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| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 23/04/2022 at 11:16 #146250 | |
0D07
91 posts |
The CTC Scheme on the York to Beverley Line was never implemented the equipment was built for the scheme and survey work was completed and signal sighting and the plans was done and the panel that would have been housed in the then York Signal box was in the process of being built. Then Doctor Richard Beaching announced the closure of the line and everything stopped. One of the last recovery trains was filed with this new equipment and was taken to the S&T workshops at York. The Beverley End of the line as far as Cherry Burton survived as late as 1974/75 until Junction was severed at Beverley North Jn, the line was used by the P Way to train and test temping equipment and its operators. The AHB Level crossing equipment was used on the York to Selby Line and the other level crossing Equipment that would have been used in the Market Weighton area and Beverley areas they was put into use at Beverley Cherry Tree Crossing, Cottingham North Crossing, Dairycoates West. Thanks, Zero Delta Zero Seven Log in to reply The following user said thank you: kbarber |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 01/05/2022 at 17:35 #146331 | |
elltrain3
369 posts |
Hello all! For my next mock we head to a completely new area for my mocks this time its Cumbria! The railways in Cumbria are large (and long!) so I've split them into 2 parts, Cumbria North, which covers the northern portion From Park Jn near Barrow all the way to Wigton where we fringe to Carlisle PSB. and Barrow, Which will cover Barrow itself plus the stretch through Ulverston to Carnforth and Settle Jn. though today's mock is Cumbria North, which has 2 era's 1984 - 1997: This is the era where the line still saw a decent amount of freight, plus a good passenger service with most yards still active, though Workington No1, Derwent Haematite Iron Works and Moss Bay Iron Works signal boxes had closed showing how the area was starting to change. 2000 - 2010: This is the era where most 'busy' layouts have been rationalised and freight traffic is now minimal and more or less reflects the modern-day. The boxes then, starting from Carlisle! The first box is Wigton (Plated WN) which was opened in 1957 by BR to control access to the numerous industries in the area, it's function became more important when Carlisle PSB Opened in 1973 and Dalston SB Closed, making Wigton the fringe to Carlisle the box's layout now controls a very basic layout with the only surviving bit of industry being a GF and private siding. The Private siding has since been taken OOU The Next Box is Aspatria (which carried no code) opened in 1891 by the Maryport & Carlisle Railway, and like Wigton was built to serve the numerous industries in the area, though even by 1984 the box was a simple block post with a closing switch and crossover. The box closed in 1998 after 107 years of service. Next Up Maryport (Plated MS) The box here opened as Maryport Station in 1933 by the LMS and fitted with 50 levers. Its original affair was to control the station area though after Maryport Crossing SB closed in the 60s the station box absorbed its area through a new switch panel and CCTV crossing. The layout retains a Down Through and unusually 1 BiDi platform for all passenger services. The Coal Depot as of the mid-2000s was OOU and disconnected. Next is a Duo of boxes First, up Siddick Jn, opened by the LNWR the box here's sole purpose was to serve the junction to Buckhill though by the 1980s the branch just served a MOD base and the box was switched out for most of its later life. Next, is Derwent Jn, opened by BR to replace the LNWR box here, acted as another junction box this time for the docks branch to the River Derwent. The box also had a closing switch though was open a lot longer than its neighbour at Siddick due to the Docks seeing a fair few 'trip freights' during the day (these can be seen if you play the 80s TT for Carlisle) We now enter Workington a once busy area with freight and passengers alike. The First box we see is Workington Main No3 (Plated WN3, the 'MAIN' suffix is classic of the LNWR), the box here opened in 1886 by the LNWR and was fitted with 50 Levers it controlled the junction for the goods avoiders (yet another classic LNWR Trait, as Crewe, is another great example of)which were once double track, now single, and also work to Permissive Block Regs! they allow freight to bypass the passengers. All Workington No3's signals are locked by another signal box and all have distants beneath them showing how complex the area was. Next is Workington Main No2 (Plated WN2) Opened in 1889 by the LNWR The most complex of all the boxes in Workington the most noticeable feature is the vast amount of sidings and yards the box has, and like the docks, the yard saw numerous 'trips' throughout the day though nowhere near the level of traffic it saw in it's heyday! on the other side of the line is the Down Yard & Steel Work, which still sees trains to this day! and the famous 'Pacers' were made here too! We then pass in order the now closed Workington No1 (WN1), Derwent Haematite Iron Works (DIW) and Moss Bay Iron Works signal boxes (MBI) Before reaching.. Parton (Plated PS) Opened as 'Parton Station' in 1879 making it older than most boxes we've seen so far! The box here was a pain for network rail for most of its life due to it being on a seafront and on subsiding ground! It simple controlled the block section both ways with a short section of single track made so due to an unstable rockface to rescue delays. The Iron siding is the only reminder of an industry that served the area loyally for so many years now gone. Next is Bransty (Plated BY), the area of Bransty/Whitehaven is a confusing one! The signal box here was built in 1899 as Bransty No2 coinciding with the arrival of the LNWR to the town, Originally there were 2 stations as this was also the terminus of the Furness Railway a few years prior and the LNWR were 'fierce' rivals with he FR, but came to an agreement and the station was rebuilt by the LNWR in 1899 and given 2 signal boxes, No2 to control the approach from Parton and the docks branch plus Bay Platforms and would have been a busy box in its day! with all stock needing running round and shunting. No1 was a smaller box to oversee the Furness end of the station though closed at some time prior to 1984 and No2 took over to the layout we see here. The town succumbed to rationalisation and most CS and yards vanished leaving basic access to the docks plus a few sidings for berthing stock. Direction lever working now takes us away from the LNWR and onto the Furness! Now, Our next box is a hybrid and is at the complex area of Corkicle, Corkicle No1 (Unoficcialy CK1) was a BR box built in 1958. The box control's Corkicle station and the shed and yards here plus numerous slots for the BiDi Goods line, in terms of operation most services in the 80s terminate at Whitaven with a s new shuttle from there to Barrow and Beyond. and although Corkickle was complex saw relatively little traffic in a day. No2 was opened with No1 and operated in the same way, though has a much more complex layout and lots of shunting capability plus a branch to Beckermt/Hemrah, however, we take the 'main' and transfer to Token Block. St Bees (Plated SB), the box here opened in 1891 by the Furness and has 24 Levers, and simply controls the loop here plus adjacent barriers. We continue to Sellafield (Plated SD) opened In 1918 by the LMS so a war-time 'spare' box though has an RSC Frame fitted so is mostly original. The box's function here is all centred around 1 industry and a dangerous one at that...NUCLEAR! Sellafield box overseas entrance to the nuclear process plant where decommissioned rods head for de-contamination so would be a fun panel. the BNF sidings at Drigg for low-level waste also come under the control of Sellafield. Next up is Drigg (Plated DG) opened in 1874 and only fitted with 7 levers and has a basic layout. Next Bootle (Plated BE) and also opened in 1874 is another simple affair and overseas the closed box's area at Ravenglass, one of the few closures on the line having closed in 1965 the countryside nature is now becoming apparent with the number of UWC's increasing. Next Silecroft (Plated ST) opened in 1923 so another late LMS opener though unusually to the Furness design! the box itself has a simple layout but we see some grey semaphores to the right, as Limestone Hall & Kirksanton crossings are manned locally by keepers and have signals for each crossing, A practice seen so rarely