Steam drivers wearing glasses

Hi guys

In the steam era, drivers where not allowed to be drivers if they relied on glasses.

Ive seen plenty of drivers on preserved railways who wear them so I imagine the rule was relaxed because of the lower speeds?

question is the mainline, are you allowed to drive a steamer on the mainline if you have to wear glasses?

cheers

Mike

 

thanks Ralph

what I got told by an old driver was the reason for them not being allowed was of them steaming up.

wonder if its the fact that technology for them has advanced since?

Mike

 

IIRC glasses were allowed for reading notices when signing on etc but were not allowed on the footplate. Distance vision had to be perfect. I think the reasons for glasses being prohibited on the footplate were the risk of them falling off or breaking rather than steaming up. Must be some crew around from those days who can give chapter and verse though.

 

I seem to remember hearing that the rule on perfect vision had been removed a few years back (for all mainline drivers, that is), but they must be able to see perfectly with their perscription, or something along those lines.

 

You read in some of the "steam-era" books about footplate work that a younger fireman to an older driver would help out with sighting certain difficult signals, realising that their drivers eyesight was reaching the acceptable minimum.Presumably at least for older drivers there would have been regular distance-vision eyesight checks.

The question is only covered in general terms in the rule book, stating under rule 1f :" Employees may, from time to time, be required to undergo medical, eyesight, practical or educational examinations in accordance with regulations in force."

 

Some time ago BR's Main Line drivers were allowed to wear distance glasses because, I suspect, they realised they'd a lot of ageing drivers [and most/all cabs were fully enclosed of course].
Network Rail Group Standards currently allow Drivers to wear Distance/Reading/Bi-Focals but not with photochromic coatings nor 'varifocal' lenses of any sort. Also a replacement pair of spectacles, of the same prescription, must be carried in case those being worn get broken, etc.
People who've had laser eye surgery, so they stop wearing spectacles/contact lenses, will fail the NR Driver medicals.
Apparently Australia has carried out tests on photochromic coatings, affecting the sighting of signals, arising from a number of 'signal mis-reads' over a period of years.

 

I wonder whether this point may change over time, as with the change in spectacle wearing, as we learn more about the long-term effects of laser eye surgery.

It is said earlier in the thread that wearing glasses can help give protection against grit etc, although if I'm honest wearing both glasses and contacts from time to time (glasses when I know I have a turn, contacts when I randomly end up having a footplate ride somewhere!), I find the opposite; the glasses seem to create a low-pressure area behind the lenses which sucks in more crud that I never seem to experience with contacts. That said, I would much prefer trying to get any crud out that's in there, without a contact lens in the way too!

 

Do the current standards allow for the wearing of contact lenses?

 

My understanding is that you can wear contact lenses in a 'clean cab' environment, so diesel and electric cabs, but must have your glasses in your bag incase you have to remove your contacts and can't get them back in, however due to the dust in the atmosphere on steam footplates, you must wear glasses.
I tend to wear contacts when secondmanning and glasses when firing.

 

Looks like glasses are ok then, but is colour blindness an issue?

My colour blindness means I could never be an airline pilot, but I'm not sure if it would be a factor as more sedate steam speeds.

 

Colour blindness is definitely an issue and, depending on what type, may preclude you and others from railway work. HMRI/HRA guidance is the same as the Railway Group standard, which states:
'.........that staff performing safety critical tasks must have: ‘Normal colour vision: using a recognised test, such as the Ishihara, complemented by another recognised test if required. In the case of drivers: Coloured contact lenses and photochromatic lenses are not allowed.’
On the subject of glasses, it used to be the case that varifocal lenses were not allowed for drivers but I can't find any reference to this. Is it still the case?

 

Mainline, drivers can wear glasses, but their uncorrected vision must be to a certain standard, and they have to carry a spare pair of glasses. Tinted glasses, varifcals, etc are a no go.

Colour vision is most definitely an issue. Forget mainline safety critical footplate work, but a lower degree of dissability may be acceptable on heritage lines.