Yo Steve. It certainly doesn't take much to bring services to a stand nowadays. Recently we have the 'tresspassers on line' issue, most often in the school holidays. Usually some retard thinks it's really cool to wander onto the line and walk along it - mainly in the cess, but sometimes actually in the 4ft. This tends to stop all movements for about an hour by which time the herberts have vanished, but if Darwin comes into play and we bowl them over, it stops the service completely until the next day.
This is different from when I started, when the big trainstopper was 'door on the latch'. If platform staff had failed to ensure that all the slam doors had been fully closed before a train left a station, you'd get a radio call cautioning you about this, and you'd have to creep for miles looking for a body lying on the lineside.
In fact I had a variation on this once when a signaller told me I must stop at the next station and secure a 'door on the latch' on my own train that someone had noticed when I'd run through a station. I tried to explain to him that this was impossible as I only drove power-door stock, and it was probably another train that he should be talking to. He didn't seem to understand, so not being one to argue with authority when the conversation was being recorded I did as I was ordered. I ambled slowly up and down the platform checking each door very intently, since the platform CCTV was recording it all. This took 20 minutes with trains stacking up behind me on the Main Line to Victoria. I then reported back that all my Power Doors were still shut, the Traction Interlock light was still on as it always had been, and would he like me continue now? The next day I was pulled off driving to go and see the company's Head of Operations. They listened to the Box voice tape and couldn't fault me on protocol and communications, although Network Rail did moan about my sarcasm
I think I've mentioned before about our obsolescent stock with Emergency End Doors for single bore tunnels, both class 319 on the Midland Main Line into Moorgate upper level (now closed), and class 313 on Hertford Loop into Moorgate lower level. These doors were incredibly heavy and very difficult to close once they were opened. You were advised to never walk between units if you could get down onto the cess, as you needed to be an athlete to get the train closed up again. Glad to see the back of those heaps of c***. Not British Rail Engineering's finest offering, but then who knows how many commitees interfered with the design plans? Anyhoo I'm very glad that I never had to carry out a train evacuation on these, can you imagine having to put out a PA call - "If there's anyone on this train with the strength of an ox, could they please come and help the driver get the door closed before you go".
Interesting about your comments on 'Driverless Trains'. We have the beginnings of this on the core section of the new Thameslink system. They call it ATO - Automatic Train Operation. When I speak to the drivers of these behemoths we often chuckle at the tangles that the onboard computers get themselves into. Although I'm not a betting man, I'll be down to BetFreds on the day that they take drivers out of cabs to place a wager on how long it is before they have to put someone (with a different job title of course) back in.
Cheers, BW