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York North/South

York South Workstation

Introduction

Geographically a smaller but more diverse and busier area than the North workstation, York South controls the busy station and the southern end of the yards.

The real life workstation is a Grade 7 position, although it forms part of the Grade 9 link and is therefore normally operated by Grade 9 Signallers.

Geography

This area covers the fringe from Doncaster near Heck, the ECML (East Coast Main Line) through to, and including, York station, the Hambleton Junctions area, and the connection to Leeds East via Church Fenton. High speed running at 125mph on the ECML means any slowing can cause multiple minute delays to trains.

Trains from Hambleton East Junction to Temple Hirst junction remain in-sim as there is a triangular junction outside Selby. The exception to this is if a Selby simulation is chained in. Trains via Selby station will enter or exit the area as appropriate.

Trains from Hambleton West Junction to Church Fenton will remain in-sim via the connecting branch at Gascoigne Wood to Sherburn Junction to Church Fenton. The exception to this is if the Leeds East/West or West Yorkshire simulations are chained in. Church Fenton is the entry/exit point when not chained.

The lines with 25kV overhead electrification are:

- Shaftholme/Joan Croft Jns to Temple Hirst, Hambleton, Colton and York

- York avoiding (slow) lines

- York to Skelton Bridge

The lines to Selby and through Gascoigne Wood are not electrified, nor Colton to Church Fenton, nor to Scarborough, nor the connections to them. As per the IECC electrification limits are not shown.

Interlocking areas (for failure reporting) as as follows:

- Temple Hirst: junction and surrounding area

- Hambleton: all four junctions and approaches

- Colton: all three junctions and approaches

- York South: South (left) end of station

- York North 1: North (right) end of station

- York North 2: Down slow/avoider around York

Signalling Notes

General

Most main signals have a 3 minute approach locking timer which will activate if a train is within the defined approach locking distance of the signal. Non-track circuited siding exits are generally 2 minutes while bay platforms are generally 1 minute and shunt signals 30 seconds.

Heck

A ground frame provides access to Heck sidings. The signaller should release the ground frame by first cancelling the route from Y868 and then left-clicking on the green F circle. The ground frame operator can take control by opening the ground frame window and reversing lever 2 (blue/brown release lever). Next, the facing point lock must be unlocked by reversing lever 1 (blue). Point lever 3 (black) should then be reversed, and then the facing point lock normalised by returning lever 1 to the normal (top) position. Finally, the appropriate hand signal can be given to the train driver.

The operation sequence should be reversed to return the ground frame to normal.

Note that hand signals can be given without the levers being in the correct position as the ground frame operator's human arms are not interlocked with the signalling equipment. Therefore check carefully before giving hand signals!

Even though Heck has a ground frame, the signaller still needs to telephone Heck first for an approaching train to ensure that the train will not wait and block the busy Up Main line. This should be done before allowing the train to pass the last regulation point - for example, Temple Hirst junction when coming from Selby, or Hambleton South junction coming from the Gascoigne Wood area.

Temple Hirst Junction

At Temple Hirst Junction, signal Y871 will show at best a double yellow when set towards Selby.

Hambleton Junctions

At Hambleton Junctions, signals Y1852 and Y954 will both be held at single yellow until a train passes the previous signal. This has the effect of holding the junction signal at double yellow (maximum) regardless of the state of the line ahead.

There is slotting on the signals at Hambleton West in the Up direction and Hambleton East in the Down direction. These relate to the slot controlled by Gascoigne Wood (to allow it to use the LOS) and will illuminate white if the routes can be set. Note that there is a roundel adjacent to each signal but all light up regardless of which, or even any, signal has a route set.

Gascoigne Wood

The approach from Gascoigne Wood is simplified per the IECC displays. Approaching trains will flood track sections rather than illuminate only the routed pathway.

Trains leaving Hambleton towards Gascoigne Wood will not show occupancy of the track beyond signal GW1846 - that track is only shown occupied for approaching trains.

Colton Junctions

Colton consists of three junctions, Colton South Junction, Colton Junction, and Colton North Junction from left to right on the screen.

The points immediately after signal Y766 on the Up Normanton are cleared for 125mph over both directions. Thus the junction signal Y766 can show green for both routes.

Copmanthorpe Area

Signals Y777, Y779, Y782, and Y784 are allocated to ARS subareas but are not enabled for ARS operation, per real life. Normally they would be left set in auto.

