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Warrington

Official Files

Title	Version	Released
Simulation (Payware)	1.6	27/05/2024
15/10/2009 WTT (Midnight & 0445 starts included)	5.1	27/11/2021
08/04/2015 WTT (Midnight, 0400 & 1400 starts included)	5.2	27/11/2021
09/01/2019 WTT (Midnight, 0400 & 1400 starts included)	5.1	27/11/2021

Additional user-written timetables are available to download here .

Introduction

Warrington PSB controls the West Coast Mainline from just north of Weaver Junction, fringing to Winsford Signal Box, through to Balshaw Lane, south of Preston, along with the Chat Moss Line between Rainhill and Astley.

Along with Warrington PSB, also simulated are Eccles and Astley signal boxes along the Chat Moss, and Arpley Junction on the Warrington Low Level line.

Start-Up Options

Scenarios

Acton Grange to Warrington

Between Acton Grange Junction and Warrington Station, the Up and Down main is closed to traffic. All traffic must be routed onto the Up and Down Helsby, however, watch out for the 10MPH speed restriction on the Up End of Warrington Station.

Golborne to Winwick

The Up and Down Main is closed to traffic between Golborne Junction and Winwick Junction. All traffic must be diverted via Newton-Le-Willows and Earlestown.

Warrington to Winwick

Between Warrington Bank Quay and Winwick Junction, both Down Lines are closed. All traffic must use the Up Slow and Up Fast.

Warrington Bank Quay Platform Closure

A randomly selected platform will be closed at Warrington Bank Quay. Please note that this scenario will not close Platform 1.

Wigan North Western Platform Closure

A randomly selected platform will be closed at Wigan North Western. Please note that this scenario will not close Platform 1.

One of the Above

Any of the above will be picked at random.

Two of the Above

Any two of the above will be picked at random.

Eras

1972- 2009

While a large number of changes were made to the panel since its commissioning in 1972, the pre-2009 era is designed to allow timetables of any era to run up until around 2009, when a number of more substantial changes were made to the layout.

2009- Present

Around 2009, a number of lines were adjusted, modified or otherwise changed. Key alterations are as follows:

A Down Passenger Loop was added connecting the Up and Down Slow lines at Springs Branch Junction to the Down Passenger Loop/Platform 6 line at Wigan North Western. This allows services from Liverpool to terminate in Platform 6 without blocking the Fast lines.

Sidings were removed around Newton-Le-Willows at this time. These have also been removed within the sim.

The Goods lines were modified around Bamfurlong Junction. This removed some of the complexity, but also the flexibility of the junction.

St Helens Junction went at some point prior to 2009 (Possibly as early as 1990, but cannot confirm), but signalling alterations to the signals and track circuits made at around this time.

Around 2015, the Up and Down Chat Moss lines were electrified, and line speed incremented from 75MPH to 90MPH. This is represented in this era.

Springs Branch Sidings were out of use for much of the time within this era. Full operation is still simulated

Other Options

TORR

Warrington PSB is not fitted with TORR in reality. A startup option has been provided for you to choose if you'd like to play with or without TORR as you see appropriate.

Scale of Problems

Set the probability and severity of delays and equipment failures.

Features

Electrification

1972- 2009

The following lines are electrified in the pre-2009 era:

• Balshaw Lane to Weaver Jn, including all passing loops, slow lines, the Goods lines between Wigan South Jn and Bamfurlong Jn, Dallam RMT and the Up & Down Helsby between Warrington Bank Quay and Acton Grange Jn.
• Golborne Jn - Newton-le-Willows- Earlestown (Platforms 4 & 5) - Winwick Jn. The loops and Motorail sidings at Newton were not electrified.
• The Up and Neck sidings at Wigan North Western.
• Warrington Bank Quay Loco and Dock sidings
• Arpley sidings (via 213 and 219 only)
• Walton Old Jn MSC Sidings

2009- Present

From 2014 onwards, several more routes were electrified, as part of the north west electrification program. These are all electrified in the 2009- Present era:

• Springs Branch Jn- St Helens Central
• Ince Moss Chord
• Ordsall Lane Jn- Newton-le-Willows and Parkside Jn, including Eccles UGL
• Earlestown (all platforms)- Huyton
• Springs Branch LIP, Neck and the stub of the former Bickershaw line.

TRTS

TRTS is provided at Dallam RMT only.

Shunt exit arrows

White shunt exit arrows must be used to select call-on routes at all locations where these are provided. The one exception is Dallam RMT, where arrows aren't provided, and call-ons are automatically selected if the platform is occupied.

Panel Notes

Arpley Junction

Latchford Siding and MSC Siding may be used interchangeably, that is, a train booked for Latchford Siding may be routed to MSC Siding without penalty and vice versa.

Routes set towards Signal AJ3 require points AJ25 Normal (Main to Main Trailing Crossover), and will lock Points 27 either Normal or Reverse, which can be selected by using the overlap selection arrow, until there is no route set towards A3, and either Tracks AJ5 or 6 are clear, or, Track AJ6 has been occupied for a short period of time.

