Cornwall SimSig

" said:

" said:

1. On the Newquay branch the next box towards Newquay, after St. Blazey, is at Goonbarrow Junction which works AB with St. Blazey. Drivers on the Newquay services have to obtain a token from the signalman at Goonbarrow Junction to proceed. Goonbarrow Junction, for anyone who doesn't know, is just on the Par side of the level crossing at Bugle.

If I could just expand on this a little, the driver of a down service departs Par station and stops in the old platform at St. Blazey (just around the corner) to collect the token for the section between St. Blazey and Goonbarrow Junction. This token is coloured red.

So St Blazey to Goonbarrow Jn isn't AB in other words.

" said:

They do have to call attention the same as everywhere else nowadays. I think operating methods were standardised in BR days?

You are referring to "slack working" which of course never happens.

That's not slack working. The GWR and latterly the BR (WR) block regulations required 2-1 to be sent without call attention or acknowledgement. I'm not sure when this was abolished and standardised, but it still stood true in the 1960 block book. As Alistair says you can this at Exeter west but it isn't a local instruction or slack working, its standard regs.

Out of interest, would the eastern fringe be extended to include Plymouth and Ivybridge? Such a move would allow chaining with Exeter.

Problem is that, when St. Germans SB closed 06-May-1973 the equipment in the box (or, at least, some of it) was, according to a book I have, transferred to a building on the station platform which acts as the fringe point between Liskeard Signalbox and Plymouth panel. Therefore the Albert Bridge is under Plymouth panel as is Ivybridge. Therefore the most easterly fringe would be St. Germans.

I am not sure about the locations of P75 & P75R.

Looking at the diagram above, it does not seem to show signal LL10 on the Up Main at Lostwithiel which is after the end of the Up Goods Loop and is a colour light. I believe this signal was only installed when Bodmin Road closed in 1985.

Again, correct - LL10 is the Lostwithiel up section signal, and is a colour light.

" said:

Again, correct - LL10 is the Lostwithiel up section signal, and is a colour light.

There is no section signal at Lostwithiel these days on the Up Main, it's TCB. LL10 was the section signal before Largin closed in 1991.

So Lostwithiel is an absolute block signalbox with no section signal. How does that work then?

" said:

So Lostwithiel is an absolute block signalbox with no section signal. How does that work then?

It's only AB to and from Par.

I'm not going to comment on driving but at the end of the day there is no absolute block section heading east from Lostwithiel so it's not possible to have a "section signal" which is defined to be the signal controlling the entrance to an AB or IB section.

" said:

" said:

So Lostwithiel is an absolute block signalbox with no section signal. How does that work then?

It's only AB to and from Par.

So at what point do I stop driving to AB rules, and drive to TCB rules on the up through Lostwithiel? Can you forward your answer to the other several hundred drivers who sign Cornwall?

" said:

" said:

" said:

So Lostwithiel is an absolute block signalbox with no section signal. How does that work then?

It's only AB to and from Par.

So at what point do I stop driving to AB rules, and drive to TCB rules on the up through Lostwithiel? Can you forward your answer to the other several hundred drivers who sign Cornwall?

The Sectional Appendix shows it changing at Lostwithiel signalbox. I would expect all the drivers who sign the route should be aware of that, but should have a copy of the SA to refer to if not.

Regardless of whether there is an AB section in advance of LL10, I simply cannot believe that LL10 is not an absolute block section signal. If it isn't, then no one has ever told me or any of the drivers at my depot who regularly drive trains through Lostwithiel.

And having just thought about this, I remember coming up through Lostwithiel a few weeks ago, and the distant signal (LL1 was on). Every signal I approached at danger came off in front of me, including LL6, LL8 and LL10. That's typical absolute block working, and does not suggest the presence of TCB operation.

And having just thought about this, I remember coming up through Lostwithiel a few weeks ago, and the distant signal (LL1 was on). Every signal I approached at danger came off in front of me, including LL6, LL8 and LL10. That's typical absolute block working, and does not suggest the presence of TCB operation.

it looks as if at least LL6 is semaphore, and hence (in my world) cannot be cleared before you've seen it if the next signal is at danger - otherwise you would be within your rights to claim an "adverse change of aspect"!

" said:

it looks as if at least LL6 is semaphore, and hence (in my world) cannot be cleared before you've seen it if the next signal is at danger - otherwise you would be within your rights to claim an "adverse change of aspect"!

All up signals through Lostwithiel are semaphore, except for LL1 (the up distant) and LL10.

" said:

Regardless of whether there is an AB section in advance of LL10, I simply cannot believe that LL10 is not an absolute block section signal. If it isn't, then no one has ever told me or any of the drivers at my depot who regularly drive trains through Lostwithiel.

And having just thought about this, I remember coming up through Lostwithiel a few weeks ago, and the distant signal (LL1 was on). Every signal I approached at danger came off in front of me, including LL6, LL8 and LL10. That's typical absolute block working, and does not suggest the presence of TCB operation.

If there is no absolute block section then it can't be an absolute block section signal, the AB regulations clearly define the term. As for clearing each signal in turn, you'd get the same situation at Liskeard which is TCB in both directions.