on a modern network. Next Millom (Plated MM) opened in 1917 by the LMS is a time warp if I've ever seen one. the box has a sole TC, 26 UWCs a small siding and EVERY SIGNAL IS SEMAPHORE! Next Foxfield (Plated FD) and opened in 1879 by the FR is an unusual platform mounted box with a gated crossing for accessing the island platform, again like Millom the box has 1 TC and all semaphores, and although in 2020 the distant were motorised due to a signaller injuring themselves the layout is a remarkable survivor. Askam (Plated AM) is another Furness 1879 build that continues the trend of quaint boxes with a simple life. Finally is Park South (Plated PS) which opened in 1883 when the 'Barrow Avoider' was opened, the box controls a small crossing, plus the junction to Barrow-In-Furness The lines to Dalton Jn avoid Barrow and are really only used by freight. So a total of 20 Boxes! Modern Day Overall changes have occurred, Following the closure of Aspatria, Siddick Jn, Derwent Jn, Corkickle No1 & 2 the layouts were altered: Workington no3 Absorbed the 2 boxes at Siddick & Derwent through GF's though neither see too much traffic and as a result, WN3 gained a closing switch allowing Workington No2 to work right through to Maryport. Corkicle No1 & 2 closed in 1997 due to the yard now having ceased all freight traffic and with both boxes abolished token working was implemented between St bees and Bransty and the once impressive layout in Corkcikle was now reduced to a single-track railway......quite sad really. in 2007 the famous Lattice signal carrying Bransty & Partons Distants was abolished. In 2008 Workington's Middle sidings were disconnected as a result of lack of use. In 2010 Bransty Gained 4 new levers! though as a result, the already doomed Parton closed. the 2 points and 2 protecting signals were installed to control trains remotely and the block section was extended. The rest of the line from St Bees - Park south though remains happily unchanged! it now sees an hourly service from Lancaster, Carnforth or Barrow through to Carlisle! As usual, any mistakes/wrong info etc just shout and I'll edit it.   Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Log in to reply The following users said thank you: ajax103, headshot119, TUT |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 01/05/2022 at 18:41 #146333 | |
headshot119
4869 posts |
Very impressive Elliot. Quote: In 2010 Bransty Gained 4 new levers! though as a result, the already doomed Parton closed. the 2 points and 2 protecting signals were installed to control trains remotely and the block section was extended.It was doomed due to the end of the box falling out one evening, while it was already being looked into the closure due to how many issues had been encountered, it rapidly sped up the project. A couple of enhancements you might like to make:- Drigg to Sellafield on the Down line is continuously track circuited, though still worked by AB, you would show that like Severn Bridge Junction > Abbey Foregate is on the Shrewsbury sim. It allows Sellafield to give Train Out Of Section providing the train occupies the berth track for SD47 and the overlap, and both clear as expected before the tail lamp is observed. Similarly on the down line, Workington Main No.3 to Maryport is continuously track circuited. This was again to allow TOOS to be sent as a train into the Coal depot would never be observed with a tail lamp. I don't know what the exact rule was for there, as the coal depot, and the mini panel where before my time. Saltcoats UWC *2 on Bootle is an MCG, worked by a crossing keeper, there's no interlocking between the gates and the signaling, similar to Skelly Crag at Foxfield. The boundary between Bootle and Drigg is between Saltcoats MCG and Ravenglass. Once again thank you, it's given me a nice evening of nostalgia! "Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer Log in to reply The following users said thank you: TUT, elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 01/05/2022 at 19:56 #146336 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
headshot119 in post 146333 said:Very impressive Elliot.Thank you! and glad you enjoyed it! Yep, I'll get those TC'd made tomorrow, and yeah i found photos of Parton and when they showed downstairs it was really quite a lean! and ah another one! I kept trying check Id' got all the MCGs as there are a fair few both signalled & un-signalled guess i missed one! haha Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Last edited: 01/05/2022 at 19:56 by elltrain3 Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 02/05/2022 at 22:07 #146355 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
Happy Bank Holiday everyone, and as a Bank Holiday Treat I have another mock! It's the other end of Cumbria at Barrow! Covering 2 eras following major changes, and covering the area from Barrow-In-Furness through to Carnforth The sim is smaller than North Cumbria but makes up for it in having slightly more traffic notabley TPE and Northern Services further afield. The 1st era covers roughly 1984 - 1987 with the 2nd era being from around 2000 to the present day. The Panels! Continuing from where we left off yesterday we will start at Barrow (Plated BF), the box here dates from 1907 and was built to the Furness Type 4 design and fitted with 55 Levers making it the second-largest surviving Furness Box. We see the tokenless block working coming in from Park south, followed by an impressive splitting signal with calling-on arms for both Bay and Mainline, the station also boasts a large set of CS for berthing stock overnight. The station formerly had 4 through platforms, though platform 4 vanished and platform 3 was truncated into the current Bay platform in the 70s. In the old era it worked to Salthouse Jn but after its abolition in 1992 Barrow took over the area and access to the Docks through a Ground frame, released by 2 levers: 28 and 29 and AB working extended through to Dalton Jn Next up is Salthouse Jn (No Code) which opened in 1898 so pre-dating barrow station by 9 years, the box here had a vital function as it not only controlled the main line but also the busy branch to the docks, in addition, it also oversaw the branch to the power station at Roose! Though by the 1980s the Power station was OOU and the branch mothballed, the docks however remained busy and still see traffic to this day! The box closed in 1992 due to the vast reduction of traffic to the docks, and it made more sense to simply have a GF released from Barrow. Neeext up Dalton Jn (Plated DJ) Opened In 1902 the box here controls the junction for the Barrow Avoider which links back up to Park south and is classed as the 'branch' route due to most trains heading into or through Barrow. The Only change the box saw post-1987 was the loss of Semaphores well...almost! The only Survivor was DJ5, the Down Branch Starter which remains as a semaphore starter and Distant for Park Jn Next, Ulverston (Plated UN) The box here opened in 1900 by the Furness Railway and is a simple affair, it has a small goods yard and has a closing switch, which was used up until 2000 when Plumpton closed and because of that Ulverston now needed to open permanently to keep the block section manageable and nowadays is only regularly switched out during the night! Now for Plumpton Jn (Plated PJ) The Box here was another old one opening in 1898, and was an important junction! the box contained 60 Levers and was once part of a complex bit of Railway! Firstly the 'branch' we see in the 80s era led to Glaxo and Bardsey and was solely a freight branch, serving the docks, iron and Chemical works there by the 80s it was single track and had run-round facilities and by 1988 the box lost the facing connection and all trains needed to reverse on the Down Main and use the sidings to gain access to the branch. The other missing part here is the 'Lakeside' Branch which diverged here via a triangular junction on the Upside of the line, and was built by the Furness as a lakeside destination for holidaymakers, and did just that! But by the mid-60s it was in decline and it fell under the 'Beeching Axe' with passenger services ending in 1965, the ironworks a short way down the line survived until 1967 until it shut completely and Plumpton lost all traces of the branch. ...However, the line was fortunate as in 1970 BR sold the trackbed to the Lakeside & Haverthswaite Railway, and by 1973 trains were once again visiting the lakeside town of...Lakeside! The railway still doesn't link back up to the mainline and is still a 'basic' setup but is a lovely railway regardless and amazing it had been resurrected! Back at Plumpton