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Newark Castle terminators.

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Mugby

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A question about how these are diagrammed.

Looking at the timetable, since the extra Newark trains were linked in with the Matlock service, I notice that some of them spend up to half an hour at Newark before returning to Nottingham and Matlock.

As far as I know, there is no siding anywhere in the Newark area on the Midland line so do the units stand on a running line all of that time? It sounds rather odd to have a line occupied for such a length of time.
Also, which crossover do they use to return? The one in Newark Castle station doesn't seem to leave enough space for a unit between the point ends and the home signal.
 
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MichaelAMW

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The services depart and arrive at Nottingham at (roughly) the same times each hour so the time waiting at Newark depends on the number of stops between Nottingham and Newark and vice versa; fewer stops from Nottingham and it arrives a bit earlier than it might, fewer stops on the way back and it hangs around longer before it leaves. I suspect you have already worked that out for yourself. The crossover between the platforms is indeed the one that is used and it's very tight, as you can see from the 1/2 car stop board being right at the end of the up platform.
 

edwin_m

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I recall seeing a unit reverse there a few years ago when there were previously scheduled terminators, and it was indeed very tight. The re-signalling will move the crossover out to the east of the station but as far as I know no turnback siding is proposed.
 

Mugby

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I image the only alternative is the crossover on the far side of the ECML but of course that would require crossing the East Coast twice in order to turn back, something which I guess would be unacceptable.

Presumably the station crossover was never originally intended for turning back trains?
 

edwin_m

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Presumably the station crossover was never originally intended for turning back trains?

There used to be various sidings around the station so it's possible this was the most convenient place to put it operationally. A terminating train could possibly have been shunted into one of those sidings or taken to the box that used to exist a few hundred yards to the east, where there was a junction to a curve linking to the ECML northwards (something that would be useful if still there!).
 

trentside

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The services depart and arrive at Nottingham at (roughly) the same times each hour so the time waiting at Newark depends on the number of stops between Nottingham and Newark and vice versa; fewer stops from Nottingham and it arrives a bit earlier than it might, fewer stops on the way back and it hangs around longer before it leaves. I suspect you have already worked that out for yourself. The crossover between the platforms is indeed the one that is used and it's very tight, as you can see from the 1/2 car stop board being right at the end of the up platform.

The crossover is being moved as part of the re-signalling works currently taking place, so it will no longer be partially within the platforms. At present if a 2 car service uses it, the drivers have to stop very precisely to prevent there being a large gap at the rear of the train.
 

devinier

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Also, the rear wheels could be fouling the points if the unit is not stopped at the correct point.
This will no longer be an issue once the new crossover is brought into use.
 

LowLevel

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There's an instruction to traincrew that the guard is to check the point blades are clear at the rear of the train before releasing the doors. You wait on either line depending on what traffic needs to pass.

If it goes wrong for any reason you can go up to Crankley Point LC and cross over at Newark Flat Crossing East Jn instead but that does give the attendant issue of having to cross the ECML twice, so is only generally used if the points in the station fail (which they do from time to time, being rather elderly and having only been put into regular use right at the end of their life!).
 
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