Atomic Systems

Hi all,

I know this will probably seem a really stupid question and blow my cover as a train nut but i've noticed that on all train carriages there is a thin orange stripe running round near the top of the carriage, and its really bugging me as to what this is for. Can anyone explain to me its purpose?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

PT

The orange stripe indicates maximum safe hight under overhead wires.

It is a warning to people working on rolling stock not to climb too high.

Hi

It's official name is the Cant line and as Ian has said it warns you of the safe distance to remain from the OHLE. Nothing should be carried above that line and no one or nothing that you are in contact with should be above that line when running under wires.

Just to expand and (incase you are at all interested!) you also have a Sole Bar which runs around the bottom of a train (not always a physical line-often just the bottom of the main carriage body) and on certain electric locos and all EMUs this shows the lower limit it is safe to go unless trained in that type of traction as some of the equipment carried under units can have current running through it, or in the case of newerr units they can retain current for some time after the current has been isolated.

Hope this helps,

Martin

Ahh thanks for that guys, i knew it must be there for a reason. I'll make sure not to put anything above it!

And thanks for the extra info Martin, makes for interesting knowledge. Welcome to the forums as well .

Cheers

PT

Hope I can add to this rather than start a new thread for a quick question also.

But, does anyone know the maximum permitted speed for a Steam engine and Support Coach

kirkheath wrote:Hope I can add to this rather than start a new thread for a quick question also.

But, does anyone know the maximum permitted speed for a Steam engine and Support Coach

Just asked someone and apparently it can vary depending on available brake force.

So to go at a top speed more braking vehicles may be required. And of course the top speed can vary depending on the locomotive.

Further to the original question, Network Rail PTS (Personal Track Safety) training states (words to the effect) that, no person or anything being carried by a person is allowed within 9ft of the OHLE. Obviously exceptions are made in certain circumstances such as when work is to be carried out on the equipment and it has therefore been isolated or even turned off.

Glenn

kieranhardy wrote:

kirkheath wrote:Hope I can add to this rather than start a new thread for a quick question also.

But, does anyone know the maximum permitted speed for a Steam engine and Support Coach

Just asked someone and apparently it can vary depending on available brake force.

So to go at a top speed more braking vehicles may be required. And of course the top speed can vary depending on the locomotive.

Cheers Kieran I am going to call it at 55 max. it seems feasible as maximum in reverse is 45 even with load so thanks

455driver wrote:Hi

It's official name is the Cant line and as Ian has said it warns you of the safe distance to remain from the OHLE. Nothing should be carried above that line and no one or nothing that you are in contact with should be above that line when running under wires.

Just to expand and (incase you are at all interested!) you also have a Sole Bar which runs around the bottom of a train (not always a physical line-often just the bottom of the main carriage body) and on certain electric locos and all EMUs this shows the lower limit it is safe to go unless trained in that type of traction as some of the equipment carried under units can have current running through it, or in the case of newerr units they can retain current for some time after the current has been isolated.

Hope this helps,

Martin

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread but my question is related to this .

I was recently on holiday in Portsmouth and caught eye of a South West Trains unit pulling into Portsmouth & Southsea station (mother was in Matalan ) and it had the same thin orange stripe running around the bottom on the carriage as my original post had orange stripes running round the top of the carriage. Anyway, thinking back to this i realised that the orange stripe around the bottom of the carriage much be the safe distance from the 3rd rail, is that the Sole Bar Martin was referring to above or is this still the Cant Line?

Thanks in advance,

PT

Cant line is where the bodyside joins the roof. Sole bar is where the bodyside joins the underframe.

Regards,

Dan

Thanks .

Cheers

PT

The orange stripe at the bottom of the carriage wouldn't specifically be the sole bar. An orange stripe around the top is the Cant line but the sole bar is invisible-basically it is the bottom of the carriage body and is just used to sort of remind people that equipment under there may be live or retain current. Can't picture SWT livery but is the orange line just part of the paint work? I know at southern we don't have a sole bar painted on.

Also to answer a previous post about the steam loco with support coach-as mentioned it depends on the brake force avaliable but generally the max speed for steam or any other non-standard train is 75mph. It may be lower when running without a certain number of carriages. Generally the longer the train the higher speed it can do as the more brakes it has avaliable. I remember reading a while ago in CIRAS that Grand Central were told off for running HST's of 4 coaches at 125 where as the minimum length of a 125mph HST is 5 due to the brake force.

Hope this helps.

I suspect the orange line on the SWT stock is part of the paintwork - having looked at various pictures I can see it on the 444 and 458 but not the 450 nor 455.

gswindale wrote:I suspect the orange line on the SWT stock is part of the paintwork - having looked at various pictures I can see it on the 444 and 458 but not the 450 nor 455.

I've done some hunting myself and believe you to be right. The orange stripe i'm on about seems to start from the "South West Trains" name around midway down the 1st carriage.

Those of you who feel i've been an idiot, feel free to shoot me .

Cheers

PT