Well Judith – my experience of you is that you’re not a quitter and I suspect that Winter will get one hell of a beating from you!
Quotes that inspire me are usually of a cinematic nature but not all… In fact for me it’s often less a quote than a visualisation – In Red for Danger L.T.C.Rolt tells how time keeping was a matter of honour for the driver of the northbound Leeds express. When the southbound ‘Scotsman’ collided with a freight at Abbots Ripton the trap was set for this honest servant of the railroad to crash into the wreck. His dilligence, where others might have been late, made it impossible for the second accident to be avoided and many additional people died. I’m going to quote from myself…
In 1876 a terrible accident at Abbotts Ripton involving three trains resulted in far reaching changes to the way that British Railway signalling operated. In a driving blizzard, snow prevented signals that showed as clear to the driver from being pulled to danger and the southbound Flying Scotsman collided with a freight train that was reversing to get out of its way. A northbound Leeds express – ironically running to time in the terrible conditions – then ploughed into the wreckage. Fourteen people lost their lives.
The crucial change made was that all signals should by default show Red for Danger rather than clear and that they should always be visible. The most obvious example of the fallout from this accident on Britain’s Railways today is that the Red light is at the bottom of the colour light signals where it cannot be obscured by snow piling up on the hood of a light below. Simple but so very important…
This is something – ‘a quote’ you might say, that will stick with me throughout my life. Our safety hangs by so slim a thread.
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