Download Electrification

TEACHER’S
GUIDE
ELECTRIC RAILWAY SAFETY
INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION
FOR WELSH BACCALAUREATE
www.networkrail.co.uk/safetyeducation/welshbacc
Introduction
Background
The number of railway overhead power lines in Britain is increasing.
For this assembly or
lesson, you will need:
Electrifying the railway will bring many benefits: a greener, quieter, faster and more
reliable service. But it also has safety implications.
Overhead electric lines powering the railway carry an electric current that is 100 times
more powerful than that in the home. Tragically, 69 people have been electrocuted on
the railway in the last ten years.
‘Live Wire’ is a railway electrification safety awareness campaign for young people,
developed by Network Rail as part of its Rail Life youth initiative. It is designed to support
school children, parents and local communities in using electrified railways safely.
A projector and screen
Aim of the assembly
We hope that the assembly will help the children in your school understand:
• How to recognise electric railways – overhead power lines and the conductor rail
• The benefits of electrification, but also the dangers
• How to stay safe around electric railways
The PowerPoint presentation
downloadable from
www.networkrail.co.uk/
safetyeducation/welshbacc
• The key safety ‘rules’ – the Rail Life ‘Safety Top 3’
Some willing members of
the audience to take part in
the quiz
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 2
PowerPoint slideshow
Slide 2: What’s this?
What’s this?
You’re looking at the future
• Ask the pupils to put their hands up if they’ve seen one of these types of trains before.
• E
xplain that it’s an electric train and that you know that many pupils may have used
one before – probably as part of a longer journey – on holiday, for example.
You’re looking at the future of Britain’s railway
Note to teachers:
Illustration is HS2.
Slide 3: And this?
And this?
Conductor (or third) rail
Electric overhead lines
• E
xplain that electric railways are powered by electricity rather than traditional fossil
fuels like diesel or coal.
• H
ighlight for pupils that electricity reaches the train in one of two ways – either via
an overhead power line (left hand picture) or a conductor rail, sometimes called the
third rail (right hand picture). In Wales it will be overhead power lines.
Electrification is coming to a line near you
Slide 4: Electrification is coming to a line near you
• E
xplain that by 2020, over half (54%) of Britain’s railway and 27% of Wales’ railway
network will be electrified.
• I f your school is along the South Wales Mainline, tell pupils that the exciting news is
that their local line will be ‘electrified’ next.
What are some of the benefits
of electric trains?
Slide 5: What benefits will electrification bring to
your area?
Faster and quieter railway journeys
More seats on trains
Improved reliability on some of the busiest routes
Better for the environment
Boost for the local economy
Explain that electrification will bring a number of important benefits:
• Faster and quieter journeys
• More seats on trains
• Improved reliability on some of the busiest routes
• Better for the environment
• Boost for the local economy
Note to teachers:
Electrifying key routes on the railway will improve services for thousands of passengers
and help support economic growth across many of our cities and towns. It will mean
faster and quieter journeys with more seats on trains and improved reliability on some
of the busiest routes.
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 3
PowerPoint slideshow
Slide 6: The Power Quiz
The Power Quiz
• E
xplain that you want to test the pupils’ knowledge of electric trains in
THE POWER QUIZ.
• E
ncourage pupils to put their hands up when they know the right answer.
Do offer prizes at the end if you like!
Slide 7: K
now your trains? Guess their age…
Know your trains? Guess their age…
ars old
B
A. 200 years old
rs old
60 yea
200 ye
B. N
early 60 years old (1955)
A
ld
C
rs o
19 yea
C. T his train is just a baby in comparison to the others – it was launched in Britain
in 1994
Note to teachers:
– This is ‘Puffing Billy’, the oldest surviving steam locomotive, which pulled trucks from
a coal mine in Northumberland to the River Tyne. The mine’s owner wanted to speed up
delivery of coal to the waiting ships and knew machines would be faster than horses.
‘Billy’ was part of a transport revolution that introduced steam railways across the
country. The locomotive’s top speed was about six miles per hour.
– This poster shows the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath line which, in 1955, became the first
main line over which all passenger and freight train operation was carried out by an
electric train.
