WestRiding
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- Joined
- 21 Mar 2012
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- 1,014
Sheffield PSB will be closing this weekend after 43 years service, 1973-2016. She does not want to go quietly though after todays major signaling failure in the station area. RIP Sheffield.
Probably this, tomorrow night.Any idea what the last train to be signalled by it will be?
Probably this, tomorrow night.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y95167/2016/04/30/advanced
Probably this, tomorrow night.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y95167/2016/04/30/advanced
And it'll have to be stopped before it can enter the station - Sheffield PSB isn't known as 'The Crucible' just because of its location....you have to have a red before a colour. :P
Its sad that all the boxes are seemingly closing
I wonder if there'll be similar sentiments in 40 or 50 years when the shiny new regional signalling centres are decommissioned?
I wonder if there'll be similar sentiments in 40 or 50 years when the shiny new regional signalling centres are decommissioned?
I'm sure the same was said about the new panel boxes when the mechanical boxes were replaced in the 1960s/1970s, so the answer is most likely yes.
I agree that it's sad to see these big PSBs closing - here is where you can use the words 'British Rail' and 'investment' legitimately in the same sentence. But hey, this is progress.
So the XC crawl in both directions between Sheffield and Doncaster will of course go on for ever ...Same signals, same single lines, same length loops, same short platforms, same single lead junctions, same level crossings. Absolutely no change to the way trains will perform in the area.
So the XC crawl in both directions between Sheffield and Doncaster will of course go on for ever ...
I understand from another source that this is purely a recontrol to York ROC. Changes will be made to Sheffield in connection with electrification, so that's some way off. The PSB building will be retained for the time being as it houses a large quantity of relays, which are still needed.Same signals, same single lines, same length loops, same short platforms, same single lead junctions, same level crossings. Absolutely no change to the way trains will perform in the area.
It involves disconnecting the controls from the panel in the PSB and reconnecting them to the remote control from York ROC. This is clearly a complex job involving (probably) hundreds of connections. Because of the safety critical nature of the work this is done with considerable care, and once reconnected, all possible routes etc have to be checked that they work when called for from the ROC; also all the feedback from track circuits, point motor positions and signal aspects also need checking out.I'm curious - what does the work actually involve?
It involves disconnecting the controls from the panel in the PSB and reconnecting them to the remote control from York ROC. This is clearly a complex job involving (probably) hundreds of connections. Because of the safety critical nature of the work this is done with considerable care, and once reconnected, all possible routes etc have to be checked that they work when called for from the ROC; also all the feedback from track circuits, point motor positions and signal aspects also need checking out.
As well as the signalling work, signal post telephones and other lineside phones/GSM-R have to be redirected to the new control point.
Signals may be re-plated to show the prefix code of the signalling centre that's taking over control, although this is not always done for a re-control in which case the old code of the closed signal box is kept.
But hey, this is progress.
Same signals, same single lines, same length loops, same short platforms, same single lead junctions, same level crossings. Absolutely no change to the way trains will perform in the area.
Sounds all interesting... Is there any online info I can read about it - I've found this all fascinating
And it'll have to be stopped before it can enter the station - Sheffield PSB isn't known as 'The Crucible' just because of its location....you have to have a red before a colour. :P
And it'll have to be stopped before it can enter the station - Sheffield PSB isn't known as 'The Crucible' just because of its location....you have to have a red before a colour. :P
Had 7-5-5 been sent?
Where the interlocking is in the same building as the panel (as at Sheffield) things may be more tricky, and I wasn't involved in any projects of this type. If some form of multiplex system already exists between the panel and the interlocking then that wiring could potentially be re-used, otherwise it will be a matter of tapping into every wire and carrying out associated safety testing.
Sheffield interlocking didn't originally have a TDM to the panel, but I understand one was installed in recent years, almost certainly as part of the planned recontrol, for the reasons you describe.
Elsewhere, other, more recent installations (eg Crewe, 1985) were built with a TDM from new, despite the interlocking being in the same building, again to allow for eventual recontrol, although there were no definite plans for that at the time. There has also been a programme of TDM renewals in remote interlockings, as the old systems aren't easily interfaced to the new ROC systems.