Electric Key Token on Network Rail?

[Incantare]

Can anybody tell me if there's anywhere on the national network (excluding heritage railways) that still uses Electric Key Token? Or is it only now found on heritage railways?
Thanks

 

[driver9000]

There are quite a few lines using Electric Token Block or a variant of it that has a key token taken from an instrument. Immediately springing to mind are:

Some sections of the Cumbrian coast such as St Bees-Sellafield.
Oxenholme-Windermere.
Midge Hall-Rufford.

 

[Railsigns]

Oxenholme-Windermere.

That one is actually One Train Working (with train staff) as opposed to Electric Token Block.

Some other key token sections are:

Nairn - Forres - Elgin
Dunragit - Stranraer Harbour
Mauchline - Newton-on-Ayr

There are a few lines (Central Wales, Whitby, etc) using No-Signalman Key Token.

Dunragit - Glenwhilly - Barrhill - Girvan still uses the older tablet instruments.

 

[AlexS]

I believe Aylesbury to Calvert is also signalled in this manner? May have changed slightly since the Parkway was opened, not sure.

 

[9K43]

The Rylston Branch at Skipton, one engine in steam.
Crofton Depot to Monk Bretton Sand( Barnsley)

 

[DarloRich]

What is this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darlo2009/5048783992/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darlo2009/5048118831/

taken at Battersby Junction

 

[driver9000]

That one is actually One Train Working (with train staff) as opposed to Electric Token Block.

Quite right, my mistake

 

[30907]

There are a few lines (Central Wales, Whitby, etc) using No-Signalman Key Token.

Dunragit - Glenwhilly - Barrhill - Girvan still uses the older tablet instruments.

Barrhill still has the instruments in the station offices too - is it the last?

Other possible examples in England (but I may be out of date):
Barnstaple (NSKT from Crediton?)
Newquay (EKT St Blazey-Goonbarrow Jn?)
Yeovil PM-Maiden Newton?

 

[barrykas]

I believe Aylesbury to Calvert is also signalled in this manner? May have changed slightly since the Parkway was opened, not sure.

Yup. Token instruments at Aylesbury North Goods Loop and Calvert I believe.

 

[Laurencew]

What about Llandudno Junction - Llanrwst - Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Token instrument in the 'station office at Llandudno Junction as well.

 

[Saltleyman]

What about Llandudno Junction - Llanrwst - Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Token instrument in the 'station office at Llandudno Junction as well.

Ashton Jct.to Portbury.

 

[9K43]

Dewsbury Cement,
Clayton West Junction to Penistone, Electronic token Less Block

Leeds Subs 783/784 Neville Hill Sidings to Hunslet East.

Hunslet UP to Stourton Stone Bunker.( 6E17/6M17 Peak Forrest Stone)

 

[Railsigns]

Dewsbury Cement,
Clayton West Junction to Penistone, Electronic token Less Block

Leeds Subs 783/784 Neville Hill Sidings to Hunslet East.

Hunslet UP to Stourton Stone Bunker.( 6E17/6M17 Peak Forrest Stone)

Are any of those lines worked by Electric Token Block?

Clayton West Junction to Penistone is Track Circuit Block.

 

[TOCDriver]

There are quite a few lines using Electric Token Block or a variant of it that has a key token taken from an instrument. Immediately springing to mind are:

Some sections of the Cumbrian coast such as St Bees-Sellafield.
Oxenholme-Windermere.
Midge Hall-Rufford.

Rainford - Kirkby!

 

[Cab2Cab]

Roxby branch, (Scunthorpe Trent yard to Roxby landfill).

 

[181]

What happens between Evesham and Worcester these days? -- I haven't been that way since the double track was reinstated between Moreton-in Marsh and Evesham. In 2010 tokens appeared, if I remember rightly, to be obtained from cabinets on the platforms at Evesham and Shrub Hill. The Evesham cabinets were a fairly recent innovation, as it's not that long (10 years or so?) since trains had to stop by the signalbox for token exchange.

 

[Railsigns]

What happens between Evesham and Worcester these days?

It's worked by Track Circuit Block now; no tokens are involved.

 

[Whistler40145]

Is Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham operated by Electronic Token?