Junction, the box closed in 2000 due to the box now being useless with both the Lakeside and Glaxo branches having closed so it vanished overnight and today no trace remains that a junction ever existed there. Next up Cark! (again no code) Opened in 1952 by the LMS replacing the previous FR Box, its job was simple and just passed trains through and had a closing switch for quiet periods, it closed in 1998 due to again a lack of reason to keep it, with Ulverston taking control of the area and block working extended between Ulverston and Grange-Over-Sands. Grange-Over-Sands (Plated GS) was another BR build of 1956 making it one of the newest boxes on the entire route, it again is a simple affair though has an IB for Kents Bank, added in when the box there closed. It too has a closing switch. Next up Arnside (Plated AE) opened in 1897 so again another original, and nowadays is a simple affair with no closing switch and a fab view over the estuary! though prior to the 60s/70s Rationalisation it was the junction to Hincaster Jn on the WCML and had sidings here for transfer of goods to the Rival LNWR, a branch that never see much traffic on a good day so it was no surprise it was listed for closure in the 'Beeching Cuts' and closed in 1965 We now reach the busy town of Carnforth where 3 Companies meet! The Furness and Midland had a joint venture to connect Leeds and the midlands to the Furness network at Carnforth and this junction is the western extent of that venture. The first box Carnforth F&M (Furness & Midland) Junction (Plated FMJ) was built in 1896 by the Furness and controlled one side of a triangle with the Midland Railway, the vast amount of sidings shows how much traffic was generated by the 2 companies and although quieter in the 80s the sidings still saw use. Signalling wise we see some fun oddities, the 2-way lattice bracket signal with distants for both routes was a remarkable survivor and so also note both arms were at an equal height indicating neither route was the 'main' route, another hint to show how they worked jointly rather than against each other, the triple-stacked yellow discs are another rare feature. We now follow the Midland Railway to reach East Jn (Plated EJ), The box here opened in 1902 with a midland railway design, showing that although the 2 companies helped each other the Midland made all the infrastructure for the route, the box here is a simple double junction. Next is Wennington Jn (not plated) which opened in 1890, To control the junction for the Midland railway on their original line from Lancaster to Settle Jn hence the earlier opening date, though with the assistance of the Furness Railway they made a junction here for the route to Carnforth! The downfall started when stopping passenger trains from Carnforth were withdrawn in 1960, leaving the Lancaster route as the sole decent passenger route, though somewhat ironically BR closed the Lancaster route 6 years later yet again as part of the 'Beeching cuts' meaning the Carnforth route regained it's Passenger service but all the stations closed in 1960 never reopened, The signal box here in the 70s was reduced to a 'break section' box who's sole purpose was to break the long section from Carnforth - Settle, the box was last regularly opened in 1988 and after that was switched out largely permanently until 2006 when NR finally closed the box and block working extended, making the longest AB section in the country! Finally, its Carnforth Station Jn (Plated CS) the box here opened in 1903 with 70 Levers, meaning it is the largest box surviving on ex-FR metals. It control's the station and 3rd corner of the triangle to East and F&M Junctions, as well as the former shed (10A), in the 1980s it still retained a Bay platform 3 known as the 'Midland Bay' and platform 1 was still Bi-Di. The box has a fun slotting arrangement with Preston PSB which dates from 1973 when the PSB opened. the 90s cuts hit Carnforth Hard, the withdrawal of decent passenger service on the Midland route saw East Junction become increasingly quiet and with freight traffic dwindling F&M Jn started becoming increasingly unneeded. So on the 7th November 1998 Carnforth East Jn and F&M Junctions closed, the 3rd corner of the triangle from East to F&M jn was closed and lifted, a connection was added to Station Junctions frame for the north sidings as occasional trains still used them. and the midland Bay was abolished and most trains extended to Lancaster or Preston. The layout we see is still the same, and F&M Junction is still a timing point despite being long disconnected, so a small reminder of the Midland's presence lingers on. Overall the changes are all that of Cost-cutting, with branches closing and unnceccicery boxes being abolished, leaving the 2000s era as a bare one! This was another fun one to make, and also ticks of Cumbria and the Furness Railway in my mocks (Yay!)  
Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Last edited: 02/05/2022 at 22:15 by elltrain3 Reason: None given Log in to reply The following user said thank you: TUT |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 11/05/2022 at 16:55 #146452 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
Okay then! Today I have 3! (Yes 3!) Mocks in one go! We Head north this time, a long way north to the north of Scotland! and Cover 3 sims, The First is 'central highlands' covering the line from Stanley Jn through to Aviemore & Moy Loops The Second is Aberdeen - Inverness covering the entire line from Dyce To Nairn overall era's and finally, Inverness, though I made a version a while ago of the 2000s era this time I've made the 80s era with the magnificent signal boxes that still controlled Inverness Station! Though That'll have to wait as first we head onto the 1st sim, Central Highlands! The Line here follows the route of the Highland Railway (HR) from when they extended from Perth to Aviemore (and eventually Inverness in 1863) we follow it from 1979 through to 2019 and the present day, first the boxes, then the era changes. We start our journey not long after leaving the City of Perth, you pass Stanley Junction (NE Scot sim) and become under the control of Dunkeld SB (Plated DK), the box here opened in 1919 by the Highland Railway and contains 23 Levers, it has a simple layout, controlling the station at Dunkeld (& Burnham) through a down loop and a Bi-Di Up Loop, we also see 2 features that are very common on the routes I've mocked, Shunting Keys - which are levers which when released by a token to allow a train to shunt into a section for shunting only, and Scottish Region Tokenless Block (explained in my G&SW Mock) The box also has a 'King' lever which authorised the signaller to clear the signals for both directions and switch out should the box not be needed. Next Ballinuig, The box here was opened by the Highland Railway again in 1919 and was opened as Ballinluig North as HR practice was to have 1 box at each end of a loop, though this will be explained in the Aberdeen - Inverness mock, the box lost the 'North' prefix in 1967 with the closure of South. The box here is just a passing place though Up Home signal 2 can be cleared for the down main through to Dunkeld is passing isn't needed. Next, Pitlochry (Plated PT) opened in 1911 by the HR with 23 levers, It retains a small goods yard and simple passing facilities. Next Blair Atholl (Plated BA) The box here opened in 1898 making it of true HR Vintage it has 18 levers and sees the start of a double-track section! the line here was single up until the 60s and had an intermediate box at Dalanraoch, though when BR Re-doubled the line in 1978 to try and increase the capacity the box there was abolished and a new IFS panel installed to control 2 IB Signals BA31/32 Next Dalwhinnie (Plated DW) opened in 1909 to replace the old HR setup and has 20 Levers, it too gained an IFS Panel when Blair Atholl did, and also gained 2 IB's, the layout also has a Bi-Di Up main for turnback services. We pass the recently closed Newtonmore S.B. and the single platform - the only one on the HML! Before we reach Kingussie, opened in 1924 by HR it is 98 years old this year! (2022) it also has 18 levers, the box here has a Bi-Di Down loop plus a small set of Up Sidings. The tokenless block now transfers to TCB as was leave mechanical signalling behind for a bit and head onward under the control of Aviemore! Aviemore (Plated A) opened in 1898 with 46 levers! making it one of the larger HR Boxes they built. However, in 1979 the frame was shortened to 30 levers and a new Panel was installed to control 4 sets of loops. The first set at Kincraig (AK) came into use in 1979 the first box to close