York Station

Trains stopping at York platform 4 from the Scarborough direction and departing towards Colton will not operate TRTS at the Colton end of platform 3 if held there. Similarly, a train stopping at platform 3 from Colton towards Scarborough will not operate TRTS at the Scarborough end of platform 4.

Trains signalled through platform 3 to 4 and vice versa will stop at the furthest platform. If the mid platform signals are at red then the train will stop and perform station duties there. Platform 3 is long enough for normal East Coast high speed trains such as HSTs and Class 91+coaches+DVT.

Trains booked to reverse at York south outer will do so behind signals Y623, Y625, or Y627. When routed towards LOS Y624, the train will unoccupy the track immediately on the approach to signal Y627; however, the route locking will remain in place back to Y627.

Trains booked to reverse at York south inner will do so behind signal Y629. If the train is coming out of platforms 1, 3, or 5, it will need its timetable edited to instead reverse at York south outer.

Trains booked via York Yard South (ie via the avoiding lines) may pass through the station instead, as long as it can still reach its booked calling points and destination. Similarly, trains booked via the station can be routed via the avoiding lines instead as long as the York timing point is not a booked stop (eg for crew change). Neither incurs a penalty.

Direction arrows will light in platforms 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 11 while a train is approaching. Roughly a few seconds after the train comes to a stand, the arrows will drop out. At this point, a route can be set from the opposite direction into the platform for permissive working.

Platform codes 9X, 10X, and 11X (as opposed to 9, 10, and 11) refer to the short overlaps (warner routes) into those platforms. Typically these are timetabled when a parallel move is to take place at about the same time. Set the route from outside the station to the yellow exit triangle if there is an imminent departure from an adjacent platform. Departures from 9X/10X/11X need no special consideration: they exist to match up inbound with outbound workings on the same platform, rather than arriving on 10X and departing on 10, for example.

NRM/Refuelling

Trains can be signalled into and out of the section between signal Y300 and stop board 5 without involving any yard shunters.

Trains passing stop board 5 into the NRM/Refuelling area will first stop at board 5 and obtain the shunter's permission to pass the board. You do not need to do anything for this movement.

Trains coming out of the NRM/Refuelling area will first phone for permission to approach stop board 6 (permission to enter). A couple of minutes later they will phone again for permission to pass the stop board. You can either instruct the train to wait, or if the line is clear, allow it to pass the stop board and proceed towards signal Y300.

York Yard South

Trains entering York Yard from signal Y241 need permission first by telephoning York Yard South (Y244). Trains do not need permission from the neck behind Y633. The speed limit in the yard is 5mph so expect a long train to foul York Yard South Junction for a few minutes.

Trains exiting York Yard South (Y244) will call for permission before approaching signal Y244. The track approaching signal Y244 is only a couple of cars long so if occupied it means the train is at, or very nearly at, the signal.

Bootham Watering Stop

Just beyond signal S1 on the Scarborough lines is a place where steam engines can take on water. As this takes 15-20 minutes, anything routed from York towards Malton will be delayed (held at S1). Therefore, with any late running steam excursions, check that there is no stop at Bootham Watering Stop before routing in front of an on-time regular train. (V1.2 of the simulation onwards)

Automatic Route Setting Notes

Around Temple Hirst and Hambleton junctions the ARS is fairly well behaved.

Down trains on the Normanton lines may get held at Y757 to await a crossing move to the Leeds lines which may delay a passenger train behind it. Manually routing the train to Y763 may help if it is not sensible to cross it just yet - but beware of East Coast trains coming from Hambleton and joining at Colton.

York south requires the most attention. Due to the limited trackwork and number of conflicting moves, ARS may not choose the best resolutions for conflicts.

York North is okay for ARS when things are going smoothly. Judicious use of the Down Fast in the Up direction may help with moves from Harrogate and Tollerton simultaneously.

Train Describer Notes

York is a little unusual in its handling of calling-on routes into occupied platforms with occupied TD berths. In most situations (in real life and in SimSig simulations) a TD step into an occupied platform will generally go to the near end TD berth instead of the far end for a main route into an unoccupied platform. However, in York's case they decided to determine occupancy on track circuits instead of train describer berths. Thus, if the first train in a platform is occupying the near end track circuit then the second train's description will overwrite the first's. Certainly a "gotcha" to watch out for!

As with most real life installations, a train description that steps into the rear berth of a bay platform (as all train descriptions do) and then does not have a next train activity but simply departs again later, it will lose its description. The same description should be re-interposed in the front berth ready for departure.

York North/South Contents

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Last edited by Steamer on 30/06/2019 at 18:04