– This is a Eurostar electric train which can travel at speeds of up to 186 miles per hour.
Slide 8: How much of the UK network is already electrified?
How much of the network is already electrified?
A.  None of the network
B.  25% – over 1,913 miles (61,574 Olympic-sized swimming pools)
C.  30% – over 3,000 miles (98,556 Olympic-sized swimming pools)
§ A. None of the network
B. 2
5% – over 1,913 miles
(61,574 Olympic-sized swimming pools)
C. 3
0% – over 3,000 miles
(98,556 Olympic-sized swimming pools)
Answer: C. 30% of the overall railway network in Britain. Or, over 3,000 miles –
3,062 miles, to be precise. That’s the same length as 98,556 Olympic-sized
swimming pools. In Wales, none of the track is electrified currently, but 27%
will be by 2020.
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 4
PowerPoint slideshow
Slide 9: E
lectric trains have faster journey times
than diesel trains – why?
Electric trains have faster journey times
than diesel trains – why?
A. Electric trains can accelerate faster
A. Electric trains can accelerate faster
B. Electric trains can brake later
C. Electric trains have twice as many wheels
B. Electric trains can brake later
C. Electric trains have twice as many wheels
Answer: Both A and B are true. Journey time savings can be made by electric trains
due to the superior performance of electric traction.
Slide 10: What’s the top speed of the fastest electric
train in Britain?
What’s the top speed of the
fastest electric train in Britain?
A. 186 miles per hour
A. 186 mph
B. 169 miles per hour
C. 125 miles per hour
B. 1
69 mph
C. 1
25 mph
Answer: A. Eurostar’s maximum speed is 186mph.
How many passengers can be seated on an electric train?
ore
20% m
A. 20% fewer passeng
ers
than on a diesel train
passengers
B. 20% more l train
than on a diese
C. Both
seat the
ber
same num
Slide 11: H
ow many passengers can be seated on an
electric train?
A. 20% fewer passengers than on a diesel train
B. 20% more passengers than on a diesel train
C. Both seat the same number
Answer: B. Electric trains have 20% more seats compared to diesel trains.
How much Carbon dioxide (CO2) does an
electric train give off, compared to a diesel train?
A. 10% more CO2
per passenger
B. 20-35% less CO2
per passenger
C. About the same
Slide 12: How much carbon dioxide (CO2) does an electric
train give off compared to a diesel train?
A. 10% more CO2 per passenger
B. 2
0–35% less CO2 per passenger
C. A
bout the same
Answer: B. An electric train can give off, on average, between 20% and 35% less CO2
per passenger than a diesel train.
Note to teachers:
This helps improve air quality in pollution ‘hot spots’ such as city centres and main
line stations.
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 5
PowerPoint slideshow
How powerful are electric overhead lines?
es
A
100 times greater voltage than the power supply in the average home
100 tim
B
10 times greater voltage than the power supply in the average home
C
The same as the power supply in the average home
Slide 13: How powerful are railway overhead power lines?
A. 100 times greater than the power supply in the average home
B. 10 times as great as the power supply in the average home
C. T he same as the power supply in the average home
Answer: A. At 25,000 volts, overhead lines are 100 times greater than the power supply
in the average home.
Note to teachers:
This strength of current is sufficient to easily kill someone. The third rail has 750 volts
passing through it.
When are overhead lines & conductor rails
switched off?
Slide 14: When are overhead power lines & conductor
rails switched off?
A. After the train has gone past
A. After the train has gone past
B. Overnight
C. Never – the electricity
is on all the time
B. O
vernight
C. N
ever – the electricity is on all the time
Answer: C. The third rail and overhead lines have electricity flowing through them at
all times and are never switched off.
Electricity in overhead lines can ‘jump’–
but how far?
Slide 15: E
lectricity in overhead power lines can ‘jump’ –
but how far?
A. Two metres taller than an average man
C. Five met
res - mor
twice the
e than
height of
a
goalpost football
es B. Three metr jump
the highhigher than
rd
world reco
A. 2 metres
B. 3
metres
C. 5
metres
Answer: B. You don’t have to touch the overhead lines to get electrocuted. If you fly or
dangle things from bridges near the overhead power lines, the electricity can arc like
lightning or jump up to three metres.
