Crewe

Features

Alternative Routes

Trains can be diverted around Crewe Station and Crewe Independent lines using any alternative route as long as they’re able to reach their destination.

You can also divert and route through various sidings, including:

Sorting Sidings North (NH20) to Gresty Lane (GL9)
Crewe Station (CE543 to Crewe SSN (NH7)
Basford Hall Yard Up Arrival No.1 & 2 and Up Loop.

Absolute Block

Within the Crewe area, many boxes work Absolute Block (Or Permissive Block) to each other, both internally and to the fringes. There are two start-up options to disable AB where appropriate.

Fringe AB

Crewe Steelworks works AB to Beeston Castle, while Gresty Lane works AB to Nantwich in the eras covering 1985 to 2015. Post 2016 the line is TCB from Gresty Lane to Cardiff ROC, which took over the Crewe to Shrewsbury line.

Internal AB

Within the Crewe area, many boxes work Absolute Block or Permissive Block to each other. Two start-up options are provided to disable AB either internally or to fringes.

Crewe Steelworks works AB to Beeston Castle, while Gresty Lane (Not the 2016 era) works AB to Nantwich.

In the 2016 era, any sections of AB or PB which connect to Gresty Lane have been replaced with TCB with the resignalling work.

Internally, Crewe Basford Hall works AB to Crewe Sorting Sidings North, Crewe SSN works Permissive Block to both Gresty Lane (Not 2016 era), and Salop Goods. Gresty Lane (Not 2016 era) works Permissive Block to Salop Goods. Salop Goods works AB to Coal yard.

Permissive Block is indicated in the same way as AB. The core difference is that Permissive Block will allow more than one train to enter a section with either a call on or shunt route, rather than a single train with main aspect.

For Salop Goods to Sorting Sidings North you must use the white exit arrow. For all other permissive block sections you may use either the Grey or White arrow (Call on or Shunt) where provided.

Through Acceptances

Through acceptances are placed between Sorting Sidings North & Crewe PSB and Sorting Sidings North & Gresty Lane. These will allow for a TD to step between the panels.

You can only use these through acceptances for trains which are traversing through the sidings to the adjacent workstation. Trains booked South Yard or Coal Sidings on the Sorting Sidings North - Crewe PSB section, and Warehouse Sidings on the Sorting Sidings North - Gresty Lane section MUST NOT use these through acceptances as this will prevent the train leaving the sim, and may let the train proceed to the adjacent workstation.

To use the through acceptances:

Hit RQST on the sending box. Both indications will flash white. You may cancel this at any time by Right Clicking on the RQST roundel.
The Receiving box will press ACCP, and both indications will go solid white. You may cancel this at any time by Right Clicking on the ACCP roundel.
The through acceptance will automatically cancel itself after the passage of a train.

Electrification

All electrification limits are marked on the simulation. With almost the entire simulation being electrified with 25KV OHLE, some notable exceptions are:

The Nantwich Line beyond Gresty Green Loops
The Chester line beyond Crewe Steelworks
Hartford South Junction to Hartford CLC Junction
Gresty Green Up Sidings, Gresty Lane Down Sidings, Crewe Coal Sidings

The line via Alsager was only electrified around 2004. This line being non electrified prior to this has not been simulated.

Half Routes

Half routes are implemented between Crewe PSB & Gresty Lane (both lines), Steelworks & Crewe PSB (Up Chester) and Coal Yard to Crewe PSB (Up Fast and Up Slow). Both halves of the route are required to complete a route in order for the signal to show a proceed aspect.

In the 2016 era, half routes are also used between Sorting Sidings North and Gresty Lane

Operation of the half routes is done in two steps, and can be done in either order. For the first half of the route, simply route as normal from your entry signal, up to the grey exit arrow. The second half can be set from the red arrow through to the exit arrow. This second step will lock your overlap.

TD Stepping

TD stepping around the Crewe area might look inconsistent but is implemented based on plans and observations from Network Rail Open Data Feeds. There are some inconsistencies with how train describers are normally depicted in SimSig.

Important to note is that the Last Sent berths will populate when the adjacent area will see the description in their approach berth. One example is the last sent to Kidsgrove will populate as a train steps into the berths for Signals CE196 and CR198 with a route set through.

Approach berths to Crewe PSB’s fringe boxes will populate when the last sent berth would populate in reality. This is generally, but not always when a train has two green signals ahead of it.

Last Sent berths will all clear out when the last track circuit in the route clears.

In 'Easy' difficulty levels, descriptions of trains departing most sidings will be interposed automatically. In harder modes, as per real life, you will need to interpose them yourself.

Huddersfield Control

There is no Huddersfield Control within the Crewe Simulation. This means that you can set a call on route with the signal ahead showing a proceed aspect, or vice versa. Care should be taken to ensure passenger trains are not signalled into occupied platforms unless they are booked to platform share or to join to each other.

Last edited by Steamer on 17/06/2023 at 16:00