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Railsigns]

Is Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham operated by Electronic Token?

No, that's One Train Working.

The only lines worked by electronic token are the RETB lines in Scotland.

 

[JoeGJ1984]

Rainford - Kirkby!

I'd have thought that just a One Train Working staff would be sufficient as it is a simple dead-end stretch of single track.

 

[Railsigns]

[Rainford - Kirkby] I'd have thought that just a One Train Working staff would be sufficient as it is a simple dead-end stretch of single track.

What about the connection to Knowsley Freight Terminal?

 

[Kneedown]

Ambergate to Matlock is controlled by the "No Signalman Token" method of electric token working if that counts.

 

[TDK]

The Heart of Wales line is NSTR working but not RETB. The Cambrian used to be RETB but is now ETRMS

 

[Ships]

The line upto Briggs sidings (Hindlow) is still token worked (I have phones for any one intrested)

 

[Bradshaw]

Maiden Newton to Yeovil Pen Mill is No-Signalman Electric Key Token. It was introduced in 1988 when the signalbox closed.

 

[Llanigraham]

Craven Arms SB has a token machine for the Heart of Wales, and it is used for each train that enters from there.

 

[Laurencew]

Maiden Newton to Yeovil Pen Mill is No-Signalman Electric Key Token. It was introduced in 1988 when the signalbox closed.

This is a very interesting example, an island of No Signalman Electric Key token. Castle Cary to Yeovil is Track Circuit Block, as is Maiden Newton to Dorchester West. Anybody any knowledge of the history of this, and why the Track Circuit Block wasn't extended to cover the whole line?

Is it a case of a manual section between to power signalled areas because the panels won't 'talk to each other'? An example of this would be Hooton which is a buffer between Merseyrail and Chester panels. Proposals to transfer control to the Chester panel have been put in the 'too difficult' box indefinitly I was told by one of the Hooton signallers.

 

[MarkyT]

This is a very interesting example, an island of No Signalman Electric Key token. Castle Cary to Yeovil is Track Circuit Block, as is Maiden Newton to Dorchester West. Anybody any knowledge of the history of this, and why the Track Circuit Block wasn't extended to cover the whole line? Is it a case of a manual section between to power signalled areas because the panels won't 'talk to each other'?

Usually not so much 'couldn't be done', just rather too expensive to justify the changes required on very marginal lines in that cash strapped era. In the case of Yeovil Pen Mill, there would have been no changes required to equipment at the signalbox itself in converting from preexisting conventional token working to NSTR, perhaps only a few changes to equipment labelling and diagrams etc. Those minimal changes achieved the main aim of closing Maiden Newton signal box, thus saving the operational expenditure, albeit (perhaps) rather inelegantly. Between Maiden Newton and Dorchester I suspect TB (see below) was the preexisting method of working prior to MN closing, so again a low cost solution was developed with minimised changes at Dorchester. There was also a regional boundary on the line: Pen Mill was definitely Western Region, whilst Dorchester was clearly Southern, so that may have coloured the preferred arrangements for the respective ends of the line historically before MN closure and in developing proposals for the closure. Only much later did the entire line south of Castle Cary come under unified management.

Note Dorchester - Maiden Newton is TB (tokenless block) rather than TCB, and as such has no continuous track circuiting.

 

[Bradshaw]

The tokenless block from Maiden Newton to Dorchester was introduced in 1968 when the line was singled, as was the EKT from Maiden Newton to Yeovil.

The conversion in 1988 saw the siting of cabins at the north end of the up platform and the south end of the down platfom. In the former was the train arrived acknowledgement to Dorchester and the token apparatus for Yeovil Pen Mill. In the latter the token apparatus to receive the token from Yeovil and the acceptance buttons for the Dorchester section. A phone was provided in each cabin.

Every few days a S&T technician arrived to transfer token from the down side to the upside using a special cradle.

On closure of the box at Maiden Newton the engineer's siding was controlled by a new 2-lever GF. This has since been removed an plain line substituted

Documents available on the NR website would seem to indicate that this system will continue to operate after the migration of Dorchester and Yeovil areas to the Bsingstoke signalling centre.

 

[Laurencew]

MarkyT and Bradshaw.
Thanks, very clear and interesting.