Signal upgrade set to modernise Cornwall’s railway

[Ashley Hill]

Maiden Newton box closed in 1988 and the section from Yeovil became No Signalman Key Token supervised by Pen Mill and a variety of traincrew-operated Tokenless block thence to Dorchester, but supervised by Pen Mill. I am not sure if that is still the situation. I have a feeling that Dorchester South has remained, and still controls Weymouth and cooperates with Pen Mill, but I am not certain.

Still NSKT. Happily the frame from Maiden Newton still exists.

 

[The Puddock]

I like the installations where they have ancient block instruments sat on a desk around a computer most

I always thought Nairn in its final form was rather eccentric, with a Westcad workstation sitting next to a Tyers electric key token machine.

 

[Nippy]

Greenford, a TCB lever frame fringed with IECCs all round. Marylebone and TVSC. Latterly a small IECC was placed in the box to control the Park Royal area when the line was severed at OOC.

 

[BS56]

Just noticed two signals on signal maps for which their purpose needs to be explained. The first is at St Austall and numbered CL5855 and is on the up side of the line but is intended for down trains and has no other signal in rear of it. The second is CL5790 near black queen tunnel and is on the down side but for up trains and their another signal at the London end of Lostwithial down goods loop.

 

[Goldfish62]

Just noticed two signals on signal maps for which their purpose needs to be explained. The first is at St Austall and numbered CL5855 and is on the up side of the line but is intended for down trains and has no other signal in rear of it. The second is CL5790 near black queen tunnel and is on the down side but for up trains and their another signal at the London end of Lostwithial down goods loop.

The St Austell one looks to me like it's for trains reversing from the West. If you want to see a similar example look at BEF2217 at Virginia Water, for trains reversing from the Reading direction.

 

[Freightmaster]

The second is CL5790 near black queen tunnel and is on the down side but for up trains

That's a fixed red 'limit of shunt' signal to enable the loco on an empty clay train
from Fowey to run round its train.



MARK

 

[Tomnick]

And of course Worksop to Elmton and Creswell/Shirebrook and various others!

I like the installations where they have ancient block instruments sat on a desk around a computer most

For the latter, you need Harrogate!

Harrogate | Signalling Photos

Harrogate - HarrogateV.JPG

photos.signalling.org

There, though, the block instruments is for the section to the east, with the signals relating to it worked from the lever frame. The workstation controls the other end of the layout, interfacing to the mechanical bits as you'd normally expect at a fringe box (just with everything under the same roof).

Worksop is rather less unusual – there's quite a few examples of panels working AB to adjacent boxes, including the likes of Manton which work AB both ways. Worksop must be about one of the biggest, though.

 

[BS56]

The St Austell one looks to me like it's for trains reversing from the West. If you want to see a similar example look at BEF2217 at Virginia Water, for trains reversing from the Reading direction.

Surely a position light shunt signal would suffice for that task.

 

[takno]

Surely a position light shunt signal would suffice for that task.

You're going to want to put axle counters on place either way, and once you've done that I don't imagine there's a significant difference in cost between a normal 2-aspect signal and fixed red, and a shunt signal and LOS. If you were spending a huge amount on a bespoke interlocking, and normal signals still weighed a tonne and had to be maintained from a ladder, then things might be different.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Just noticed two signals on signal maps for which their purpose needs to be explained. The first is at St Austall and numbered CL5855 and is on the up side of the line but is intended for down trains and has no other signal in rear of it. The

CL5855 allows an up train that has been terminated at St Austell to cross over to the down platform to return west.

 

[Tomnick]

You're going to want to put axle counters on place either way, and once you've done that I don't imagine there's a significant difference in cost between a normal 2-aspect signal and fixed red, and a shunt signal and LOS. If you were spending a huge amount on a bespoke interlocking, and normal signals still weighed a tonne and had to be maintained from a ladder, then things might be different.

...and that has the advantage that it makes it slightly easier to implement Single Line Working, as a handsignaller isn't needed to control movements back to the proper line if there's a main aspect signal, where the pilotman isn't able to travel with every train.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Any idea if the signalling problems between Truro and Redruth earlier today were related to the new signalling?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Axle counter issues I believe.

 

[Millisle]

Plymouth and Exeter rail disruption as ageing signals replaced

Old signals which are more than 50 years old are being replaced with a digital system, Network Rail says.

www.bbc.co.uk

The railway signs [sic] are being replaced.

 

[swt_passenger]

Plymouth and Exeter rail disruption as ageing signals replaced

Old signals which are more than 50 years old are being replaced with a digital system, Network Rail says.

www.bbc.co.uk

The railway signs [sic] are being replaced.

It must be an impressive amount of work, they’re fitting “21 new signalling systems”…

 

[Deepgreen]

It must be an impressive amount of work, they’re fitting “21 new signalling systems”…

The BBC's quality is dropping all the time. I have no problem with their balance, impartiality, etc., but their grammatical (and sometimes factual) accuracy and consistency is now abysmal. It used to be said that the two British institutions that maintained high standards in this area were the BBC and the railways - both now sinking into a mire of laziness.

 

[BS56]

Any idea what days and times empty clay trains would make this move.

That's a fixed red 'limit of shunt' signal to enable the loco on an empty clay train
from Fowey to run round its train.



MARK

 

[Freightmaster]

Any idea what days and times empty clay trains would make this move.

There's only one train a day to Fowey these days and the empties always run really early.

Here is a fairly typical run:

Realtime Trains | 6G05 1957 Fowey Dock Carne Point to Goonbarrow Junction Dbc | 12/03/2024

Real-time train running information for 6G05 1957 departure from Fowey Dock Carne Point to Goonbarrow Junction Dbc on 12/03/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

but it often runs even earlier:

Realtime Trains | 6G05 1957 Fowey Dock Carne Point to Goonbarrow Junction Dbc | 13/03/2024

Real-time train running information for 6G05 1957 departure from Fowey Dock Carne Point to Goonbarrow Junction Dbc on 13/03/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

MARK