Crossing Places

On a single line, to allow more than one train to be running there have to be places where the trains pass each other.  When this happens we call it a Crossing.  For safe working - to ensure only one train at a time on each section - a token must be obtained for the relevant section.  Machines at each end of the section are connected and will only release one token at any given time.  At the crossing places the tokens for two sections are exchanged ..... as here.

Volunteers come from far and wide to work on the Talyllyn.  We cross the country, fellow guard Peter has crossed the North Sea and our fireman today, Simon has crossed the pond from California.  All three of us have been making the pilgrimage for around half a century.  Peter trained me when I was sixteen, Simon was here then too.   

For me the most pleasing aspect of volunteering today on the TR is the wealth of younger people involved.  My assistant today Joe, sixteen himself, a confident and very capable guard in the making and trainee Bethan, already with experience of locomotive working on the engines, are part of a lively community of younger people working here in their spare time.  There's ten of us in the hostel tonight .... I'm old enough to be a parent to any of them!   The future's bright :-)

As an aside, unrelated to the railway, I can recommend Elly Griffith's book, 'The Crossing Places',- first in an excellent series of murder mysteries set in my home county of Norfolk.