Railway Safety Conference RSII2012

David Greenway - 
Speaker on EC Railway Safety

I attended the 1st annual international Railway Safety and Incident Investigation conference in Orlando last week (30 April-2 May). 


This was a really interesting event with presentations on a wide range of safety subjects - including operational safety, derailment investigation, human factors, technology solutions, and positive train control. 


The conference had over 50 presentations delivered over 2 streams and 3 days. 


I gave a presentation on the European approach to safety Regulation, which uses Safety Certification and Safety Authorisation granted by the national Safety Authority. The presentation also covered the introduction of new rolling stock and infrastructure systems - with 'interoperability' being a key feature. As this was a safety conference, I explained the European Common Safety Method for Risk Assessment. 


I found the overall event to be very interesting and useful. No doubt the organisers are planning now for next year. I expect they will do another great job.


Blog readers should email me if they want a copy of the presentation or the written paper. 


For more information, look at www.rs112012.com.

Quality, Safety & Environment QMS/SMS/EMS Assessment

BMTRADA hosted a Consultants Day on the 15th February 2012, which provided a very interesting and useful update on the developing assessment standards for ISO14001 and ISO18001, and the newly developed ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems.
A very useful day, and hosted by one of the leading Management Systems Assessment Bodies.

Working with Burton College University Students

RISC Ltd is enjoying working with Burton College to develop our brochure, presentational materials and website. This project was initially conceived as a student project to study the needs of a business client and to make proposals, thus providing some real-life exposure to real opportunities.

The students have done such a fine job, with very attractive pieces of work, and there is every chance that there will be a follow up to the first steps.

David sends a big thank you to the students, and to the Department Head for the work done so far.

ISO9001:2008 Audit Success

Clients will be pleased to hear that RISC Ltd continues to maintain its Quality Management System in line with the ISO9001:2008 Standard.


The formal surveillance audit was done by Bureau Veritas on the 29th November, and the auditor commented that: 

Ø  The level of compliance in this system was found to be very high ..

Ø  The documented system as seen is working for the benefit of the organization ..

Ø  The internal audit and management review processes give a high level of confidence that the management system will continue to be implemented and maintained.

Ø  The records available in support of evidence for the contracts being undertaken is a good positive strength of the system.

Our certificated scope continues to be : MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR CLIENTS ENGAGED IN RAILWAY TRANSPORT AND INDUSTRIAL SECTORS.

FLINT and STEEL

Neville Billington has revised and updated his earlier version of this book - which describes the story of how tragedy led to the formation of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and how James Edward McConnell changed the course of mechanical engineering during the years he lived and worked in the Bromsgrove railway community.

It is a fascinating story and includes the early developments of the steam engines - both stationary and locomotive - and the people of the day.

Given the skills and materials of the time, it is amazing what could be done - and no wonder that things appear rough and ready to us now. If they had invented the computer in those days, there is no knowing what we would see around us now!

Cover price is £4.99 and it has ISBN 978-0-9563402-1-4, and is available from camehundred@yahoo.co.uk.

It is really good - get a copy !!

Cruachan Train Derailment - Article published by The Scotsman

David Greenway: A tricky and possibly expensive operation

Published Date: 09 June 2010

By David Greenway

EACH derailment will create a unique situation that demands huge thought and skill to recover the vehicles.

In cases like Cruachan, access for special equipment is very limited and extremely expensive, and the engineer will have to select cranes that are large enough to reach from the road to where the vehicle is resting.

It is highly likely cranes sourced from specialist contractors would have the benefit of being versatile and can be brought quickly by road. This is of paramount importance if the train is in a situation like this.

If the access is really difficult and a crane can't be used, then freight haulage companies would be contacted for air-bags to prop the carriage until jacks and winches are used to move it.

A train, such as one involved in Sunday's incident, would weigh circa 45 tonnes, so it would be necessary to find a crane able to lift 100 tonnes or more, as reaching without the jib creates a leverage effect that reduces the weight the crane can lift.

This alone could cost something in the region of £100,000.

On top of those difficulties, the engineer must satisfy himself the ground on which he places the crane is safe for the total weight of crane and vehicle – a road supported on piers will need a lot of bracing and load-spreading beams to stop the crane's balancing outriggers from punching through.

Once the train is back on the road, it will be transported by a low-loader road vehicle to a workshop.

David Greenway is from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' railway division.

Page 1 of 1

• Last Updated: 09 June 2010 12:22 PM
• Source: The Scotsman
• Location: Edinburgh

This article was published to complement a larger piece - see http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Mission-impossible-to-rescue-derailed.6349122.jp

Future of Station Design

19th March 2010 - I attended a pre-conference meeting with speakers and the organisers of the Future of Station Design conference. Sim Harris (Railnews Editor) gave a fascinating introduction that included a review of station design over the years since railways began in the UK. It was interesting to hear that stations were not really focused on passengers in the beginning - they were places to deal with freight of coal and other goods (hence the multiplicity of small rooms for the different people who worked there).

Now, of course, the station is where people start and end their rail journeys (and change trains) and the purpose of the station is entirely different - yet many stations are still laid out for the original purpose. After so much rail investment has been made to improve the journey itself - new rolling stock and improved infrastructure, speed and reliability - many stations are a poor 'shop-window'. Sim says that now is the start of the Age of the Station - to follow up on the 'Age of the Train' !

Chris Green, the 'Stations Champion' who (with Sir Peter Hall) recently advised the government on improving stations, also gave an introductory talk. He showed that there is much to do, with needs to improve many stations , but also a fantastic opportunity to create some new iconic structures that can excite the imagination and be a real showpiece at the entrance to the rail network and to create regeneration in towns and cities.

The Future of Station Design conference will be held at the London Transport Museum on the 28th April. The conference is organised by Murray Media and will have Maggie Philpin as host. See http://events.linkedin.com/FOSD-Ltd-presents-Future-Station-Design/pub/244583