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Alphabetical displays in theatre route indicators.

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MadMac

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Approaching Blackburn from the Preston/Bolton direction the signals before Blackburn Bolton Jn give a wide array of indications: "1" for platform 1, main aspect only for 2, "B" for 3 (bay), "T" for 4, "G" for the goods. There are also several subsidiary indications depending on the signal in question.

Interested to read this. My recollection of the "Rules of the Game" as a Signal Engineer for 41 years (I've been away from the UK for 20) was that if you provided a "Theatre", it had to give an indication for all routes i.e. the "main aspect only" wasn't allowed. I think there also used to be a 40 MPH restriction?
 
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MichaelWells

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Great Yarmouth has A for via Acle and R for via Reedham, even after the butchering of it. Norwich has ABCD for what line leaving the station I believe
 

R G NOW.

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Gloucester has some that show UC or DC For routes to the up and down curve lines towards Bristol and the letter M for the main line towards Cheltenham. The one from plat 2 shows a letter M and also a number 1. There are lots in Cardiff central station. A B C D E N UC.
 

Llama

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Unless there are mitigating measures such as approach control for diverging routes with indications, and normal signalled straight ahead routes with no route indication? Fastest approach line speed I can think of quickly off the top of my head is 80mph.
 

Jimini

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If you want to see one of the X indications, there is one at Swindon when a train leaves plat 1 to go towards Kemble via wrong road, otherwise a K is shown.

Does the route indicator on platform 3 (country end) show a "M" when routed towards Kemble, or have I just imagined that? Ta.
 

30907

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CE144 and 146 signals are remote from the station on the approach from the North, they can't be seen from the station itself. Main aspect only is for the 'straight ahead' route from each signal, Up Fast and Up Slow (P5) respectively. The permissible speed through the station on the fast lines is indeed 80, and 60 on the slows, although there's a 20mph PSR at the south end of platform 5 where the US converges to the UF.
The speed of the crossovers after the signals with the 'junction indicators', after potentially receiving the flashing yellow aspects at the previous signals, is 60, a reduction of 20mph from UF-US, and no speed reduction from US-UF.
Thanks
 
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Interested to read this. My recollection of the "Rules of the Game" as a Signal Engineer for 41 years (I've been away from the UK for 20) was that if you provided a "Theatre", it had to give an indication for all routes i.e. the "main aspect only" wasn't allowed. I think there also used to be a 40 MPH restriction?
Yes, I was surprised when they resignalled York that the southbound Mains have the indicator dark with letters for Leeds and Holgate. It does go against the fundamental principles, but hey ho, that's progress.
 

Tomnick

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Unless there are mitigating measures such as approach control for diverging routes with indications, and normal signalled straight ahead routes with no route indication? Fastest approach line speed I can think of quickly off the top of my head is 80mph.
Another one, if I'm not mistaken - Up Fast through Doncaster station, 100mph with no route indication for the straight route but with approach release from red for all other routes. I can't see any problem with that personally - is it really any different to approaching a junction signal at speed with an unlit 'feather'?
 

111-111-1

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Interested to read this. My recollection of the "Rules of the Game" as a Signal Engineer for 41 years (I've been away from the UK for 20) was that if you provided a "Theatre", it had to give an indication for all routes i.e. the "main aspect only" wasn't allowed. I think there also used to be a 40 MPH restriction?

Not a signal expert but the various standards change and there seem to be regional variations on how things are done. If you read the report (RAIB) on a light loco derailment at Bletchley that is an example of a theatre box which only showed for the junction move.

I no a 100MPH line where there is an approach control junction main route no indication. 3 diverting routes signal clear with letter/number.
 

edwin_m

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If all the diverging routes are approach controlled and the main route has no lit indicator, then when the indicator is lit, the train shouldn't be approaching it too fast for the driver to read it. Improvements in lighting technology may have made modern theatre indicators more readable at distance than the old ones.
 

R G NOW.

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Does the route indicator on platform 3 (country end) show a "M" when routed towards Kemble, or have I just imagined that? Ta.
Nope, it shows a letter K now for the Kemble line and a D for the down line towards Bristol or Swansea or a U for the wrong road. The old one on the previous signal SN44 used to be the stencil type and showed DM or UM and a letter B for the Kemble branch when it was a single line.
 

Jimini

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Nope, it shows a letter K now for the Kemble line and a D for the down line towards Bristol or Swansea or a U for the wrong road. The old one on the previous signal SN44 used to be the stencil type and showed DM or UM and a letter B for the Kemble branch when it was a single line.

Nice one, cheers!
 

Efini92

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One funny example is at edgehill, You get a C for Manchester and a M for Crewe. C being chatmoss and M being Main.
 

sw1ller

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One funny example is at edgehill, You get a C for Manchester and a M for Crewe. C being chatmoss and M being Main.

same at Chester too. You get D for Manchester (as it’s perceived, it’s actually Down Warrington) and an M for Crewe.
 

R G NOW.

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It's a pity they stopped using double sided theatre boxes it was useful to bystanders.
What were these?. Never seen them on signals. They do however have double sided stencil type used as platform ' OFF' CD' and RA indicators. The only one I know about is on platform 1 at Cheltenham Spa.
 

Efini92

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What were these?. Never seen them on signals. They do however have double sided stencil type used as platform ' OFF' CD' and RA indicators. The only one I know about is on platform 1 at Cheltenham Spa.
Liverpool lime street had them up until it was resignalled.
 
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York had them and much of the NE region. Very useful for trainspotters. Mainly used orange/yellow lamps giving excellent visibility in fog.
Here's one at Scarborough showing a route for C road.
 
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507 001

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On the down CLC approaching MUFC/Trafford Park there’s a signal that gives a main aspect with no route indication for trains toward Warrington and Liverpool. For trains into the platform/container terminal you have approach control and a P in the theatre. Line speed is 85 for diesel and IIRC 40 for electric traction.
 

R G NOW.

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Liverpool lime street had them up until it was resignalled.
Sounds like they are old and out of date now, probably dating from the 1930's when signalling consisted of those old mini lever panels like they had in Bristol and Newport.
 
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Sounds like they are old and out of date now, probably dating from the 1930's when signalling consisted of those old mini lever panels like they had in Bristol and Newport.
Here's York in 1951
 

30907

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Here's York in 1951
Appears to be Scarborough in 1981 :).
Pure guess that it was put in when a "Scarborough Station" box was closed - but I don't know the history. Or perhaps it replaced an older indicator.
(Something odd in the thread - I didn't read far enough back, sorry!)
 
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