and go into Aviemore, the Aviemore loops though remained mechanical and worked from the box with acceptance slots for coming into the station from both directions. The box also released the Strathspey GF allowing access to the railway there. The loops at Carrbridge (AC), Slochd (AS)and Moy (AM) all came under Aviemore later that year. With Tomatin (AT) being absorbed in 1980. The box at Aviemore now fringed with Culloden to the North and Kingussie to the south. The area stayed in the 80s era state until 1985, when firstly Ballinluig was abolished, as was Murthly MCG just south (left) of Dunkeld. Culloden Moor Closed in 1987 with Inverness (I) PSB taking over as the fringe box. Pitlochry's sidings were rationalised to 1 siding. The next change occurred in 2019 when a change was afoot! NR Was lengthening platforms and upgrading infrastructure ready for the IET trains to come along, and as a result, the box at Pitlochry was to fall, victim to these upgrades so in march 2019 Pitlochry closed after 108 years of service and a new VDU panel in Stanley Jn installed to control them under the "SJP" Prefix, the sidings also vanished due to the new lengthed platforms, Now Blair Atholl & Dunkeld now both worked TCB to Stanley Jn. Blair Athol got its shunt signals replaced by GPL's Due to a derailment in 2020 on Dalwhinnie's X-Over, it has since lost that. and Finally, Aviemore was closed also in 2019 and Inverness SCC (Highland WS) took over with a simple 'H' replacing the previous 'A', the semaphores at Aviemore also vanished and signalling Rationalised. the Stratsphey railway connection was also re-layed and connected. So there is sim 1, 3 Era's and another 'link' sim which solo wouldn't be thrilling but not boring either!    Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Log in to reply The following user said thank you: ajax103 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 11/05/2022 at 17:01 #146453 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
So Sim No2, Aberdeen - Inverness over 4 era's this time. So now we follow the 2nd company to try and reach Inverness, the GNSR (The Great North Of Scotland Railway) We start having just left Aberdeen, on the route opened In 1880 and our first box Dyce (Jn) (Plated D) opened in that year. The 'JN' refers to the Buchan Line to Fraserburgh and Peterhead which formerly diverged here, though was removed in the 70s the box retains 26 levers of the original 46 and control's a pair of BiDi signalled Passing Loops as well as the slots to Aberdeen. Sc Tokenless block also re-appears here. Next Inverurie (Plated IE) the box here opened in 1902 by the GNSR and was an important location, as opposite the box was the GNSR loco works to which this box controlled access to, the box was had an impressive 45 Levers though by the 80s this was reduced to 30, the layout is basic, another pair of bi-di loops and a few sidings. The Down Yard and Station Sidings are all that remains of the once immense amount of sidings here. Next Insch (Plated IH) Opened in 1886 the box here is another original from the opening of the line, fitted with 20 Levers and mounted on the platform, the box works the junction where we go from a single track and ScTB to Absolute block! We also see one of the few manually controlled crossings en route. Next Kennethmont (Plated KN) opened in 1888, and also fitted with 20 levers is also has a simple job converting the AB to ScTB, plus has a few sidings associated with the local Distillery Next Huntly (Plated HT) Opened in 1898 as Huntly South but became plain Huntly by the early 1900s it is a quaint passing loop with 25 Levers Tokenelss Block both ways 2 shunting keys, sidings and full BiDi working! Next Keith (Plated KJ), the 'KJ' is because the box opened as Keith Junction in 1905 s it was just that, it was the point where the GNSR headed over to Boat Of Garten (Now Part of the Strathspey Railway) and the Highland Railway continued the line from here to Inverness, the branch also served the distillery at Strathisla, the passenger service ended in the 60s through the distillery remained for a while longer and the line converted to OTS, and although the branch has been truncated since the staff remains hence why I've retained it. The extensive sidings reflect the busy nature of this former junction and although mostly OOU they are all still connected! The Branch Bay is even still useable! We now join the Highland Railway of 1865 and head to Elgin! Elgin (Plated EL), the box here was known as Elgin West and built rather late in 1951 by BR though had an HR Frame fitted!, there were originally 3 boxes here, South Middle & North to which only North survived and the fact the box can't see barley any of the signals it controls reflects that! the original West (Latterly Centre) box still survives in the yard abliet OOU, the box also has a manual crossing! the 2nd so far! We now leave being Tokenless and pick up a proper Token to continue! Next Forres (Plated FS) is the first original HR box so far, opened in 1896 and carried the 'East' nickname until 1967 when it became the sole box here, like Elgin the box could barely see the signals it controlled, so had a CCTV crossing one end of the loop and the original station at the other. The Goods yard has been overgrown for many a year and wasn't used much, we now see the 4th (Waterford being No3) manual crossing en-route at Mosset Road and the only one that still had gates (and a gate wheel!), Next (and Finally) is the most treasured station and boxes en route, at Nairn. Nairn was a small station with little going for it, but the signalling was unique... When the highland railway formed in 1865 they had the idea to position 2 signal boxes at each end of remote loops which solely contained the levers for points and signals, with the token & block instruments inside the booking office, and signallers had to use a bike to quickly hop between boxes, and this practice was commonplace until BR started rationalising, so by the 1980s this way of working was becoming an endangered species! Nairn East (NE) Had 14 levers with Nairn West (NW) having 19 and 2 token instruments in the station booking office, and then we head into Inverness. Post 80s Changes. The first change to Happen was in 1986/7 when Inverness PSB Opened and became the fringe box to Nairn West, Following that in 2000 Nairn was to change, Nairn East & West were abolished replaced by a small VDU Workstation in the booking office, and ending a Highland Railway Tradition that lasted 135 Years!  The new Box at Nairn (Plated N) still retained tokens but just became slightly easier to manage with 1 person and no need for a bike to hop between 2 boxes.We now hop ahead 7 Years to 2007 when the other end of the line was seeing changes, Dyce (Now Re-plated DY) had its levers replaced by a panel and a new, more flexible layout commissioned, plus a new freight terminal at Raith's Farm built to replace 'Guild Street' in Aberdeen station. This layout remained until 2017 when we hop back to the other end of the layout where the boxes at Nairn (N), Forres (FS) and Elgin (EL) were abolished control passing to the Inverness SCC Highland Workstation (HN - Nairn, HE - Forres and Elgin) and the layouts changed to make 1 Bi-Di loop for most trains plus an overflow 'loop', all lines were TC'd and both Forres & Elgin boxes demolished, Reducing token working to the G&SW, as the only area left in Scotland to Adopt it. Forres also lost both crossings to overbridges. The line became known as the 'East Single' As a result of this Keith also now worked TCB to Inverness SCC Now for 2019, this upgrade was a long-time coming NR had plans to re-double the line from just outside Aberdeen right through to Inverurie, and in doing so they would abolish the boxes at Dyce and Inverurie, and in 2019 they did just that both boxes closed and were subsequently demolished, the track layouts simplified and plenty of new signalling installed, Boat of Kintore AHB became an MCB-OD crossing, and Inverurie gained crossovers and a turnback siding for increased flexibility, the line was now double from just outside Aberdeen through to the Inverurie North junction. (The new area is prefixed "HD, For Highland - Dyce) Unusually BI-D- working is only available in the platforms, the main lines are still 1-way Insch now worked TCB to Inverness SCC (Highlands WS) and had its home & distant made into a colour light. The final change was the opening of Kintore station in 2020, 56 years after the previous one closed! Another fun sim, just like the HML really, still good to have visualised though! so there is mock 2 and just 1 more to go, Inverness...1980s!   
Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Last edited: 11/05/2022 at 20:13 by elltrain3 Reason: Ron_J's Feedback Log in to reply The following user said thank you: ajax103 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 11/05/2022 at 18:59 #146454 | |
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Ron_J
331 posts |
Quote:So Sim No2, Aberdeen - Inverness over 4 era's this time.A few points in no particular order after having a very quick read through the text (haven’t looked at the pictures yet) - 1) There is still Electric Key Token working in Scotland between Annbank Jn and Mauchline, and Dunragit to Stranraer (also Girvan to Dunragit is Tyer’s no7 tablet). 2) Boat of Kintore crossing was upgraded from AHB to MCB-OD rather than CCTV. 3) Nairn went onto a (very small) WestCAD workstation rather than a panel when the East & West boxes were abolished. 4) Waterford was an unusual MCB-RC crossing, the crossing next to the box which was wheel worked was named Mosset Road (and was closed long before the box) 5) Inverness is just an SC, not an SCC. 6) You can arrive a passenger train in the Keith branch platform as well as depart. 7) Raiths Farm was built to replace Guild Street yard in Aberdeen; Waterloo Quay is still going. 8) The Highland Workstation signals are plated HE (Elgin and Forres inclusive), HN (Nairn) and HD (Berryden Jn - Inverurie inclusive). Log in to reply The following user said thank you: elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 11/05/2022 at 19:01 #146455 | |
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Ron_J
331 posts |
And a quickie having looked at the up to date mockup, the slot for the Berryden Jn/Aberdeen single line is controlled by the Highland Workstation not Aberdeen.
Log in to reply The following user said thank you: elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 11/05/2022 at 20:05 #146457 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
Ron_J in post 146454 said:Quote:Thank you very much! Always appreciate the feedback! I'll get those changes made,So Sim No2, Aberdeen - Inverness over 4 era's this time.A few points in no particular order after having a very quick read through the text (haven’t looked at the pictures yet) - 1)ah yes! forgot about the G&SW Line! 2) Yep, sill mistake! 3) ah was it westcad? i did wonder! 4) what was unusual? and I found the crossing adjacent closed a long time ago! 5) ah yep I kept changing my mind there! Out of curiosity is Inverness SC just the 'new' westcad bit? or is the panel included in the 'SC'? 6) ah useful! i assumed due to it being mainly Freight only you couldn't arrive in it so good to know! 7) yeah, ill get that changed. 8) ah okay, so they grouped Elgin + Forres, cool!  Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 11/05/2022 at 20:57 #146459 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
After a quick edit to take into account Ron's Notes we move on to Sim No3 The final sim is Inverness (1980s) Covering 6 Signal Boxes in the area... We start where we left off on sim No1 at Culloden Moor, The box here opened in 1898 by the Highland Railway and fitted with the standard 20 levers, by the time we see it in around 1985 it works TCB With slots to Aviemore Panel (Moy Loops), we see a small yard for oil trains plus the Up Shunting Key. The line then stays double as we head to Millburn Jn Millburn Jn was a later box, but by the LMS in the 1940s I Belive to an ARP (Air Raid Precaution) Design, it was fitted with 80 Levers and was an unusual layout, Firstly we see the single track from Nairn arrive and ETB is the way of working, as you hit the colour light home we pass Raigmore crossing, monitored locally by a keeper, though a route diverges up to the 'main' lines from Culloden which are mostly colour lights by this time. Note the routes named the 'Aviemore' and 'Forres' which hints as to the extent of the HR at the time! the Up Aviemore home has a distants beneath it for Welsh's Bridge. The Yard also leaves here and both entrance and exit from the yard are BiDi though the Down entrance needs to be used for freight headed for Aberdeen. The lines now go to 5 tracks wide, though just a few years prior it was 6! With the Up Independent and Down Forres having been removed. Next, is Welsh's Bridge opened in 1898 with 95 LEVERS! making this the Largest box the Highland Railway built! Its layout compromises 2 huge Gantry's as the 2 Aviemore lines now join into the Forres lines to enter the main station, with the straight route from the Aviemore lines heading out towards Rose St and the north. The Shed and Goods yard are also remnants of a past era, as the 'Shed' was gone and only the yard survived. On the other side of the line, we see the Crane shed, Yard and Carriage & Wagon Depot all well used in the 1980s. The 2nd Gantry is a little complex as the 2 middle signals apply to the line to the right of where they are located and are 'backing' shunt signals NOT Main signals. Also controlled by Welsh's Bridge is the Diesel Depot & Workshop heavily used in the 1980s with loco-hauled trains in almost all directions. Next, is Loco Yard Box Opened in 1898 and fitted with 64 Levers, the box here is the smallest and has a very compact but complex layout, having 1 signal for entering the station along with call-on plus the Down Station is BiDi for trains leaving P1/P2, and with motorail, sleepers, and expresses to Euston and Kings Cross this panel would be hard in the busy times! Next and almost finally is Rose Street also opened in 1898 and had 46 levers, it controlled the highland platforms, and the 'avoiding' lines from Welsh's bridge. Platforms 5/6 had 3 signals to clear before a train could leave, allowing for longer trains. The box also has a few sidings. We now pick up a token and head for the last box...Clachanharry! Clachnaharry was opened in 1890 to control the line through a swing bridge, for the Caledonian canal. In the 1980s it was fitted with 10 Levers, controlling 2 Down signals (D+H) 3 Up Signals (H2+H1+D) a Gate Bolt, and the bridge Bolt making it a simple affair, though it was a block post! in 1987 Inverness SC Opened and all the boxes got wiped away....Bar 1! Clachnaharry Survived! and not only that bit it's going strong! Its survival is Due to the nature of a swing bridge, and even though the line outside is RETB the box maintains 3 levers, a protecting signal both ways plus the Bridge Bolt, and will survive for a fair while yet and may even end up being one of the last Highland Railway boxes! This one was just a little extra and was good fun attempting to make a semaphore gantry fit in a program not meant for it! but I'm pleased with the result!  Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Log in to reply The following users said thank you: TUT, ajax103 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 12/05/2022 at 17:06 #146470 | |
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Ron_J
331 posts |
elltrain3 in post 146457 said:Scotland has used SC (“Signalling Centre”) since the 1970s whereas for some reason England went with SCC (“Signalling Control Centre”). Before the workstation was commissioned the box was referred to as either Inverness SC or as “Inverness TCB” and “Inverness RETB” depending on what was meant. That’s still the case in 2022 but the Highland workstation is invariably just called “the workstation”. Log in to reply The following user said thank you: elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 15/06/2022 at 14:23 #146820 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
Hello again all! Been a fair while, so I'm coming back with a trio of Mocks! over my time making mocks I've covered a fair few of the WCML PSBs dating from the modernisation plan of 1955, but despite doing that, I've missed the key WCML ones! so it's time to rectify that with Bletchley PSB, Rugby PSB and Nuneaton PSB! In 1955 when BR decided to modernize signalling & infrastructure on the WCML route, as part of the upgrade a series of 'Power Signal Boxes' were installed to replace the many smaller mechanical boxes that still controlled the key route. The first of these was Euston opening in December 1965 replacing Euston SB, plus Camden Junction and surrounding boxes. Next was Willesden PSB which opened on 12 July 1965, controlling the MAIN lines through the complex yards and industrial areas of Willesden, the yards were still mostly controlled through smaller boxes, To which 3, Willesden CS North, Middle & South all survive in 2022! Next Was Watford Jn opened on the 5th July 1964, which worked Watford junction plus the line as far as tring, the suburban platforms were under the charge of Willesden suburban! The box here remained until 2014 when Wembley Mainline absorbed it. So the first box we cover is Bletchley (Plated BY) which opened on the 28th June 1965 and controlled the line from around Kings langley as far as Wolverton, replacing hundreds of small boxes en-route Only the 1980s era is simulated as sadly I lack the resources to do anything older and the 'modern' eras are rather boring. We start on the right (London) end, where