Off the Road

'Thomas' during the re-railing process.

Nothing brings a chill to a railwayman like the phrase "They're off the road" when there's been a derailment. Whatever the nature of the incident, dislocation of services is the inevitable result.

Saturday, 6th October 2007 started well enough. 'Coventry No. 1', posing as 'Thomas', was lit-up, examined and oiled ready for service. The engine was moved down to the shed outlet signal to await the signalman. The signalman arrived and, shortly after, the signal dropped to proceed. The engine gave a short whistle, as an acknowledgement to the signalman and a warning to people in the vicinity of the impending movement. The brake was released and the regulator eased open until the locomotive just started to move. Almost at once, there was a shouted warning so the regulator was shut and full brake applied. The signal had been replaced to danger! Worse, the trap point beyond the signal had been moved to the throw-off position. This meant that the rails on which the locomotive was running were no longer parallel but intentionally divergent so as to derail runaway vehicles. In slow motion, the first wheelset 'fell in' as the gauge widened and the locomotive lurched sideways. This lifted the last wheelset just clear of the rails and, as the locomotive came to a stand, the gauge widening caused the middle wheelset to 'fall in', causing the locomotive to lurch in the opposite direction. The locomotive stopped with all wheels off, at an angle of about 15 degrees.

First considerations are always safety. Thankfully, nobody had been injured in this very low speed derailment and the public were not involved. Despite the 'cant' of the engine, there was no danger of the locomotive tipping over. Handbrake on and cylinder drain cocks open made the engine as secure as possible. Both gauge glasses confirmed that there was plenty of water in the boiler to cover the firebox crown, despite the locomotive not being level. Next, the locomotive was examined looking for any damage caused by the derailment, paying particular attention to the boiler. No damage was found. 'Throwing out the fire' was considered but, with only a moderate fire, full water tanks and injectors working, it was decided to just let the fire burn down, maintaining the boiler water level using the injectors.

With all wheels off, re-railing the locomotive was going to be quite a task. If some wheels remain on the rails, it may be possible to pull the locomotive back on with a minimum of packing. Sometimes, a locomotive can drag itself back on under its own power. This was not the case here.

Every available volunteer reported to assist in the re-railing but the key is to have somebody in charge who knows what he's doing. Fortunately, Roy was available and, under his direction, jacks, wooden packing, heavy steel plates and short lengths of rail were collected from around the site. It took some hours to get the locomotive into a position where it might be dragged back onto the rails. At that stage the 'Jocko', a class 08 diesel electric shunter, was summoned and connected to the steam locomotive by chain. The towing operation was carried out 'dead slow', a few inches at a time. The 350 h.p. shunters are ideal for this sort of job. Each time we stopped, the handbrake was applied on the steam locomotive, whilst the position of the wheels was assessed before the next 'pull'. The steam locomotive returned to the rails without further incident. The next morning, the locomotive had a further inspection. One copper oil line had pulled out of its gland and after rectification, the locomotive returned to traffic.

In the subsequent enquiry, the driver was completely exonerated, but it didn't make me feel any better. What did make me feel better was deputising at short notice for the booked driver on 'Thomas' on Sunday 13th October. We had what seemed like one of the busiest 'Thomas' days I can remember. In the afternoon, the train was re-inforced to 6 coaches. With 'six on' running into Platform 2, you can't get the locomotive adjacent to the water crane without setting the whole train back, so we used Platform 1 instead. The locomotive worked well and the success of the day partly made up for the disaster of the previous weekend.

Afterword

I've chosen the O-Torii Gate on Miyajima as a single symbol of a wonderful trip.

I've been back in England for a few days now, but my impressions of Japan are still vivid. Japan has a complex history and it would take a long time to unravel all the forces still at work in Japanese society.

Japan is made up of around 6,800 islands, although the vast majority of the 127 million population live on the largest island, Honshu, which I visited. Three quarters of the land mass is forested mountains so development is concentrated in the coastal plain. The Southern plain from Tokyo to Osaka is one of the most densely-populated areas in the world.

Until the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, Japan was closed off from the rest of the world and it remains ethnically homogeneous with only small numbers of Korean, Chinese and Western immigrants.

After centuries of rule by the various Shogun, power was handed back to Emperor Meiji in 1868 and he embarked on a period of modernisation where Western ways were imported into Japan and a modern infrastructure was developed.

The rise of the military during the Meiji period led to Japan's involvement in a number of military actions, culminating in Japan entering World War II. Conventional bombing by America had resulted in terrible losses but the use of experimental atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki produced an immediate capitulation.

Following the surrender, America was able to direct Japan's path for a number of years but, by the 1960s, a more confident Japan was emerging as an industrial giant. A period of great prosperity followed, allowing major infrastructure projects to be undertaken.

The booming 1980s saw Japan becoming more international in its outlook, making major overseas acquisitions and also becoming the world's second largest donor of aid. This period of affluence later became known as the 'Bubble Economy' and by 1998 Japan was officially in recession. Redundancies, previously unthinkable, undermined confidence and suicide rates soared. A somewhat-chastened Japan is now creating a new long-term role on the World's stage.

Religious belief remains strong, based on Shinto, allied with Bhuddism and a little Christianity. Shinto is a form of animism, where deities are seen in the natural world who should be thanked for good things and prayed to for assistance. It has ritual but no scripture, so other beliefs can be accommodated readily. I was intrigued that some Shinto shrines have a special place where new cars can be purified. This seemed to exemplify a pragmatism which appears to underlie much of Japan's success.

History and religion have moulded the sociology of Japan. In the West, we sometimes find the politeness, exaggerated respect and avoidance of personal conflict associated with the Japanese mildly amusing. I found it refreshing - the consideration which I experienced in Japan highlighted how bad things have become in my own country.

Since I travelled within Japan by train, railways (both modern and preserved) formed a thread running through the trip which I found absorbing.

Japan affected me more than I expected and I certainly want to go back to learn more. The contrasts were very stimulating - the vibrant, sprawling city of Tokyo, Yokohama with its maritime past, Senzu nestling in the hills. Then on to Nagoya with its towering buildings, the charm of Inuyama and its hilltop castle, the seaside feel of Nagoyaka. Kyoto retains echoes of its Imperial past and offers an amazing collection of shrines and temples whilst, not far away, Himeji has perhaps the ultimate example of castle building. Hiroshima is now a thriving provincial city again but, inevitably, visits to the 'A-bomb Dome' and the Peace Museum provide a harrowing reminder of recent history. Finally, the special island of Miyajima is an odd amalgam of the 'touristy' and the spiritual which I found charming.

All in all, a wonderful trip.