R) allows direct
contact with every Train and ask the Driver, where his Train is.
What and why he acted like he do......we had to wait for the Report from the Administration.
Also about the Mistery, why he tried to call the Trains seperatly on GSM-R.
Here since the introduction of Train Radio in the 1970th it where trained all Time with the
Emergency Call for all.
You need no
thinking about dialling ,on every Phone at Signal Boxes there is a Short Call Button, Press and wait for the
Clear-Tone (max. 1 Sec.)
and talk.
On the GSM-R there is also a digital Code transceeived, so even if the Train Radio on the Loco had no Voice received, there is a Symbol (Loco with red Tail Lamps)that shows the Driver that a Emergency Call is received.