Definition Of How Long A Line Needs To Be To Require A Parliamentary Service (i.e what is a "line"?)

[ComUtoR]

How actually useful can route-learners that for most of the year operate in darkness actually be?

Learning in the dark can give you a different appreciation of the route. During the day, you can drive a lot on sight but as you lose visibility, you tend to drive more from memory. I've heard many Drivers say how different that a route is at night. Not forgetting that many brake points or route markers can't be seen at night. At night you can brake on a specific shadow or curvature. Night driving can get kinda freaky.

 

[najaB]

For example, knowing that there's a signal, but not knowing there's a nearby hazard/drop on accessing the signal post telephone.

That is true. There's benefit to both day and night learning runs where possible.

 

[30907]

A service was provided over the west curve. No service is provided now. A closure procedure is therefore required. Simples. Unless the west curve was operated under the Speller Amendment referred to above.

I hadn't realised that the Didcot West Curve service was a "parliamentary" - I assumed it was purely for route retention in case someone had to reverse at West Jn in emergency. Am I wrong?
I certainly don't recall any regular service that way after the early 60s, but I may have missed some.

 

[Mag_seven]

I certainly don't recall any regular service that way after the early 60s, but I may have missed some.

A few of the short lived Bristol - Oxford services using turbos used to use it during the peak although AFAICR most served Didcot.

 

[30907]

A few of the short lived Bristol - Oxford services using turbos used to use it during the peak although AFAICR most served Didcot.

I'd forgotten those, sorry.

 

[paddington]

I guess if a diversionary route is more likely to be used during overnight engineering works or the like, it would be of more benefit to gain and retain knowledge of it in the dark.

The Didcot West Curve is still used by the first stopper departure from Oxford towards Reading Tuesdays - Fridays.

Not according to PSUL and RTT from what I can see. Correct me if I'm wrong but the Didcot West Curve refers to the bit of track between Didcot West Curve Junction and Foxhall Junction, and the southbound train would (previously) turn west past Foxhall Junction then reverse into Didcot Parkway, and it doesn't appear to do that any more.

Anyway I did also attempt to take this train at 035X last June, and it just went direct into Didcot Parkway, because of a late freight train or something.

 

[Eccles1983]

Learning in the dark can give you a different appreciation of the route. During the day, you can drive a lot on sight but as you lose visibility, you tend to drive more from memory. I've heard many Drivers say how different that a route is at night. Not forgetting that many brake points or route markers can't be seen at night. At night you can brake on a specific shadow or curvature. Night driving can get kinda freaky.

I always do a portion of my route learning in the dark.

I've surprised myself when going over a route at night how much it changes, and you drive a lot more instinctively as you've very little visuals to go off. It's a proper test of your route knowledge as you can't bluff or chance it when the only light you can see is the speedo.

I like driving in the dark, and bizzarly in fog.

 

[Starmill]

It may, or may not, be ludicrous.
But it is the law.
And as a country we respect the law, just as we respect democratic processes!

There are reasonable arguments to ignore unjustified laws, history is literally full of them. Just because you happen to think that laws we have today are better it doesn't mean that you're right.

That said this particular law is so relatively unimportant that I doubt many people will be paying attention.