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Kilmarnock slot

You are here: Home > Forum > Simulations > Released > Paisley > Kilmarnock slot

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Kilmarnock slot 26/12/2020 at 12:36 #135378
Afterbrunel
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Running the 2015 timetable, I am having trouble getting the Kilmarnock slot in time for a movement. If Kilmarnock wants to send a train to Barassie, it does so even if I am requesting the slot for a train to Kilmarnock at the time. If an Ayr - to - Kilmarnock passenger train is involved, it has to stand on the Up Main Line blocking the route for 20 minutes plus. This can happen for two successive trains from Kilmarnock, making it 40 minutes. This is also true for a long goods train for Kilmarnock, which can't stand inside Barassie UGL.

This appears to mean that I have to ask for the slot, and wait to obtain it, before I let a passenger train for Kilmarnock leave Ayr! It also means that I can't let two successive trains leave Barassie for Kilmarnock. I have had a stand-off in that situation where Kilmarnock sends a train after the first from me has arrived. This means that sigs 272 and 274 are pointless.

Does anyone know what happens in real life?

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Kilmarnock slot 27/12/2020 at 11:33 #135428
tynie123
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234 posts
Afterbrunel in post 135378 said:
Running the 2015 timetable, I am having trouble getting the Kilmarnock slot in time for a movement. If Kilmarnock wants to send a train to Barassie, it does so even if I am requesting the slot for a train to Kilmarnock at the time. If an Ayr - to - Kilmarnock passenger train is involved, it has to stand on the Up Main Line blocking the route for 20 minutes plus. This can happen for two successive trains from Kilmarnock, making it 40 minutes. This is also true for a long goods train for Kilmarnock, which can't stand inside Barassie UGL.

This appears to mean that I have to ask for the slot, and wait to obtain it, before I let a passenger train for Kilmarnock leave Ayr! It also means that I can't let two successive trains leave Barassie for Kilmarnock. I have had a stand-off in that situation where Kilmarnock sends a train after the first from me has arrived. This means that sigs 272 and 274 are pointless.

Does anyone know what happens in real life?

What are the Headcodes also this is in the Manual

Paisley box itself was not fitted with ARS, it is provided to assist solo play. As with the real ARS, it has its limitations over and above the fact that the NX panel was not designed for ARS operation. Regulation will be a problem from time to time and occasionally you may get a ‘Mexican stand-off’, also in some converging junctions ARS may get the priority wrong. Some signals may benefit from collaring for ARS, particularly loop exits, though many locations are coded not to fire the ARS till near departure time.

Last edited: 27/12/2020 at 11:39 by tynie123
Reason: None given

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Kilmarnock slot 30/12/2020 at 12:14 #135608
Jan
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906 posts
While ARS could certainly get itself into a pickle in that situation, too, I fail to see the relevance of that manual extract to this particular problem.
Two million people attempt to use Birmingham's magnificent rail network every year, with just over a million of them managing to get further than Smethwick.
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Kilmarnock slot 30/12/2020 at 16:17 #135631
tynie123
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234 posts
Jan in post 135608 said:
While ARS could certainly get itself into a pickle in that situation, too, I fail to see the relevance of that manual extract to this particular problem.
Sorry for trying to help.....

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Kilmarnock slot 31/12/2020 at 15:39 #135711
Jan
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906 posts
My guess would be that in real life there would be some sort of communication between the boxes if trains aren't running to time and there's a potential conflict arising.

As to how to model that in Simsig terms - having Kilmarnock phone up for early running trains as a first step might help a little and is already supported by Simsig.
Taking that further, maybe that feature needs extending so that late running trains optionally can trigger the same message. And finally, the ability to ask the neighbouring signalman to hold back a scheduled entry in case one of your own trains is running out of course, with a randomised decision by the sim as to whether they'll be able to oblige you or not [1].

Until then, a workaround would be to look at the schedules of trains about to enter, maybe throw a dice to decide whether Kilmarnock can actually hold back that train or not and then if necessary fiddle with the delay values of trains about to enter in the opposite direction.

[1] In the case of Kilmarnock for example, the track layout there means that a train coming from the south waiting for the single line to Barassie actually needs to wait outside of the station, thereby blocking all northbound traffic from the Dumfries direction.

Two million people attempt to use Birmingham's magnificent rail network every year, with just over a million of them managing to get further than Smethwick.
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Kilmarnock slot 01/01/2021 at 01:29 #135772
whatlep
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377 posts
Jan in post 135711 said:
My guess would be that in real life there would be some sort of communication between the boxes if trains aren't running to time and there's a potential conflict arising.
..........

[1] In the case of Kilmarnock for example, the track layout there means that a train coming from the south waiting for the single line to Barassie actually needs to wait outside of the station, thereby blocking all northbound traffic from the Dumfries direction.
The "phone home" solution was exactly what we used to use back in the mists of time when I was employed at Kilmarnock. Occasionally Glasgow Control would offer wise counsel that would get the consideration it merited from the signalling staff on the spot.

When Hurlford was still the TCB fringe box for Kilmarnock, there wasn't much of an issue holding traffic from the south outside Kilmarnock, other than irritated train crew who failed to understand that the WTT timings didn't match the constraints on the ground and would produce a Mexican standoff. Holding a first train at K55 signal still allowed Hurlford to accept another train from Mauchline (New Cumnock if Mauchline was switched out) and, in theory, have it proceed as far as K53 on TCB.

1983 signalling plan for Kilmarnock attached for reference. Most of the sidings now long gone.

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Kilmarnock slot 05/01/2021 at 16:57 #136007
Afterbrunel
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94 posts
Thanks to those who replied.
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