Regulation of traffic between stations on VIA Rail

Hello.
In Europe, we usually (not usually but always) have crewmen that are ordered as "dispatchers" , they work in the station day shift and night shift, and before train leaves the station dispatcher must to get out from the station onto platform, and he must to raise his hand with bat (or with lamp at night), and this is signal to engine man that train should continue journey. (Before that dispatcher must call dispatcher of the next station this train is going to and seek for permission to send train on route to his station).

But I never see something similar in Canadian or American railways. How is train allowed to leave the station? How engine man can be sure that train is ready to departing, and that there is no problem on route to another station?

In the U. S. that function is performed by the train conductor. The practice in Canada is similar, but I'm not sure what the present job title is -- there have been some changes in on-board duties. Many stations in both countries are what would be called unstaffed halts in Europe, and there is no station staff present. I have seen the function performed by the train conductor in Germany and Belgium in recent years, even at Brussel Noord.

On VIA the Conductor's role is divided between the second Engineer, known as the In Charge Locomotive Engineer, and the Service Manager. It is the Service Manager that signals the Engineer that it is safe to depart. This is almost always done by radio rather than by hand or lantern signals.

Is it really the case in Europe that the dispatcher gives the driver authority to proceed to the next station? Isn't it rather that the dispatcher gives the signal "station duties completed", but that the actual authority to proceed into the next section is given by the signals which are controlled from a signal box (or increasingly these days from a central traffic control), or by a token or radio order or some other system of train control?

I got the impression that the OP was referring to the European equivalent of the North American "highball" or "two-to-go" from the conductor. In Europe that was given by the station staff, but not until the line dispatcher or controller, or local block operator, had determined that the block was clear and then cleared the signal as mentioned by johnthefireman. In Germany, for example, the procedure was that the block signal would be cleared, with one or more repeaters mounted on the platform for circumstances when the block signal could not be seen from everywhere on the platform; then, and not until then, a member of the station staff (always wearing a red cap), noting that the repeater was displaying a proceed indication, would make the "all aboard" announcement, and then give the highball to the engineer, either by hand signal with a wooden staff or by pressing a button on a column on the platform to activate a fixed signal mounted on the block signal mast and also repeated at intervals along the platform. Today in Germany and elsewhere the function has been largely taken over by the train conductor, and has always been performed by the conductor in North America.

johnthefireman wrote:Is it really the case in Europe that the dispatcher gives the driver authority to proceed to the next station? Isn't it rather that the dispatcher gives the signal "station duties completed", but that the actual authority to proceed into the next section is given by the signals which are controlled from a signal box (or increasingly these days from a central traffic control), or by a token or radio order or some other system of train control?

In most of European countries, we have 2 types of stations. One type of station we call "Stations" and others we call "Stops". Stations are rail stations that owe at least 4 or 5 railway tracks inside the station and that also owe crew whose job is to regulate traffic. In the "Stations" trains are able to start or stop journey, or make waiting for another train that comes from opposite direction, if main line is single track for both directions.

Stops are railway stations that can have crew , but only for selling tickets, but usually, stops are without staff. (if you travel from station without any single crew, you are able to buy ticket by a conductor.. you just sit in the train when conductor comes to you and you tell him what directions you want ticket for.

Anyway, the job of dispatcher in the station is: when train comes to station, dispatcher needs to call dispatcher of the neighbor station, it means, first station the train is going to. Than he needs to seek him permission to let the train away to his station. And when dispatcher of the first station (not stop but station) train is going to confirm "yes, you can send me train2 (not exactly with those words, but whatever), than dispatcher must to physically get out from station, and he must (when is day) raise his hand with the bat, or with lamp (in night) in front of window where is guy in engine. Than train is able to go to next station. After that, dispatcher is able to go inside the station again.

So, bassically, yes, the dispatcher gives the driver authority to proceed to the next station. Dispatcher work in every Station and his duties are that he is in charge of every movement of any rail vehicle in the station. His main duty is also to regulate traffic between Stations. "Stops" are usually made in some smaller villages, so local people can easily take a train, but there can't be any action, because usually there is no crew at all.

Interesting topic to explore, and some of it might come down to terminology, and might be different from one country to another even within Europe. Perhaps we are using different meanings for the word "dispatcher".

If you look at the rule book used in Britain, in the module "Station duties and train dispatch on ERTMS lines" (see http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Book/Ru ... ss%201.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), the dispatcher on the platform gives a ‘station work complete’ and ‘train safety check complete’ signal (3.1) and then a 'ready to start' signal (3.3). Nevertheless, 3.3 also instructs the driver, "If you receive the ‘ready-to-start’ signal before you have an authority to clear the platform, you must not move your train unless the signaller gives you permission to do so." In my mind this separates the duties of dispatcher (who gives the 'station work complete', 'train safety check complete' and 'ready to start' signals, thus informing the driver that there is no reason why he cannot proceed) and the signaller (who gives the actual authority to proceed into the next section. He might not give that authority even though the dispatcher has cleared the train to depart).

In a different module ("Station duties and train dispatch", http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Book/Ru ... ss%203.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), 3.4 does instruct the dispatcher to check that the starting signal is off before giving the 'ready to start' signal. However in 3.3 the driver is instructed, "If you receive the ‘ready-to-start’ signal [from the dispatcher] and the platform starting signal is at danger, you must not move your train towards the signal to wait for it to show a proceed aspect, unless the signaller gives you permission to do so" (3.3). This once again separates the duties of dispatcher and signaller, and specifically states that the dispatcher's 'ready to start' signal does not give the driver authority to proceed; only the signaller can give that authority. The dispatcher is supposed to have checked, but the rules allow for her/him not having done so and make it clear who has the actual authority to authorise the driver to proceed. I suppose one could also imagine a case where the dispatcher has checked that the fixed signal is off, gives the 'ready to start' signal, the train is just about to move and suddenly the fixed signal is reversed to a danger aspect. In that case clearly it is the signaller, not the dispatcher, who the driver obeys.

In South Africa (which admittedly is not in Europe), 27.4 in the driver's Module 1 "Train Working Rules" states, "A driver, before starting a train, must obtain the 'train may depart' signal [from the dispatcher] and satisfy himself that... the line ahead is clear and that fixed signals, where provided and applicable are at 'all right' or 'proceed'. When proceeding on a single line, other than where non-token working is in operation, a driver must ensure before departing that he holds the correct token for the section ahead". As with the British one, it makes the point that the authority to proceed into the next section is not given by the dispatcher but by the signaller controlling the fixed signals, or by possession of the token where applicable.

South Africa also has that distinction which you mention between a station and a halt. The former generally has at least one passing loop and, at least before the days of Centralised Traffic Control, was manned. The latter has no passing loop and was usually unmanned.