Note to teachers:
A. The average man in the UK is 175.3cm tall (5ft 9 inches) according to the Office of
National Statistics.
B. T he World Record for High Jump was established by Cuban athlete Javier Sotomayor
at Salamanca, Spain on 27 July 1993 when he jumped 2.45m (8 foot ½ inch).
C. T he adult regulation size football goal is 2.44 metres high.
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 6
PowerPoint slideshow
Slide 16: How hot is the power line?
How hot is the power line?
If you came into contact with a power line on the railway, the
temperature could reach 5,000 degrees centigrade. How hot is that?
A. Hotter than
it takes to melt
iron
lava from the
B. Hotter than st volcano
world’s hotte
C. Hotter than
the surface
If you came into contact with an overhead line on the railway, the temperature could
reach 5,000 degrees centigrade. How hot is that?
of the sun
A. Hotter than it takes to melt iron
B. H
otter than lava from the world’s hottest volcano
C. H
otter than the surface of the sun
Answer: A, B and C are all correct.
Note to teachers:
A. Iron melts at around 1,535 degrees centigrade.
B. K
ilauea on Hawaii is the world’s hottest volcano. The core lava temperature is around
1,050 degrees centigrade (Pinkerton, James, Jones, Lancaster University. Pub. Journal
of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, March 2002).
C. 5
,000 degrees centigrade is the average temperature on the surface of the sun
(the core is 15 million degrees!) (Source: NASA).
In the last ten years, how many people have
been electrocuted on the railway in Britain?
A. 10
B. 25
C. Over 60
Slide 17: In the last ten years, how many people have
been electrocuted on the railway in Britain?
A. 10
B. 2
5
B. O
ver 60
Answer: C. 69 people have been electrocuted on the railway in the last ten years.
What happens when you get electrocuted?
Slide 18: What happens when you get electrocuted?
A. A tingling or painful sensation.
B. A painful shock, muscles contract and grip the electrical
source so you’re unable to let go.
C. The heart ‘flutters’ (ventricular fibrillation). Burns at entry
and exit points and internal damage.
D. Prolonged exposure or strong muscular contractions
stop the heart. Internal organs, tissue and skin burn.
e!
Answer: All of the abov
The effects vary depending on the electric
current and frequency, but they affect the whole
of the body…
A. A tingling or painful sensation.
B.A painful shock, muscles contract and grip the electrical source so you’re unable
to let go.
C.The heart ‘flutters’ (ventricular fibrillation). Burns at entry and exit points and
internal damage.
D.Prolonged exposure or strong muscular contractions stop the heart. Internal organs,
tissue and skin burn.
Answer: All of these are the effects of mild, moderate and more severe electric shocks.
The effects vary depending on the electric current and frequency, but they affect the
whole of the body…
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 7
PowerPoint slideshow
When you get electrocuted…
Lungs:
breathing is
paralysed.
Hands, heels, head: points of
contact with the electrical
source and the ground receive
the most severe burns.
Nervous system: disrupts the tiny electrical
impulses that enable you to sense, move,
think, respond and remember.
Heart: ‘flutters’ and fails to
pump blood properly. Goes
into cardiac arrest,
resulting in death.
Electricity seeks the easiest path to the
ground. Human bodies contain 70% water –
a great conductor for electricity.
Slide 19: When you get electrocuted
Note to teachers:
This slide and the one that follows go on to explain the effects of electrocution on
different parts of the body.
1.Electricity seeks the easiest path to the ground. Human bodies contain 70% water –
a great conductor for electricity.
2.Hands, heels, head: points of contact with the electrical source and the ground
receive the most severe surface burns.
3. Lungs: the electrical force paralyses lungs.
4.Heart: your heart’s rhythm is disturbed, your heart ‘flutters’ and fails to pump blood
properly. With prolonged exposure to the current it will go into cardiac arrest and death.
Slide 20: When you get electrocuted Continues from previous slide.
When you get electrocuted…
Spine/Bones: being
thrown by force of the
current or the strength of
muscle contractions can
lead to broken bones or
an injured spine.
