Exeter 1981 - Ed Jeffery

Hi all,

I had a change of heart and I recommenced the refurbishment of Ed Jeffery's Exeter 1981 timetable and I am now well into the testing stage.

Just to recap, the timetable will be a 5-day one, actual planned train formations (including locos) have been added for all passenger trains and extensive research done on the freight flows which have been included in the timetable.

The following features have been added :-

1) Request stops on both the Exmouth branch and Barnstaple branch.

2) All light engine movements before and after working trains

3) Most diagrammed light engine balance working, except where these would have been unlikely to have run (e.g. there are some very silly diagrammed balances like LD running Bescot to Laira which would never have actually run in practice. These have not been included.)

4) Much research into actual trips which ran on both a daily and occasional basis has been done and these added with typical loadings.

5) Most HST movements have four alternatives namely HST, HST with 1 power car and two loco hauled substitutions hauled by either a Class 50 or a Class 47.

The conditions under which HSTs were allowed to operate over the Devon banks with only one PC were closely controlled and there were many conditions to fulfil before it was authorised. An attempt has been made to simulate some of these. None should stop at Totnes and also clear runs from Newton Abbot to Ivybridge were deemed essential. In the timetable the maximum speed of an HST on 1 PC I have made 80mph (although in practice the normal maximum could be achieved, albeit taking a much longer time to reach 125mph) also the acceleration rate has been adjusted to freight standards in order to reduce the normal rate) After many tests I think a realistic "one power car" scenario has been achieved.


A number of compromises have had to be made due to the rationalisation which took place between 1981 and the opening of Exeter PSB (on which the sim is based) in 1985/6 :-

1) Taunton Yard is replaced by using either Fairwater Yard or Taunton Dock Siding. Similarly the West Somerset Railway becomes the Taunton Cider Siding. This is true to life as this was the Taunton Cider Siding in 1981.

2) Two trains which were shown to recess for other trains to pass at Hele have been slightly retimed so as this is not now necessary.

3) No use is made of Exeter New Yard since that was NOT connected to Platform 1,2 and 3 in 1981. Similarly there is no access to and from the incline to Platform 4 in the sim but this was possible in 1981.

4) Most passenger trains from the SR are able to be accommodated in the platform for run round purposes, and those that can't, go forward to Riverside Yard Reception road to run round. The locos off these trains exit the yard at the Cowley Bridge end and re-enter at the west end. This is true to life as this is how they would have been dealt with in 1981.

5) Extensive use is made of Hackney Yard to replace Newton Abbot Yard.

6) Some Paignton services were booked twelve vehicles plus loco but these cannot be accommodated at Paignton Platform 2 for run round purposes. These have been reduced by 1 TSO to eleven vehicles.

7) The Stoneycombe branch was closed during this period so the trip which serviced this branch cannot be simulated. Similarly Hele paper mill was shown to be serviced at this time but cannot be simulated.

8) There was particularly extensive rationalisation on the Barnstaple branch. Even so, an attempt has been made to simulate the trip (6B73) which called at Crediton, Lapford and Barnstaple itself. Instead in shunting inside clear at Lapford and Barnstaple, it stands blocking the single line for a prescribed period of time, thus will require careful handling in order not to delay the passenger service.

9) Plus too many other minor tweaks to mention.

One issue I would like to get a consensus view before release. Nationally at this time, all services over short branch lines carried the same reporting number for every train. This practice ceased in the mid-90s after an incident in which two trains with the same reporting number were on a panel at the same time in the same area and the wrong one was talked past a signal at danger, resulting in a low-speed derailment.

In this timetable all of the Exeter SD - Exmouth and Exmouth - Exeter SD trains carry 2B84. In this timetable numbers run from 2B84-01 to 2B84-47 all with different UID's of course. When two or more are on the panel at the same time Simsig does not always show the correct train when clicking on the train describer berth and this could lead to confusion, especially when platforming at Exeter SD.

I can leave them like this, or give each one a different 2Fxx description which, whilst it would not be realistic of the time, would prevent the confusion.

I would like your views on this please.

There will be a much fuller guide to what's been done with Ed's timetable at the time of release...

Vince