Single line working

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F79R3Fg-pPY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
What a complicated system to run a train against the current of traffic.
It speaks of a "pilotman," something of a "human token" it seems to me. In North America we have "pilots," enginemen who are qualified over the physical characteristics of a railroad which the train engineer isn't. The pilot may run the train.
Also in this series "permissive" signals are referred to. As where I worked, they were not for passenger trains. We used it only in manual block territory, (dark territory, no automatic block signals,) to let a freight train follow another freight in a block, at restricted speed. My employer, the PRR, did away with permissive block around 1962.

The station with the viaduct looks to be Midford, first station out of Bath on the Somerset & Dorset. Having dropped my daughters at Bath for a 2-week vacation in the late '80's, I made my way to Midford Station (line closed in '66); beautiful area! Recently, 2 tunnels (they had been sealed) were opened up, allowing one to walk or bike from Bath, over the GW mainline, thru the tunnels (Devonshire and Combe Down) and into Midford. When you get there, there's a reward; right below the old station is a wonderful old pub called the Hope and Anchor. Absolutely idyllic area in late spring and summer. Sam

Fascinating video, and much of it is similar to pilotman working in South Africa. One difference is that when there are two or more trains going in the same direction, in the video the pilotman gives authority verbally to the preceding trains and rides on the last one; in South Africa he gives a signed form (a "pilotman's ticket") to the preceding trains, not just a verbal instruction, and also rides on the last one. Our steam excursions from Pretoria to Cullinan have experienced pilotman working on every trip for the last year or so due to ongoing engineering works between Eerste Fabrieke and Pienaarspoort. Wish we'd had a video like this when we were studying pilotman working for our exams!

We also use the word "pilot" to describe a driver who has the road knowledge accompanying a driver who doesn't, which is different from a pilotman.

I have not watched the video yet, but it reminds me of a train I rode in Mexico . It was a run down line. However , every so often we would run over a detonator. The train would stop, and the guard / conductor would climb down , and apparently set another detonator on the track . I could not figure out how this would give a following train warning of the train ahead , after all the detonator could have been set days ago. unless someone comes along after a set time and removes the detonator to signal the line is clear.
Anyone know of this practice , and how it works.
I guess the other possiblity was they were warning of speed restrictions on the track , but there were so many , and the train went so slow anyway, I doubt this was the reason.

In South Africa a single detonator is not a stop signal but is drawing attention to something, eg a white flag protecting a track gang, or a fixed signal to be taken at its most restrictive aspect, and the driver must reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Two detonators mean stop but then proceed on sight if the line is clear until he receives a further signal or instruction. Three detonators is an absolute stop signal which can't be passed without authority.

Traditional practice in North America required a train (operating in "dark territory", i.e. no continuous track circuits or other form of presence detection) which was compelled for any reason to stop or run at a reduced speed to drop red-lighted fusees (I think phosphorus is involved) which would burn for ten minutes as a warning to following trains to be on the alert for something unexpected ahead. Possibly in Mexico they stopped and actually attached a detonator ("torpedo" over here) at intervals. If the train was already stopped, the flagman would have to run back a considerable distance with fusees, torpedoes, a lantern, and a flag and wait there until the engineer called him in with the engine whistle (4 long blasts for an eastbound train, 5 for a westbound), whereupon the flagman would retrace his steps--in all weather, needless to say.

Fusees are also used on highways over here to warn motorists of dangerous situations. State police put them out at accident scenes to warn other drivers not to run into the accident. I used to carry some in my car. They are exactly the same, whether for highway or rail, whether called "flare" or "fusee."
The top photo is of a detonator in Belgium (petard, I guess.)
Bottom photo is of an ordinary North American torpedo.
The second part of the charming training film, "The Third Sam" has a very good shot of a British, yellow detonator attached to a rail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoVJ87hSuvk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ExCon90 wrote:If the train was already stopped, the flagman would have to run back a considerable distance with fusees, torpedoes, a lantern, and a flag

It's similar in South Africa. A red flag is displayed 1,500 m from the rear of the train, then the first detonator is planted 100 m beyond that, and two more at 20 m intervals, so the total protection distance is 1,640 m.

I was the guard (conductor?) on a train that derailed a few years back and I sent an off-duty fireman who was riding in the caboose back to protect the derailed train. He placed the detonators and planted the flag in the middle of the track, which is allowed by the rules. Several hours later the driver of the diesel which came to rescue us returned the flag to me.