we see the entire Watford Jn PSB as far as Tring, where we take control The first major point of interest is Ledburn Jn, In a different position to the current one, and a low slower too. Next, we reach Bletchley itself, we pass under the former branch to oxford, now a single line and worked by Claydon L&NE Jn through slots and tokens. The station itself is little changed from the last days of steam, with plenty of shunts, sidings and yards all mostly Out of use or overgrown by this time. Finally, it's Milton Keynes, the station which was still new in this era (opening on the 17th May 1982) and only had 1 bay platform with the US Platform being Bi-Di, a very in-flexible layout! Then we progress onto Rugby PSB! The Box here closed on the 31st Dec 2012 when Rugby SCC took over (the layout seen in the existing rugby south sim) =================================================================================================== Next is Rugby (Plated RY), The box here opened on the 14th of September 1964 and worked the line from Wolverton - Brinklow and Willenhall We start with a nice big TD of Bletchley, followed by Hanslope Jn, which was an important junction, where trains for Northampton leave the fast 'Main' lines that bypass Northampton. Northampton changed a lot over the years when it was at its height it had routes to Peterborough, Bedford, Market Harborough, Rugby, and London! It also had 3 stations, Castle, Bridge Street and Town; The town station closed in 1939; Bridge street station closed in 1964 when the 'Northampton loop' connecting Northampton - rugby was opened leaving bridge street as a rather inconvenient station for the town, so Northampton Castle station became plain 'Northampton' in 1966 The final remaining branches were that of the Market Harborough branch which was largely truncated during the 50s and closed in 1981 Followed by the remaining Peterborough branch (which was truncated at Pinnington MOD base by the 80s) Signalling-wise, by the 1960s just 5 boxes remained in Northampton, No1, No2, No3, No4 & Bridge Street Crossing No1 was an 1881 LNWR Cabin supervising the southern end of the station plus the connection to Bridge street No2 was an 1882 build with 118 levers and supervised the entrance to the yard plus the northern end of the station, however, the box closed in 1982 with No3 taking over. No3 opened in 1881 with 58 Levers and Controlled access to the loco sheds and yards. The box however closed in 1981 and was re-built by BR and fitted with an 83 lever Electro-Mechanical Power frame, with the aim of the box absorbing its neighbours at No1 & No4. No4 was 84 levers in size and opened in 1885 to control the northern limits of Northampton No3's aim of absorbing its neighbours never came to fruition, and it remained working to No1 & No4 until 1991 when No1, No3 & No4 closed and Rugby PSB took control, which is what we see on the sim. Bridge Street Crossing was an unusual survivor becoming a gate box in 1969, and now only contained 15 levers plus a very basic layout! It supervised the small crossing and remaining sidings, but by the 1980s most of the area was mothballed despite the box still being staffed! By 2006 the box had become un-staffed and the box 'closed' through formal closure wasn't until 2012 when the box's remaining functions were replaced by 2 stop boards. Back to Rugby PSB and the now updated Northampton Layout, is largely unchanged from today's layout bar for a few extra changes. We follow the Northampton loop before we hit a small Goods Loop at Watford Lodge, followed by DIRFT which only opened in 1997 and remains an important freight hub today! The Goods Loop vanished with the closure and re-building of most of Rugby Station. Back on the 'Main' lines, an unusual feature is present in this era and that's Banbury Lane crossing, the WCML has always had crossings through over modernisation plans they are closed due to the nature of the WCML being fast and busy. The signal box here opened with the line in 1878 making it an incredible survivor! It had 15 levers, 2 for slots and 1 for the barriers which controlled a semi-busy B-Road, though motorists often found the barriers down for 10-12 trains at a time! so in 1988, the box was closed and Rugby SCC took over the crossing through CCTV. The crossing was finally removed in 1991 when a 'flyover' was built and the crossing removed. Rugby Station, The Impressive LNWR Junction station opened in 1885 and had a peculiar layout, being an island platform accessed from a subway! It had 8 Platforms, compromising 2 through platforms and 6 Bays, the bays served trains from Leamington Spa, Leicester and Peterborough/Market Harborough. Prior to the PSB, the layout was flexible with 2 'scissors' crossovers allowing 2 trains to use the main platforms and leave around a train in front, though these were removed when the PSB was opened. Platforms 1 & 2 were also the longest on BR at 1,381 feet (421 m). By the 1970s & 80s, all the surrounding branches had lost their passenger services so the 6 Bay platforms were largely redundant, bar for stabiling and the odd terminating passenger train. The layout we see reflects the 'avoiding' nature of the station with little to no Bi-Di working, and only 2 through platforms (unusually numbered 1 & 2) In 2000 the impressive (but now sadly deteriorating) overall roof was removed due to it being unsafe. Continuing from Rugby we see the lines go back to simple Uni-directional working for the fringes to Coventry PSB & Nuneaton PSB Rugby PSB Lingered on till 2004 when Milton Keynes - Rugby (Exc) and Northampton (Exc) was transferred to the Rugby SCC, leaving the PSB with just the Station and Northampton Panels 4 Years later in 2008 the next Major change occurred when in May, Rugby Station - Nuneaton (Exc) and Coventry (Exc) were re-signalled to the SCC, at the same time the Northampton Panel was transferred to a new Westcad workstation within the box, leaving the only operational portion of the 1965 panel as Long Buckby - Daventry North Jn 6 months later, the final part of the 1965 Panel was transferred to the Westcad Workstation, meaning the original panel was now Out Of Use. It took a further 4 years before the Northampton WestCad workstation passed to the SCC hence why that small area's signals still bear 'RY' as the interlocking remained despite the transfer of control! This change however ended Rugby PSB's Life. The box was demolished a year later. ============================================================================================================================================================== Nuneaton PSB was the smallest of the Boxes and opened on 6th Oct 1963 and really only controlled the Nuneaton area. We see the box in 3 eras's the 70s,80s then the 90s & 2000s to closure. The area in the 1960s then, starting at the right (London) end, we see the rugby TD before reaching Attleborough Jn, where the Down Main gained a Down Goods line adjacent, only retained due to Attleborough siding, released from the shunt frame there. Now we reach Nuneaton station and what's clear is that all but the fast platforms are Bi-Di, as the station handled all the cross-country traffic between Leicester & Birmingham, and all of that traffic had to cross the WCML on the flat! The station still retains all the sidings for cattle, horses and many kinds of goods showing how steam and wagon haulage was still a major part of the railway1 The Up & Down sidings however were unusual as they were both worked from ex-LNWR Boxes (No 3 & 4 respectively), both being released by the PSB. Continuing North we see a very 'basic' uni-directional layout with crossovers for Polsesworth before we reach the end of the full modernisation plan, from Here to Warrington we are back to Mechanical boxes (Tamworth, Hademore, Litchfield No1, Colwich Jn, Stafford No4, Stafford No5, Norton Bridge, Madeley, Betley Rd, Basford Jn, Crewe SC, Coal Yard, and Winsford before jumping back to Warrington PSB). Hopping back to Nuneaton we can see that the 'flyover' also still existed though was freight only and weirdy was worked from 2 boxes which both fringed to Nuneaton! Them the line to Coventry had an intermediate box at Griff which worked AB to the panel. 1970s 10 years after opening the freight scene was dwindling, and although most sidings were still in situ little were used. The Shunt frame and siding at Attleborough Jn have been removed and the down goods upgraded to a Passenger 'Slow' Line 1980s - present Though I'm still finishing the mock, the latest era was one of decline, as most sidings vanished and Abbey & Midland junction boxes were abolished in 1982, as well as Griff Jn, though AB was retained to Hawkesbury lane & Hinckley. The track layout was rationalised and simplified, the DG2 was removed, and the DG1 made Bi-Di The Latest mock will be based on the actual panel, which is located at the Crewe Heritage Centre in its closure state and I am in the process of photographing it for prosperity and converting it to mock format in the process! Enjoy! (Oh and if you manage to read all that, I'm 22 today! so Happy Birthday to me!)   
