Hi guys, hope this counts as a tutorial/guide.
Basically, after seeing This scenario on UKTrainSim, I thought to myself why do we not have many Possession/Worksite scenarios?
I think the reason is because people don't necessarily know what goes where and the various rules and regulations.
Bit of background for you - Possessions of a Running Line for Engineering Work (often called 'T3' possessions as that is the Rulebook module that covers everything) have cropped up; not only for the company I work for but for the other main FOCs in the UK. In real life, they count for a quite big percentage of incidents compared to any other times. You may not think this (possibly with it being all low-speed), but it is a minefield - who signs what, who tells you to shunt forward etc.
Before any train sets off for a possession, the driver must have a PTO - a Planned Traffic Order. This shows exactly what will happen; including location(s) of worksites and possessions as well as any other important information.
When engineering works take place, they have to shut the railway line to traffic. In the example above, it is between Exeter St. Thomas and Teignmouth. This is the Possession.
Possessions can be as long as needed, and they cover one area of the line which has engineering work on it. Some can be 40-50 miles long (Settle & Carlisle for example).
Possessions are all under the control of the PICOP - Person In Charge Of Possession. He/she is the person that allows you into the possession and back out again.
Within a Possession there are normally Worksites, which are of a considerably less distance. This is where all of the real work goes on. The person in charge here is the ES - Engineering Supervisor. He/she tells you whether you can enter or exit the possession, as well as any movements inside. Inside a Worksite is all of the machinery, orange men and they are protected by WSMBs - Work Site Marker Boards. On the outside they flash a red light; on the inside they flash a yellow light. The ES would drop these for you to allow you to enter.
There is no end to the amount of different scenarios you can replicate - whether it be entering a possession (like the scenario linked earlier) or exiting, or even moves inside a possession (this would normally be pretty boring though!).
Just a couple of Rulebook regulations now.
Firstly (and most importantly) the MAXIMUM speed limit in any possession, regardless of length, is 40mph. This is only a maximum limit though; the rulebook also states that you must be able to stop within sighting distance - for any track workers or any obstructions (machinery etc).
You would know from the PTO where any worksites etc. are so that you can stop at them in plenty of time. This should be given to the player in the scenario.
This is the basic background of a Possession; there are probably many more things to add though. If you've got any questions, please do fire away!
Kind regards,
Sean.