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Rushing to put signals back behind a train is a sure fire way of putting the section signal back too soon. Once the home signal's back, it's definitely protected in rear (it should be anyway, as you usually can't give a fresh 'line clear' without the home signal at danger), so there's no...

The main focus is, sensibly, on the signal indications themselves and the implications for drivers. There's relatively little emphasis on what the different modes of signalling (AB, TCB, etc.) actually are. I find, generally, that understanding of the underpinning principles is very poor within...

Anywhere that I've ever come across with such an arrangement, it's been provided for all signalled moves – indeed, it's far more common for shunt moves, as passenger routes over mechanical facing points are relatively rare. Worth adding, perhaps, that it's often possible to fully reverse the...

This isn't correct – a mechanical set of points will often, if not always, have mechanical detectors in the wire run for any semaphore (main or shunt) signals reading over them in the facing direction, unless they're electrically detected. It's possible to get the lever controlling a set of...

If the points that become facing are mechanical, and have no electrical detection, how do you know that they've responded to the lever movement and are fitting up correctly if there's no signalled move over them? If there's mechanical detection, then that'll act only on the signal(s) reading...

Yes, I see what you mean, and you're right. In this case, the TPE would surely have closed the gap enforced by the Chinley - Edale section in the time taken for the stopper to call at both Hope and Bamford in the same signal section. The extra stop signal would at least let it get on the move...

The distant signals over the Hope Valley now are all either: - Existing distant signals in the AB territory from Earles westwards. This is governed really by the distance between block posts, with IB signals roughly equidistant between Edale and Earles, it's all just a bit too far apart for...

The longest section on the approach is Chinley to Edale, which is only a mile or so longer than the length of Cowburn Tunnel – so, even if it were resignalled, you'd still have a relatively long section there as a constraint. Edale to Earles is broken up by an IB. I'm surprised that an extra...

Not helped by the fact that 6L01 appears to have been planned to run a mere 1½ minutes ahead of the stopper around Edale and Earles!

...and that has the advantage that it makes it slightly easier to implement Single Line Working, as a handsignaller isn't needed to control movements back to the proper line if there's a main aspect signal, where the pilotman isn't able to travel with every train.

For the latter, you need Harrogate! https://photos.signalling.org/picture?/4396/category/325-harrogate There, though, the block instruments is for the section to the east, with the signals relating to it worked from the lever frame. The workstation controls the other end of the layout...

Manchester East works AB to Dinting... https://photos.signalling.org/picture?/23697/category/2600-2016_june https://photos.signalling.org/picture?/23696/category/2600-2016_june Most fringes to mechanical boxes are rather more mundane.

You can't commission part of the scheme without commissioning all the scheme. The signalling for the redoubling through the station is designed around, and thus reliant on, the relocated Dore West Junction and thus the extended curve. Especially at this late stage, it's either all or nothing.

Fascinating stuff, thank you. It's an area that I don't know a lot about the history of, other than that there was a huge amount there that's not now! Does No.2 need No.3's co-operation to shunt back into the Up platform, or can it be done with the latter switched out? I can't see any sort of...

Correct, as indeed it has been for many years – soon after the closure of Lincoln St Marks station and diversion around to West Holmes Jn, if I'm not mistaken. Gainsborough Trent Jn to Beckingham's still AB though, plus (further south) three sections between Peterborough and Ely (do LNER still...

Being within the block section isn't itself a barrier to having a signalled turnback move (e.g. Stockport platform 1 and Shrewsbury platform 3 both have signalled moves back out in the wrong direction, to passenger standards). You'd offer a train normally and then cancel it off again (3-5) when...

As much of the necessary track as possible is in, including all the turnouts. The existing single line wanders from one side of the formation to the other and back again though, so during the nine-day block it'll be slewed to the new alignment and then will just need new track dropping in to...

This is correct. One assumes that the approach control arrangements on the protecting signal will be rather less restrictive than at present too (and the current protecting signal is quite a way back from the junction). As well as the obvious benefit that a freight train being held on the curve...

I'd be surprised if any of the scheme, around Dore at least, can be commissioned if Dore Curve isn't ready in its proposed final form. It'd be rather a nightmare to try and cobble together a temporary arrangement using existing equipment.

Swinderby is an excellent example – almost the textbook Absolute Block layout (until the crossover was removed at least), but actually Track Circuit Block both ways. I hear so much nonsense ("a little island of Absolute Block", "it's got semaphores so it must be AB", etc.) Or the block section...