Safety On The Track - A London Transport safety film - 1950

A London Transport safety film from 1950 detailing safety and safe work practices on and around their electrified rail network and the hazards associated with electrified traction and shunting in yards.

[@lordtednfs]

Filmed between Northfields and South Ealing and towards Acton Town. The second depot incident was filmed in Northfields depot. Great to see the District line running down that way.

[@gw7apm967]

Love the way the ‘Look Out’ carries the detonators in his pocket. One trip and your missing body parks. And this is a safety film.

[@wetcanoedogs]

that was one of the best non steam train videos.a job tooting the horn must of been for the old guys.

[@joelcartagena953]

10:44 shunting the flatbed trucks. That would also make for great sound effects for the Thomas & Friends t.v. series.

[@ianhanrahan825]

A silly chappy has just received a huge belt from the conductor rail. But! Never fear! Service is soon restored. A new fuse and away we go. Workmen! Know your limits!

[@ianwatkins9602]

They were men in those days.. 😂😂

[@limeyosu2000]

Was going to say in reality he probably didn’t make it Mr chumley Warner 😜

[@geoffpainting8081]

Pre Hi Viz days!!!!! No PPE!!!!!

[@ianjones4116]

I do love these old Safety films. We were too busy to make mistakes. Common Sense is the key. I wouldnt get out of the Can, if my lookout man had got a Mobile phone . Progress !!! I'm still out on that one. 😎👍

[@PhilSmith71]

At 2:55 the tracks on the left with the steam trains are to/from London Marylebone. The first steam train is on the Up Main and descending towards Hampstead tunnel.

[@greenfingersgardener822]

Normally doesn't kill you. It's your time that does. If death decides you are next. That is it, whether you are sunbathing in the garden, walking the family pet, doing laundry or gardening, out at the pub, driving in the car or just relaxing. If your number is up. you will never see tomorrow. Live life the best you can. as tomorrow may never come...

[@johnnycats5157]

Does it bother anyone else, the idea that all he has to do is accidently, BARELY brush his foot against that third rail by a hair and he's dead? third rails always seemed like the STUPIDEST, most DANGEROUS and RECKLESS idea ever.

[@Ragnar8504]

There are better systems, usually with the third rail suspended from above and the power pickup reaching up from below. That way, the third rail can be covered on three sides and can't be touched easily. There are clear advantages of third rail systems over overhead wires though, they're mechanically stronger and can have a much larger cross-section, reducing heat losses.

[@odenviking]

I think that the quality i superb and one should not try to change it to a hi res video.

[@ianjones4116]

Should have put passengers on that Trolley,, it's faster than most Southern services lol.

[@The_East_Charlieton_Railway]

Thomas the E2 tapped someone with his buffers

[@stephenrice4554]

Got a fair belt just country side of Woking , changing pots and got a stuck bolt . Upshot was a blinding headache and a couple of good burns . Familiarity breeding contempt , but only once . I woke up on the cess , and once the workmates had stopped laughing they checked me over . Careless it certainly was . 👍🇬🇧

[@barryuk676]

Very interesting to see how London Transport operated 70 years ago, an action packed safety film left every new starter with a clear picture of how dangerous the job could be if they didn't follow the rule book. Surprised that the rule book didn't tell staff on the track to acknowledge the train or look out man's warning horn, also if you watch these acted safety films you will always pick out someone not following the safety script, watch the lads packing up for lunch they step over all rails one at a time except for the last two who do exactly as they would do in real life and step over the running rail and live rail in one step. What a good idea insulated tools are, safety has a higher priority nowadays but as the guys in the film had just come through WW2 I suppose they were more used to danger than most are today.

[@leeosborne3793]

I used to work for the Underground, and when I had my track training we were told you could cross the running rail and positive rail all at once or step in between the two, depending on what you felt most comfortable and confident doing. We had a dummy track to practice on. I preferred the one-step method, but there was a woman on our course who was slightly under five feet tall, and she found the two-step method easier.

[@leeosborne3793]

The gap between the positive rail and the running rail is bigger than it looks and takes quite a big step to cross in one go. If you're not particularly tall, it can be tricky, although I think the 2-step method makes tripping more likely if you're not *very* careful.

[@eddherring4972]

9:03 and not one comment about two trains obviously within the same section. Just as well matey was electrocuted otherwise these two certainly would have collided

[@zerofox7347]

At 7:40 should the gang not have come to a stand still as the train passed? He had just complimented "mack wearer" for stopping.

[@Kosmonooit]

Just googled the voltage: 630V /750V DC ... that is dangerous.

[@leeosborne3793]

Watch out for the exploding barrels!

[@stuartbroome1258]

Pulled cleat off a live Rail!!!

[@chriswaring5565]

6 FOOT FOOT 7 FOOT 8 FOOT BUNCH DAYLIGHT COMES AND WE WANT TO GO HOME

[@mediacityavid]

Charles Hawtrey's brother is so patronising. These days trains struggle to run in either direction due to regular strikes.

[@ianjones4116]

Funny they never mentioned the Toxic Smoke from all the Burning Track lube.

[@McSynth]

Good grief. One would have to be sober to learn all these pointers.

[@marcusstewart3044]

Safety protocol re third rail is the opposite today: do not step between it and the running rail but over both - which makes better sense. Much too easy to contact third rail when stepping between per narrow space. Indeed, in the video his trousers could well have touched the rail and were at best a few cms short.

[@phaasch]

Agreed. I thought it looked bloody dangerous. Whenever I had to cross anything electrified, I always strode well clear of both running and juice. Never liked doing it in the first place.

[@xr6lad]

Agree. I also thought his trousers touched. It seemed a sure way to get a shock.

[@joelcartagena953]

Hi it's me again and I just want to ask if you could make this video with better quality?.

[@kaasmeester5903]

“Loose clothes might be caught by a passing train, which would be very unpleasant”. Gotta love the British way of understating the dangers 😊