River Blackwater, Loco 220 shunting at N.Wall

[Sulzer201]

Nice bit of shunting in this clip with a little 'bump' at end.

 

[Railer]

Except for the 10;15 mark. Can't believe the shunters didn't tell the driver to back off a bit when pushing the empty flats to the front of the IWT liner. One of the wagons actually jumped at the impact.

[DiveController]

Except for the 10;15 mark. Can't believe the shunters didn't tell the driver to back off a bit when pushing the empty flats to the front of the IWT liner. One of the wagons actually jumped at the impact.

Exactly. It's hard to judge a foot or two with an obstructed view over 100 feet away. Think the driver was waiting for the signal but none was actually given. The liner seemed pretty solid

[Mayner]

Its hard to believe that IE are still relying on hand signals for shunting 20-30 year after most railways including British Rail adapted 2 way radio communication, especially in a yard like East Wall with curving roads where its difficult to maintain a clear line of sight between the driver and the shunting crew on the gound.

 

The shunter controlling the move should have signalled the driver to stop 1-2 wagon lengths back from the Liner until he (the shunter) could accurately judge the distance between the Liner and his cut of wagons.

 

In the States & New Zealand the brakeman or shunter unsually rides on the end car to reduce the amount of walking, chopper or knuckle couplers have largely eliminated the risk of being squashed between cars while coupling up.