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Marsden Query

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M60lad

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Does anybody know what the Fire Alarm sirens (if they are that) are for just after Marsden Station just before Standedge Tunnel, I cant say I've noticed any near any other railway tunnels if I'm honest
 
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wilsontown

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I believe these are to alert staff working on the line of approaching trains. They're only active when there are actually staff on the line, so you won't hear them normally. They exist in other places too, there are some around Church Fenton, for example.
 

142094

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They are all over the place, lots on the ECML double track sections between Newcastle and Darlington, some near Hexham which are quite loud too.
 

BestWestern

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They'll be TOWS - Train Operated Warning System. They are used to provide an automatic warning of an approaching train, and can be switched on when gangs are working at the location.
 

M60lad

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Also another query I have is that am I right in thinking that only one train can be in Standedge tunnel going in one direction at a time, in other words if a train is going towards Manchester another train can't enter the tunnel until the first train has exited the tunnel at the other end.

The reason for the question is last week I was on 19:30 Huddersfield-Victoria Northern service and we were held just before the tunnel for a late running TPX service and the length of time we waited seemed to relate to how long a train would take to go through the tunnel and I'm guessing there's no signals in the tunnel unless I'm wrong
 

Welshman

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They'll be TOWS - Train Operated Warning System. They are used to provide an automatic warning of an approaching train, and can be switched on when gangs are working at the location.

They have a wailing siren on the stretch of ECML through Grantham station, which, when switched-on, not only sounds when trains are approaching, but also sounds intermittently when there are no trains in order to test it.

Very necessary on this fast stretch of line with a curve to the north end of the station, but very noisy too if you're on the platform at the time.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also another query I have is that am I right in thinking that only one train can be in Standedge tunnel going in one direction at a time, in other words if a train is going towards Manchester another train can't enter the tunnel until the first train has exited the tunnel at the other end.


I seem to remember from a cab-ride video I saw a while back, that there is a colour-light signal within the tunnel towards the eastern end, but by the time the train has cleared it, it would be out of the tunnel before the next one could enter from the western end. Is that signal still there, or am I imagining it?

There were even watertroughs within the tunnel at one stage, but that is going back a bit!
 
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Sapphire Blue

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There were even watertroughs within the tunnel at one stage, but that is going back a bit!

I believe it was the only flat stretch of track along the line, long enough for water troughs to be placed.
And plenty of water to keep them topped up!
 

Ploughman

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Also another query I have is that am I right in thinking that only one train can be in Standedge tunnel going in one direction at a time, in other words if a train is going towards Manchester another train can't enter the tunnel until the first train has exited the tunnel at the other end.

I think that is correct.
As that was 1 of the reasons given for the proposals to reopen at least 1 of the redundant bores. So a stopper could then enter the tunnel and run to Diggle in the single bore tunnel while a TPE could pass through on the main unhindered. This would save a couple of minutes for the stopper on its run to Stalybridge.
 
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I think that is correct.
As that was 1 of the reasons given for the proposals to reopen at least 1 of the redundant bores. So a stopper could then enter the tunnel and run to Diggle in the single bore tunnel while a TPE could pass through on the main unhindered. This would save a couple of minutes for the stopper on its run to Stalybridge.

That's interesting. I never knew that. I presume that the same obtains in the opposite direction?
 

12CSVT

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I believe these are to alert staff working on the line of approaching trains. They're only active when there are actually staff on the line, so you won't hear them normally. They exist in other places too, there are some around Church Fenton, for example.

There's one for the tunnel just south of Ipswich station which seems to be on permanently.
 

Tomnick

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I seem to remember from a cab-ride video I saw a while back, that there is a colour-light signal within the tunnel towards the eastern end, but by the time the train has cleared it, it would be out of the tunnel before the next one could enter from the western end. Is that signal still there, or am I imagining it?
No stop signals within the tunnel, if I'm not mistaken - there is a distant signal in each direction, reading to the first stop signal beyond the tunnel in each case.
 

Joseph_Locke

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What is the reason for only one train in the tunnel at a time?

Callum.


Because you can't have a stop signal in a tunnel like Standedge (no secondary escape route, no ventilation, etc.). If you can't have a stop signal then you can only have one signal section, and only one signal section in the tunnel means only one train in the tunnel.

The only cures are massive civil engineering work or in-cab signalling (e.g. ERTMS).
 
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