Post has attachments. Log in to view them. Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Last edited: 15/06/2022 at 14:52 by elltrain3 Reason: None given Log in to reply The following user said thank you: TUT |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 15/06/2022 at 21:41 #146826 | |
DaveHarries
1285 posts |
Early as it may seem I am already giving thought to what form my SimSig Christmas Quiz for 2022 might take. Mocks are certain to make an appearance on one or two questions: I have already started drawing them and they won't appear here in the meantime. Dave Last edited: 15/06/2022 at 21:41 by DaveHarries Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 08:06 #146831 | |
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kbarber
1742 posts |
Again, a formidable piece of work. Forgive me for adding a bit of dinosaur knowledge... elltrain3 in post 146820 said: Hello again all! When Watford PSB opened, the suburban platforms (DC Lines, we called them) were still controlled by the old Watford No. 3 and had the 1930s colour lights, with marker light aspects and (more akin to LT than BR) 'stop and proceed' working. Willesden Suburban was rather later (possibly late 1980s but I'm inclined to think more like 1990). elltrain3 in post 146820 said:
Pedant alert: Bletchley control area started north of Tring (I see you've got it in your description below), with Ledburn as the first location with controlled signals. Back in the day, boxes didn't have any kind of view of adjacent box areas either; it was a huge innovation around 1982/3 when the new computer-controlled train describers gave powerbox supervisors the facility to have a look over next door's shoulder. elltrain3 in post 146820 said:
For information, the location where the Flyover lines and Goods lines joined the main line, to the north of the station, was (possibly still is?) called Denbigh Hall Junction; South Junction for the goods lines and North Junction for the Flyover. <snip> elltrain3 in post 146820 said:
More pedantry, I'm afraid. No. 4 was replaced by the LMSR, I believe in the late 1920s. It was an early step on the road to developing the LMSR standard box and, apart from its brick base, could have been taken to be a Midland Railway design. It had a REC frame (a development of the MR standard tappet frame), but mounted in the front of the box. I visited once but unfortunately have no record of how many levers, though eighty-something looks about right from my photos. <snip> elltrain3 in post 146820 said:
The crossing wig-wags remained in situ for quite some time after the flyover opened. I recall them flashing away at the access road to the old railway houses when we took the boat past there in, I suspect, 2008 (it might have been 2007). I imagine the S&T cursed the cheapskate attitude to signalling abolitions that meant they were always having to change the lamps when they failed, rather than incur the cost of taking the wig-wags out of the signalling detection circuits. Impressive stuff, all in all. Keep it up! Log in to reply The following users said thank you: TUT, headshot119, elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 11:18 #146837 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
"When Watford PSB opened, the suburban platforms (DC Lines, we called them) were still controlled by the old Watford No. 3 and had the 1930s colour lights, with marker light aspects and (more akin to LT than BR) 'stop and proceed' working. Willesden Suburban was rather later (possibly late 1980s but I'm inclined to think more like 1990)" - Ah well good to know, I just saw the connection to the Sub Platforms on the photo I found so wasn't sure who worked them, thanks for clarifying! "Pedant alert: Bletchley control area started north of Tring (I see you've got it in your description below), with Ledburn as the first location with controlled signals. Back in the day, boxes didn't have any kind of view of adjacent box areas either; it was a huge innovation around 1982/3 when the new computer-controlled train describers gave powerbox supervisors the facility to have a look over next door's shoulder." - Yeah I seem to have got a little muddled up there, but yeah The TD's were a massive help, I only added them here (even in the era's prior to their existence) as they'd help have an idea what's approaching. "For information, the location where the Flyover lines and Goods lines joined the main line, to the north of the station, was (possibly still is?) called Denbigh Hall Junction; South Junction for the goods lines and North Junction for the Flyover" - Ahhh, thank you! I knew they were known as that under Rugby SCC, but wasn't sure if they were 'new' names or the originals. Now I know! "More pedantry, I'm afraid. No. 4 was replaced by the LMSR, I believe in the late 1920s. It was an early step on the road to developing the LMSR standard box and, apart from its brick base, could have been taken to be a Midland Railway design. It had a REC frame (a development of the MR standard tappet frame), but mounted in the front of the box. I visited once but unfortunately have no record of how many levers, though eighty-something looks about right from my photos." - Ah okay, thank's for clarifying! So by the 1980s the sole LNWR boxes in the area were Banbury lane and NN1, neat! I was also impressed the boxes survived with such large lever counts right to the end, amazing really. - and yeah with the crossing, I found photo's of the crossing still 'active' long after the flyover was built presumably still under CCTV from Rugby at the time! Thank you as always! These did take a fair while, and an awful lot of squinting at photo's to get TC's etc and I'm impressed with the result! Still Nuneaton 2000s to come of course, then I'm not sure what next! Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 11:19 #146838 | |
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elltrain3
369 posts |
DaveHarries in post 146826 said:Early as it may seem I am already giving thought to what form my SimSig Christmas Quiz for 2022 might take. Mocks are certain to make an appearance on one or two questions: I have already started drawing them and they won't appear here in the meantime.It's never to early dave! Can't wait to see the finished results (and the quiz!) Resident Mock Maker! / "The Out Of Control Host" Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 14:55 #146841 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
kbarber in post 146831 said:Again, a formidable piece of work. Forgive me for adding a bit of dinosaur knowledge...Actually, Watford No.3 worked platforms 10 to 12, the access to the St.Albans branch (including the token to Watford North Halt), and the adjacent carriage shed and sidings. It was No.4 that worked the New Lines signals. Watford Junction power signal box opened on 1964-07-05, replacing No.1 and No.2 boxes. No.3 closed on 1973-11-25 and No.4 on 1967-01-08, the power box taking over the relevant areas. It closed on 2014-12-29. (Closure dates are the last day in service.) When the power box replaced No.4 (and also High Street box on the same date) the signals were all renumbered but there were almost no other changes that I'm aware of. No.4's signals were plated "WF" and High Street's were HS. So the five platform starters were WF32 (platform 1) down to WF29 (platform 4) and then WF27/28 (platform 5, two routes out). Similarly the Watford High Street Up Starter was HS2/9; this became WJ134 (it also gained a two-whites shunt-ahead head). For some reason the 55 levers at Watford No.4 were numbered starting at 26, not at 1 (there were also signals WF5 and WF7, but they were automatics and didn't have levers). The New Line signals were replaced by conventional signalling, worked from Wembley/Willesden Suburban, in 1988. elltrain3 in post 146820 said: I thought Euston just replaced the PSB at Euston and Camden No.1 and 2. When it did, the two New Lines signals CD2.16 and CD2.18/25 became EN148 and EN147. elltrain3 in post 146820 said: In 1980 and 1981 I was commuting weekly by train between Cambridge and Birmingham. There was a Sunday evening working (I forget if it was from Cambridge or if I caught it at Ely or March) which didn't stop at Nuneaton and used the flyover. Normally 31 plus four coaches. Log in to reply The following users said thank you: TUT, elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 18:10 #146847 | |
