King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable

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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 19/02/2020 at 23:26 #123352
DavidSplett
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I’m starting work on a May 2020 King’s Cross timetable.

The first issue which springs to mind is the new Stevenage platform 5, which unfortunately isn’t thusfar simulated (here’s *really* hoping for a Thameslink era for the KX sim!).

I’m considering three different ways of working around this:

(1) Leave things as they are with the 2019 Watton-at-Stone terminations and just work things as they are now for this small part of the timetable.

(2) Put in the full Platform 5 schedules but necessarily amended to Platform 4 and leave it for the signaller to sort out. In practice this will clash with the Brighton to Cambridge service. I haven’t yet tested to see how this might work in practice, but clearly it’s going to be messy.

(3) Go for a bodge and put in the Platform 5 schedules but with a reverse at Langley Junction added. So the service would be described as Moorgate to Stevenage as it is, keep its 2Fxx reporting number beyond Watton-at-Stone but have a Langley Junction reverse inserted into the timings so it never reaches Stevenage on the sim. That way everything should be real except for the fact the train will never quite reach Stevenage.

Any preferences? At present I’m erring towards option 3.

Last edited: 19/02/2020 at 23:27 by DavidSplett
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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 20/02/2020 at 12:09 #123355
nasher
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I'd say probably option 3 would be the best fit.
Option 2 would potentially work but may end up with a pile up and no way out! BTN to Cambridge are every half hour more or less?

Failing that an updated KX would be ace

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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 20/02/2020 at 18:06 #123359
M1ch4el
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Would it be possible, based on the timings, to do a 2min turn around at Stevenage and run it back to Watton-on-Stone 'early' and allow it to pick up a normal timing there?

Or run it into Stevenage behind the Cambridge service and again do a quick turn around to go back to Moorgate?

Michael

MJDM
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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 20/02/2020 at 19:23 #123360
metcontrol
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Judging by the worksite and taking into account driver training etc. I doubt the platform will be ready in time for the May timetable start. Yes progressed is well advanced but projects such as this tend to be pretty much complete and still sit un-used for several weeks/months.

So real-life signallers may be left with a timetable that has temporary alterations for still reversing at Watton.

Personally I'd go for option 3 so with or without a sim revision you would still "in essence" be running as close to Stevenage as possible without affecting the Cambridge trains (I personally hope they don't affect them in real life as well!)

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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 20/02/2020 at 22:26 #123364
DavidSplett
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M1ch4el in post 123359 said:
Would it be possible, based on the timings, to do a 2min turn around at Stevenage and run it back to Watton-on-Stone 'early' and allow it to pick up a normal timing there?

Or run it into Stevenage behind the Cambridge service and again do a quick turn around to go back to Moorgate?

Michael
I’ve had a cursory look at this. It appears to work in the off-peak, but there’s no hope in the peak with 10tph booked to use platform 4 (4tph to Cambridge, 4tph to Peterborough and 2tph passing through to Baldock). I’m reluctant to introduce something which will inherently cause every up Hertford service to run late.

On a related note, I’m changing the workaround for stuff which enters service from the country end of Hornsey. I think it’s marginally more realistic for such trains to enter from Bounds Green depot. Naturally it’s not quite the same place where such trains cross over (and it won’t be possible to simulate the couple of trains which reverse in Alexandra Palace platform 1), but I think it’s more realistic - or should I say less unrealistic - that what we have at the moment with such trains sitting at the Hornsey outlet for ages.

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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 21/02/2020 at 03:04 #123365
GeoffM
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Can you use "Langley K938" to/from Hertford North? You route up to K939 (under the main lines) and the train will stop with its rear inside of signal K938.
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King’s Cross Summer 2020 timetable 22/02/2020 at 23:15 #123391
DavidSplett
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GeoffM in post 123365 said:
Can you use "Langley K938" to/from Hertford North? You route up to K939 (under the main lines) and the train will stop with its rear inside of signal K938.

Yes that’s what I was proposing for option 3. We’ve been using this reversing point since the Summer 18 timetable first came in, which is reasonably prototypical although in reality some trains seem to reverse at Bradbury Junction. It’s just deciding what to do going forward as the real TT now reverting to Stevenage means stripping away a layer of reality.

I think option 3 is going to be the best fit. Naturally there will be the option to amend in the future.

I haven’t looked at the LNER side of things. The last timetable was a pain as the Azuma introduction programme meant the WTT didn’t fit with what the diagrams do on the day, leading to a few platforms not matching up, and also some traction inconsistencies. I suspect we’re going to see more of the same this time. Creates some work for the signaller, just like in real life of course!

Last edited: 22/02/2020 at 23:17 by DavidSplett
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