Learning from accidents: an introduction to railway signalling in the UK

Dr Robin Wilson


Region:
South East
Notice Period:
Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
Type:
Any
Fee:
Paid: £100
Category:
History
Updated:
2nd July 2023

Trains are one of the safest ways to travel, but it hasn't always been like that. In this talk I will introduce the basics of railway signalling, and look at how it has evolved over time - often in response to accidents and near-misses. You will find out how a single stray wire caused an accident that killed 35 people, why leaves on the line cause such a problem for the railways, and how signalling systems are designed to deal with the inevitable human error.

This talk sounds like it might only be of interest to railway enthusiasts, but I have done a lot of work to make it broadly accessible and of interest to "normal people". I have had very good feedback from giving this talk to local science groups, U3A groups and so on.

Views: 182 | Enquiries: 0

About Dr Robin Wilson

I have a First Class degree in Geography, and PhD in satellite imaging & computer science from the University of Southampton. I am a professional speaker on a number of topics including satellite imaging, geography and computing.

As well as giving talks, I currently work as a freelance geospatial software engineer, working with clients ranging from small community groups to multi-national corporations to store, process and visualise geographic data such as satellite images and maps.

I am happy to give talks online or in person, although for in-person talks you should be aware that I use a wheelchair.

I am based in Southampton, but willing to travel reasonable distances to give talks - always feel free to ask even if you're a bit further away, the worst I can say is no!

Feedback from previous talks has included:

  • "The talk that Robin gave to our group was excellent. The clever animated video clips, accompanied by a clear vocal description gave an easily-understood picture of the underlying principles involved. The wide range of topics taken from situations familiar to everyone made the examples pertinent to all present and maintained their interest throughout. A thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking talk."
  • "I guessed your talk would be fascinating and informative - and it was!"

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