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Trivia: Unsignalled, but electrified

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ijmad

ijmad

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The Romford-Upminster line is a piece of railway in passenger service that is entirely unsignalled, yet has been electrified with OHLE.

Are there any other lines or pieces of track that share these two properties? I admit that I can't think of any but I'm not very knowledgeable about anywhere other than the South East.

Third rail in lieu of OHLE would be acceptable.
 
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Peter C

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I'm not sure if there are any - in this case, the goal is to find a small line which uses some form of electrification, be it OHLE or 3rd Rail. The desired answer must also, really, be a relatively self-contained system. The LO line between Upminster and Romford is an example of this, although it meets other railway lines at each ends. But for all intents and purposes, the line is self-contained as the trains which run on it do Upminster - Romford and back, and nothing else.

Just a thought though.

-Peter
 
Peter C

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Surreytraveller

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Surely it must be signalled? There must be a signal at each location a train can enter or leave the branch, and a system to prevent another train entering the branch when there is already a train on it?
Just because there are no other signals doesn't mean the branch isn't signalled
 
Peter C

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Surreytraveller said:
Surely it must be signalled? There must be a signal at each location a train can enter or leave the branch, and a system to prevent another train entering the branch when there is already a train on it?
Just because there are no other signals doesn't mean the branch isn't signalled
Click to expand...
Good point - I think the OP may have meant "a line where there are no signals, bar those protecting trains on said branch leaving or entering the branch when it is unsafe to do so."

-Peter
 
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Surreytraveller said:
Surely it must be signalled? There must be a signal at each location a train can enter or leave the branch, and a system to prevent another train entering the branch when there is already a train on it?
Just because there are no other signals doesn't mean the branch isn't signalled
Click to expand...
The St Albans Abbey branch is connected to the WCML by points between the branch's southernmost stop (Watford Junction P11) and the mainline. Once at the platform, the solitary train works through the diagram of the day without any interaction from the ROC. When the diagram is completed, it is released back onto the mainline to wherever it is stabled.
 
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scrapy

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godfreycomplex said:
Aye but isn’t it the case that there’s no continuous train detection on either branch?
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It's absolute block colour light signalling however there are areas that are track circuited near Dinting, the extremities arent and have fixed distant signals but it's still signalled. It's also possible to have two trains on the different single lines running independently fully separated by signals. There are however huge areas of the rail network that are absolute block and are not track circuited. It doesn't mean these areas aren't signalled.
 
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AM9 said:
The St Albans Abbey branch is connected to the WCML by points between the branch's southernmost stop (Watford Junction P11) and the mainline. Once at the platform, the solitary train works through the diagram of the day without any interaction from the ROC. When the diagram is completed, it is released back onto the mainline to wherever it is stabled.
Click to expand...
How does the signalling and signaller know once the train is on the branch? How does the train get released at the end of the day? What stops another train being signalled onto the branch? Who does the driver contact in an emergency (or anyone else requiring a block)? How is the location of the train established?
You could say any form of automatic signalling doesn't require any input from anyone. Doesn't mean that there is no signalling
 
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I think we need to define what the OP means by 'unsignalled'. Every railway line will be signalled. Except maybe for freight only lines, but even then there will be some form of control.
Sometimes you will get unsignalled moves, such as wrong direction moves, but even those will be under the control of a signaller
 
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