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TUT
532 posts |
Nice job as always! elltrain3 in post 146820 said: Next, we reach Bletchley itself, we pass under the former branch to oxford, now a single line and worked by Claydon L&NE Jn through slots and tokens.The single line from Claydon L&NE Junction to BY12 was worked by tokenless block à la Salisbury panel, Exmouth Junction, Oxford PSB, etc. That was from 30th September 1985 until the line was mothballed from 23rd October 1993. A stop block gate was secured across the line at the 12 mile post at Claydon and I believe the Blethcley Flyover was also mothballed at the same time. That did reopen in 2006 but the line to Claydon was never used again and won't see trains on it until East-West Rail complete the redoubling and substantial rebuilding. Prior to the 1985 singling the line was double track right the way through to Claydon (and indeed onto Bicester). I understand Bletchley Power Box worked TCB (non-permissive) to Swanbourne Sidings. However, according to Wikipedia (and this is backed-up by the February 1985 Sectional Appendix) Swanbourne Sidings closed on 29th July 1984. The aforementioned Sectional Appendix isn't that clear but appears to show that in February 1985 it was absolute block to Claydon L&NE Junction. I'd be quite interested in finding out more about how and why they did that. The only other thing I can think is that the lines weren't actually in use at the time. The scanned copy is a little bit faded and you can't actually see the lines themselves in table A. However they should be dotted lines which could well have faded or not been picked up when scanned. There are other places where lines are missing which I don't think were out of use. Log in to reply The following user said thank you: elltrain3 |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 19:41 #146849 | |
Steamer
3984 posts |
kbarber in post 146831 said:Was there something particularly difficult about the detection circuit? I'm a bit surprised as linking out the relevant terminals must be the simplest modification to make? Appreciate that there's cost in design and checking etc, but even so. "Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q) Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 16/06/2022 at 22:29 #146851 | |
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bill_gensheet
1413 posts |
TUT in post 146847 said:Bletchley - Oxford was open through to at least 1990. There were various shoppex and even diverted Glasgow - Bristol sleepers (1989) over it on record. 17 Nov 1990, token exchange at Claydon on an Aylesbury - Milton Keynes: http://www.gensheet.co.uk/photo1/ClaydonLNE_12-90.jpg (ignore the photo date, that was from the film datestamp) Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 17/06/2022 at 05:32 #146853 | |
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TUT
532 posts |
bill_gensheet in post 146851 said:TUT in post 146847 said:Quite right, yes, I was thinking more in terms of trying to understand why Swanbourne Sidings Box was apparently closed more than a year before the singling and absolute block working apparently extended through to Bletchley. And I thought well maybe the section between Claydon and Bletchley was actually taken out of use temporarily when Swanbourne Sidings Box closed, presumably as one phase of the singling works. This thought only really occurred to me as my slightly imperfect scanned copy of the 1985 Sectional Appendix doesn't actually show the lines, you can see all the important features on the line, the level crossings, Bletchley's first signals etc. but the actual lines are invisible. And I thought well maybe they were just out of use temporarily in 1985 when that Sectional Appendix was published. This does seem very unlikely though as it wouldn't really have been possible to reverse at Claydon. And certainly if you are confirming that it wasn't closed even temporarily as part of the singling works that's good to know. It's interesting then to ponder why Swanbourne Sidings shut and how and why the AB working was extended to Bletchley Power Box.Bletchley - Oxford was open through to at least 1990. There were various shoppex and even diverted Glasgow - Bristol sleepers (1989) over it on record. After the 1985 singling Bletchley to Oxford remained open until October 1993. Thanks for the pic by the way! Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 17/06/2022 at 07:06 #146854 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
Steamer in post 146849 said:kbarber in post 146831 said:If you do anything more than a like-for-like replacement, you have to go through the full change process with design documents and then test everything. Since the CCTV controls feed into the route controls, that's a relatively big job. You can't just short the lamp contacts as, if I recall correctly, the standard circuits check that the lights only flash when required and that they flash, not just light steadily. So somebody decided not to spend the money and signal engineering resource. I've certainly seen signals still alight without any track to apply to them, presumably for the same reason.Was there something particularly difficult about the detection circuit? I'm a bit surprised as linking out the relevant terminals must be the simplest modification to make? Appreciate that there's cost in design and checking etc, but even so. As to why you don't make arbitrary changes, see the report into the fatal collision at Farnley Junction. Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 17/06/2022 at 08:26 #146857 | |
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kbarber
1742 posts |
clive in post 146841 said:kbarber in post 146831 said:Thanks Clive. Must remember not to rely too heavily on my grey cell; it's a bit tired these days!Again, a formidable piece of work. Forgive me for adding a bit of dinosaur knowledge...Actually, Watford No.3 worked platforms 10 to 12, the access to the St.Albans branch (including the token to Watford North Halt), and the adjacent carriage shed and sidings. It was No.4 that worked the New Lines signals. Log in to reply |
| A little Mock-SimSig Fun! 17/06/2022 at 08:27 #146858 | |
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kbarber
1742 posts |
Steamer in post 146849 said:kbarber in post 146831 said:Search me Guv. I was a bobby, not Sleep & Tea.Was there something particularly difficult about the detection circuit? I'm a bit surprised as linking out the relevant terminals must be the simplest modification to make? Appreciate that there's cost in design and checking etc, but even so. [Ducks and runs] Log in to reply |
