Natural obstacles
‘I was pleased to see my training kick in when I struck a tree one early foggy morning,’ says GB Railfreight’s Bessie Matthews.
It’s an early morning thick with fog. I’m driving a freight train that weighs 1,200 tonnes and is half a mile long. I come around a tight curve and there, backlit in yellow light by the restrictive signal ahead, is the outline of what looks to be a whole tree laying across two lines—one line being the track I’m on. I have seconds to act. What am I going to do?
As train drivers, we’re taught how to react, who you talk to, and what to do in situations like this. It’s easy to imagine what we’d do, based on the lessons, revisions, and assessments. But real life is never quite the same.
In a split second, my training kicked in. Instincts moved my hand to strike the emergency brake. I’m aware that stopping such a heavy freight train in an instant isn’t possible but slowing down as quickly as I can is my best option to minimise impact. The weight and momentum of the train means it takes considerable distance to come to a complete halt, so every second counts.
In the fog, I can’t fully assess the size or exact location of the fallen tree, but I know any obstruction on the rails poses a serious risk. I mentally prepare for a possible collision, aware that hitting the object could damage the train, the cargo or, even worse, cause derailment.
In this situation, remaining calm is key. On the front line, every day presents a different challenge. As train drivers, we learn to adapt to the unexpected—from animals on the track to signal failures, adverse weather conditions to, as in this case, natural obstacles.
Our responsibility goes beyond just getting from point A to point B. We’re responsible for our own safety, the train’s, and the goods, plus the integrity of the rail infrastructure.
I hit the tree. My train lurches, rattles, and then finally grinds to a halt. The fog is still thick around me. I sit for a moment, listening to the muffled silence that followed the impact and the cry from the brakes.
I know the next steps: contact the signaller. RED emergency button if this poses an imminent danger to other trains; YELLOW urgent button to get through above normal calls; await instructions.
Ask for a line block if it’s necessary to check the condition of the train and the next line, and perhaps most importantly, take a breath. These moments of calm after the storm are part of the job. I did what you were trained to do, and in this case, that training made all the difference.
