Dorking Siding

[Deepgreen]

There used to be a large stabling facility at Dorking until the 1970s. About 18 months ago work started to re-lay one siding, which took an absolute age. The siding was fitted with bullhead rail on wooden sleepers and the semaphore shunt signal re-instated to control it. It's electrified. A walkway was provided for the whole length, with low level lighting columns all along. The siding has never seen a set of wheels on it since completion about 9-12 months ago and is now so rusty that it would probably need work to get it up to standard simply to start using it! All the while, the light units have been left switched on day and night permanently!

Does anyone know what on earth is going on here, and why the lights could not be turned off until actually needed? The TOCs and NR bang on about their 'green' credentials, but the reality is sadly different. Will the siding ever be used, and by what?

 

[Vicpaul]

I'm led to beleive it hasn't been commissioned yet.

 

[al.currie93]

I'm glad someone has asked this as I wonder the same thing every single morning

 

[andy19_64]

The train that should be berthed at Dorking currently berths at Horsham in the evenings in the down sidings north and departs in the morning as 5E07 @ 06.39 to start service at Dorking @ 06.57

 

[Deepgreen]

Now this is strange - I've just checked on RTT (by chance) and it shows an ECS (5E11) departing Dorking Down Siding today at 0718, reversing and running to Epsom. Just checked again at previous days and it has run every day this week, so presumably the siding has now found a use at very long last! 5E11 forms 2E11 from Epsom to Victoria. Odd coincidence, as I only started the thread a couple of days ago and it's been there for about 18 months now!

 

[al.currie93]

Wow, at last! So that would be the first time I've ever heard of that siding being used in nearly 21 years of going to that station :P

 

[Deepgreen]

RTT for today shows 5E11 starting from p3 at Dorking (and doesn't say how it got there), with no mention of the siding. Didn't last long, did it?!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I was at Dorking yesterday and took some shots. It is evident that the siding has never been used (the conductor rail has a thick coating of old rust), despite RTT claiming otherwise. So - RTT is wrong, which calls into question its veracity on other movements. This page would not allow me to upload the photos.

 

[al.currie93]

I've noticed the same, that's why I was surprised by RTT :/

They've got to use it soon, otherwise that's months of reinstatement work for no reason... and I can imagine that that work alone would have cost thousands...

 

[JonathanH]

I've noticed the same, that's why I was surprised by RTT :/

They've got to use it soon, otherwise that's months of reinstatement work for no reason... and I can imagine that that work alone would have cost thousands...

On Saturday morning, the first two Southern services to Victoria (0628 / 0658) used 377/6s that had been stabled in platform 3 overnight.

 

[Deepgreen]

I took this shot yesterday evening. The siding still hasn't hosted a single wheel!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deepgreen2009/14738552727/

 

[Yabbadabba]

I took this shot yesterday evening. The siding still hasn't hosted a single wheel!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deepgreen2009/14738552727/

There are new electric berthing sidings at Tattenham Corner, Redhill and Haywards Heath that still haven't had a train use them yet and I believe Eastbourne has just gained a new electric berthing siding. There must be a master plan out there somewhere, where someone has decided that there is a requirement for more train stabling in the not to distant future.

I do know that the combination from losing platforms at London Bridge for berthing overnight combined with all the new 5 car 377 along with the soon to be 8 & 12 car class 700 fleet will put a stain on the amount of siding space is available for berthing of trains and then on top of that the they are adding a new Gatwick Express fleet. I think when the new 700s start appearing there will be some kind of use of these new sidings for outberthing of Southern trains to allow class 700s to be berthed overnight in places like Selhurst and Lovers Walk depot. Having said that, Thameslink have or will provide space for 26 class 700s to be stabled between Brighton Down Main Sidings, Three Bridges Depot and the new Horsham yard Sidings.

We will just have to see how and if they use these new sidings but there is no harm on being prepared.

 

[Deepgreen]

I used Dorking this morning and the siding was (finally!) in use, with a ten car 377/6 ECS there. The rails looked rusty enough for this to have been the first use, but I can't be sure of that.

 

[duffield]

How badly does rust affect the working of conductor rails? Is there any degree of rust that would prevent enough current flowing to power a train? Is there some standard way of measuring this on the railway? Is there any requirement for special rust-removing equipment?

I read the item below on conductivity of rust so I've got an idea of what's involved in theory but I'm wondering how this translates into railway operation...
http://www.finishing.com/457/83.shtml

 

[Deepgreen]

How badly does rust affect the working of conductor rails? Is there any degree of rust that would prevent enough current flowing to power a train? Is there some standard way of measuring this on the railway? Is there any requirement for special rust-removing equipment?

I read the item below on conductivity of rust so I've got an idea of what's involved in theory but I'm wondering how this translates into railway operation...
http://www.finishing.com/457/83.shtml

I know that, for a track circuit to be made, it is/was sometimes necessary to run what are/were called 'Rusty Rail Workings' to clean the rail head enough for the relatively low current to flow reliably. With the high current from the live rail, I imagine that is less of an issue, but it may be that, having got into the siding, this train will need to be towed out again!

 

[al.currie93]

I used Dorking this morning and the siding was (finally!) in use, with a ten car 377/6 ECS there. The rails looked rusty enough for this to have been the first use, but I can't be sure of that.
View attachment 20601

Wha... Urm... This cannot be! You must have photoshopped that image! 21 years of life seeing Dorking station and a train is in the siding! I thought the apocalypse would have happened before I saw this

Now I need to actually see it for myself :P thanks for sharing this

 

[Minstral25]

Unusually travelling home from work thorough Dorking last night for the first time ever, at 9pm that stock was parked in the siding.