Muscles: sometimes you grip the
electrical source so you can’t let go!
Abdomen: strong muscle
contractions throw you clear
of an electrical source and
can damage internal organs.
Skin and tissue: electricity burns
beneath skin and the burns blacken
and melt surface skin and tissue.
FACT: 9 out of 10 people die from the electric shock received
from getting too close to railway electric overhead lines.
5.Skin and tissue: high voltage electricity burns organs beneath the skin, while surface
skin and tissue is blackened and melts.
6.Abdomen: internal organs can be injured by strong muscle contractions throwing you
clear of an electrical source.
7.Spine/Bones: being thrown by the force of the current or the strength of muscle
contractions can lead to broken bones or an injured spine.
FACT: 9 out of 10 people die from the electric shock received from getting too close to
railway overhead power lines.
Discover the hidden dangers
SIGNALLING LOCATION
CASE
650 volts
OVERHEAD
LINES
25,000 volts
ELECTRICITY
CAN ‘JUMP’
3 METRES!
BURIED
CABLE
25,000
volts
3rd RAIL
750 volts
Slide 21: Discover the hidden dangers
Note to teachers:
This slide shows a typical section of electrified railway track. Ask pupils to guess where
the electricity is in the picture. With each click, electrical equipment and its voltage will
be revealed. The slide ends by revealing that electricity can jump and arc up to 3 metres
– so electricity can be found around the whole of the track area.
1. Electric overhead power lines: 25,000 volts.
2. Signalling location case: 650 volts.
3. Conductor or third rail: 750 volts.
4. Buried cable: 25,000 volts.
5. Whole screen: electricity can jump and arc as much as 3 metres.
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 8
PowerPoint slideshow
A final quick recap…
Slide 22: A final quick recap
Remind pupils of the key facts from this presentation:
–Overhead power lines carry electricity 100 times greater than the power supply
in your home.
–9 out of 10 people die from the electric shock received from getting too close to
railway overhead power lines.
Note to teachers:
Click on the play button at the bottom left of the square to play the video.
You can download the infographic animation from:
www.networkrail.co.uk/safetyeducation
A real life story
Slide 23: Plan for the weekend?
– A video based on a real-life story.
Note to teachers:
Click on the play button at the bottom left of the square to play the video.
Stay safe around the railway
Stay clear
of the tracks
Is it worth putting
your life on the line?
Slide 24: S
tay safe around the railway – stay clear
of the tracks
Note to teachers: Slides 25–28 conclude the presentation with a summary of the
Rail Life ‘Safety Top 3’.
Stay clear of the tracks. Is it worth putting your life on the line?
Stay safe around the railway
Use the
level crossing
Slide 25: S
tay safe around the railway – use the
level crossing
Shortcuts across the
railway can kill.
Use the level crossing. Shortcuts across the railway can kill.
Stay safe around the railway
Slide 26: Stay safe around the railway – know the signs
Know the signs
Be alert to railway signs.
They could save your life.
Know the signs. Be alert to railway signs. They could save your life.
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION / 9
PowerPoint slideshow
Slide 27: S
tay safe around the railway – remember
the Rail Life ‘Safety Top 3’
Stay safe around the railway
Electric lines and tracks are always on and can always kill.
Remember the Rail Life ‘Safety Top 3’
Stay clear of the tracks.
Is it worth putting
your life on the line?
Use the level crossing.
Shortcuts across the railway can kill
Overhead power lines and tracks are always on and can kill. Remember the Rail Life
‘Safety Top 3’.
Know the signs.
Be alert to railway signs, they could save your life
Don’t play
with kites
or balloons
near
overhead
lines
– Stay clear of the tracks. Is it worth putting your life on the line?
Electricity
can jump
up to three
metres.
– Electricity can jump up to three metres.
– Use the level crossing. Shortcuts across the railway can kill.
– Don’t play with kites or balloons near overhead power lines.
– Know the signs. Be alert to railway signs. They could save your life.
ELECTRIC RAILWAY SAFETY
INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION
FOR WELSH BACCALAUREATE
To find out more please go to:
www.networkrail.co.uk/safetyeducation/welshbacc