Well, I was warned that things might get a bit more complicated as time went on. Having spent all last week being introduced to the basic concepts of signalling (basic...?!), we're now getting into the somewhat murkier waters of passing signals at danger with and without authority, temporary block working and train failures.
Everything was going swimmingly last week. We had a cab-riding exercise on one day with task books to complete and an out day to Cambridge IECC and Kings Lynn signalbox to show us how the theory translated into practice. Frankly, Cambridge IECC was a bit of a waste of time as the signallers didn't tell us much and we were left to fathom things out for ourselves ("So, tell us what it all does". "Er, well the red lights are the trains. Any questions?"). Kings Lynn signalbox was much better with the signaller giving a full description of what he was doing and even letting us throw some points. I can't pretend that I understood absolutely everything, but I think I've taken in enough to stand me in good stead for my rules course. I even managed to get my head around TPWS, which our trainer had warned us was not an easy subject to understand, so I thought I was doing well.
I think that this week might be a bit more of a challenge for me. Having grasped how things work when everything is running as it should and what all the different types of signals and aspects mean, there is still an awful lot more to understand. Given that it's one of the few things that stops us all bumping into each other I can see why a good understanding of signalling is vital. Doesn't make it any less complicated, though.
So, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to put the kettle on before settling down with some light reading.
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