Springs Branch
Established Member
I came across this document on the public part of the Network Rail website which gives opening and closing times of signal boxes around the system.
www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Compendium-of-Signal-Box-Opening-Times.pdf
Looking at my own area of interest - North West & Central region (pages 24 to 27), most of the opening & closing times (or continuous operation) make sense - with a few intriguing exceptions. In summary:-
So if you're the signaller doing a week of Night Shift at one of these boxes, once you've dealt with the last few trains in the late evening, what do you do all night?
It must be terribly tedious to sit up all night in these boxes (without nodding off) with nothing to do for 25 to 33% of your working hours (assuming rotating shifts). Why wouldn't the Absolute Block box at Parbold, for example, be closed between midnight and 6am, and which early-hours pedestrians is the crossing keeper at Bromley Cross keeping safe from trains which don't run?
I understand there may be late night engineering work from time to time, but wouldn't it be more economic to specially open a box just on the odd occasion this work was happening?
www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Compendium-of-Signal-Box-Opening-Times.pdf
Looking at my own area of interest - North West & Central region (pages 24 to 27), most of the opening & closing times (or continuous operation) make sense - with a few intriguing exceptions. In summary:-
- All major signalling centres, PSBs etc are open 24/7, along with smaller traditional boxes on main routes which will see overnight trains - e.g. Astley, Vitriol Works, Blea Moor and Plumley are open continuously - no surprises here.
- Smaller boxes on purely freight routes, where traffic is likely to run at very 'unsocial' hours are also open continuously - e.g. Arpley Jn and Great Rocks Jn.
- Smaller boxes on many secondary lines which have almost exclusively passenger services often close overnight, more or less in line with expectations. E.g.
- Furness Vale box is open 05:40-00:10 M-Sa and 08:00-00:00 Su, closed overnight.
- Rufford box is open 05:40-23:40 M-Sa, closed overnight and all day Su.
- Whitehaven Bransty open 05:30-00:00 M-Sa, 12:10 to 23:40 Su.
So if you're the signaller doing a week of Night Shift at one of these boxes, once you've dealt with the last few trains in the late evening, what do you do all night?
It must be terribly tedious to sit up all night in these boxes (without nodding off) with nothing to do for 25 to 33% of your working hours (assuming rotating shifts). Why wouldn't the Absolute Block box at Parbold, for example, be closed between midnight and 6am, and which early-hours pedestrians is the crossing keeper at Bromley Cross keeping safe from trains which don't run?
I understand there may be late night engineering work from time to time, but wouldn't it be more economic to specially open a box just on the odd occasion this work was happening?