Castle Donington line EMT London service on 01/09/13

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P44685/2013/09/01/advanced

Does anyone know more about the route this takes between Derby and East Midlands Parkway?

Have there ever been previous passenger services over the Castle Donington line? And why does it take so long?

Is it booked at Stenson Junction to reverse or wait for a path?

It will need to reverse at Stenson Junction to gain the Castle Donington line.

This line has been used in the past for passenger train diversions - I remember travelling on a Central Trains' Crewe-Nottingham service [when they went through to Nottingham!], which avoided engineering works in Derby by using this line.

The curve at Sheet Stores Junction to gain the main line is very tight - this could be one of the reasons for the extended timings.

That and the Branch is bloody slow speed limit wise!! Takes an age to traverse it.

The line is thirteen miles long and not particularly fast, plus the five miles from Derby to Stenson so the diversion adds ten miles to Derby - Long Eaton.

Until a few years ago there were remnants of the old station at Weston-on-Trent to be seen and when you go round the curve, past the relay room at Chellaston you can see where the old direct line to Melbourne Jcn, Derby used to branch off.

47 minutes to do the branch does seem excessive, if it is some bizarre way of pathing it out at Sheet Stores, you would just stick the 26 in there not split it out. It seems too much to use to follow something infront of it.

Quite a lot going via Castle Donington that day...

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/CDON/2013/09/01/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

Still runs on a 5 minute headway, so you can still throw a fair bit down there as long as it can get out at Trent.

Tom said:

Quite a lot going via Castle Donington that day...

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/CDON/2013/09/01/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

Click to expand...

Great, thanks for that list.

Will be doing one of them, better than the replacement bus!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Found this in the sectional appendix:

When there is a requirement to divert services between Derby/Nottingham/Leicester via Sheet Stores Junction and
Stenson Junction, then the services concerned will be routed accordingly at Derby or Sheet Stores Junction.

Down direction services will be routed from Sheet Stores Junction via the Down Chellaston line to the Down Main line at
Stenson Junction where the Driver must bring the train to a stand clear and in rear of ground position light signal DY.300
for a reversal movement. The Driver must then change ends through the unit or by using the Down Main line cess. When
a diverted Down direction service is ready to depart to the Up Main line the Person in Charge of the train must advise the
Signaller in Derby box accordingly.

Up direction services will be routed from Derby via the Down Main line to Stenson Junction where the Driver must bring
the train to a stand clear and in rear of ground position light signal DY.300 for a reversal movement. The Driver must then
change ends through the unit or by using the Down Main line cess. When a diverted Up direction service is ready to depart
to the Up Chellaston line the Person in Charge of the train must advise the Signaller in Derby box accordingly.

The vast amount of pathing time between Stenson and Sheet Stores escapes me too - I can understand why 10' between Castle Donington and Sheet Stores might be justified, but 16' approaching Castle Donington...?

The Planner said:

47 minutes to do the branch does seem excessive, if it is some bizarre way of pathing it out at Sheet Stores, you would just stick the 26 in there not split it out. It seems too much to use to follow something infront of it.

Click to expand...

Doh, just realised, TPS being the fantastic system it is doesn't like more than 20 minutes pathing in one location, that is probably why....

Also happening on the 8th September all day.

CrossCountry still uses Castle Donington for diversions, which I happened to encounter in 2011 due to signal failures at Wigston Junction. EMT also sent HSTs that way during the flooding at Long Eaton last year.

When Stenson Junction was re-modelled, some very nice and neat cess paths were provided for the very purpose of drivers changing ends. However, they were totally churned up and ruined by a gang of contractors who came later to install cable troughing.

Used to be a Birmingham - Nottingham via Castle Donnington on Sundays in the mid 90s; one train a day mid afternoon. Presumably for route knowledge. Presumably there was a return working, don't know when.