Editor's picks
Jump right in with Greg Morse's selection of priority reads.• 200 years of rail
• RIFT knowledge
• RAIB brief: Broughty Ferry
Letter from the editor
Many of you will know Mike Roberts, a railway chaplain who works out of Preston station. He makes his Right Track debut in this issue, by taking on our corporate memory column.
Mike’s focus is on our own experiences on the railway, which become the corporate memory of the future. And in the future, people will learn from what we’ve learned today.
With this in mind, GB Railfreight’s Bessie Matthews describes a challenging day at work, during which her train struck a deer on the line. It was a tough moment for Bessie, and tough for her locomotive, which lost power as a result. Proper procedure meant that a Thunderbird came to the rescue, was promptly hooked on, and the train was soon back in service.
Network Rail’s Justin Willett returns to present a slightly older story from his driving career, which he fed into the way he trained new drivers under his care. This is how the baton is passed on from one generation to the next.
Elsewhere, RSSB’s Barbara Smith describes what to expect from post-incident interviews. Meanwhile, our RAIB report brief draws out the learning points from the tree strike that occurred in Dundee in December 2023.
Finally, 2025 is the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. To join the industry in celebrating rail’s past, present, and future, I penned a piece on how rail revolutionised time. And my colleague who helps me with Right Track put me in the hot seat for this issue’s ‘10 minutes with…’ interview. What better time to share my passion for rail’s history and retaining its corporate memory?
Greg Morse, Editor
What to expect in a post-incident interviewIf post-incident interviews aren’t the same as giving a statement, what do they entail?
Tackling trespass and suicide togetherHere’s how our new ‘one-stop shop’ will help industry work together to tackle trespass and suicide on the network.
The smaller the gadget, the bigger the RIFTHow do we stop commuters putting their life on the line for earbuds or other high-value electronics?
200 years of rail: the importance of provenanceCan stories from rail’s remarkable history inspire us to record our own today?
Sick of being sick? Maybe we can helpWhat are the main causes of sickness absence and what can be done about it?
Railways and the test of timeAs we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, we remember a particular aspect of rail’s rich history.
NewswireRound-up of overseas rail accidents and incidents between October 2024 and January 2025.
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