Routes set towards AJ13 lock Points AJ32 Normal (Points for Up Sidings), and points AJ28 (From the Down Arpley Branch Normal for a short period of time. Note that it is still possible to swing points 25 (Main to Main crossover).

The Up Arpley Branch is bi-directional. If Warrington South panel wants to send a train towards Arpley Jn on the Up line, you must grant the slot by setting a route from AJ5 to AJ47.

AJ8 controls exit from both the Loco and Traffic sidings. Use the via buttons to set a route from the Loco or Traffic sidings as appropriate.

Astley

In reality, Astley is a lever frame. Auto buttons have been added to this box to aid playability in single player

Eccles

The line towards the Weaste Branch is One Train Working, meaning that only one train is permitted onto the branch at a time.

To send a train towards Weaste, the indication on screen must be at Clear. For a train to enter the simulation from Weaste, this indication must be Occupied.

By default, the OTW is set to Occupied, allowing a train to enter from Weaste. Should you first wish to send a train towards Weaste, or to reset the OTW after a track circuit failure, first, right-click on the OTW reset button. This will begin flashing. After 120 seconds, the OTW reset button will stop flashing. At this point, right click the reset button.

In 2009 (and later) mode, the Down Chat Moss is bi-directional towards Ordsall Lane Jn from Eccles. A slot must be requested from Manchester Piccadilly to send trains wrong-line.

Warrington PSB North

Wigan Wallgate fringe

Trains from Wigan Wallgate require WN32 slot to be granted. To grant the slot, set a route from WN32 to either WN36 or WN47, depending on the train's routing.

Auto working is available on WN32 slot towards WN36. The signaller at Wigan Wallgate has an indication of which route the slot has been set for, and will phone you if the slot has been set for the wrong route for an approaching train.

Wigan Wallagate must grant a slot to allow a train to proceed towards WW101. Note that due to the short distance between Crow Nest Jn and Hindley, the route for trains not booked to call at Hindley must be set promptly to avoid the driver getting a double yellow at Hindley's platform starter (MP809, not shown on Warrington). In most timetables, there aren't many moves towards North Western during the day; take care to cancel the auto working on WN35 prior to any trains booked for North Western entering the simulation.

When setting a "route" from WN32 slot the overlap track does not illuminate with route lights, this is a deliberate part of the simulation design.

Wigan North Western

Note that the speed limit to enter/exit platforms 1 and 6 at the north end is 10mph.

All platforms are permissive. In the Down direction, any trains required to enter Platform 6 on a call-on route must be routed via the Down Main and WN52, as WN50 doesn't have a subsidiary.

Class 390s are not permitted to stop at platform 1, and drivers will query the route if this is attempted. Class 390s may pass through platform 1 non-stop. The train type is determined by the 'EPS-E' speed class being ticked.

Springs Branch

Trains which reverse on the Loop at Springs Branch may need the signal at the end of the loop to be cleared due to its short length.

The line towards Bickershaw is One Train Working, meaning that only one train is permitted onto the branch at a time.

To send a train towards Bickershaw, the indication on screen must be at Clear. For a train to enter the simulation from Bickershaw, this indication must be Occupied.

By default, the OTW is set to Occupied, allowing a train to enter from Bickershaw. Should you first wish to send a train towards Bickershaw, or to reset the OTW after a track circuit failure, first, right-click on the OTW reset button. This will begin flashing. After 120 seconds, the OTW reset button will stop flashing. At this point, right click the reset button.

In the post-2009 era, Bickershaw colliery was closed, however, the branch remained in the panel with the section between Signals 71 and 82 having reminders placed on the panel. In Summer 2019, this short section came back into use for the new EMU sidings. Should you wish to use this for shunting, the reminders can be removed and the track used.

Bamfurlong Junction

Routes up to the white exit triangle on the Up Ince Moss Goods, in the Down direction require Track 194 (Berth track for Signal 105) to be occupied for 120 seconds before setting the route.

Warrington PSB Middle

Trains which are booked to run directly between Winwick Junction and Golborne Junction will happily accept the route via Earlestown and Newton-Le-Willows. Alternatively, trains which are booked via (but do not call at) Earlestown and Newton-Le-Willows will accept the direct route.

Track circuits in rear of Signals 148 and 515 will not fit a train of any significant length. If you have a train approaching Signal 148 from Parkside Junction, and a train approaching Signal 515 from Golborne Junction, there is a chance that you can cause yourself a standoff.

Newton-le-Willows

In 1972-2009 mode, a call on route may be set from 532 with the Up platform at Newton-le-Willows occupied, using the shunt exit arrow at the Earlestown end of the station.

Warrington PSB South

There are times where you might see in a timetable, a line code of OL. This refers to trains booked via Walton Old Junction (On the Up and Down Helsby Lines).

In some modern timetables, trains terminate in Warrington Bank Quay P1 and return north, using the Up Slow in the Down direction. Take care not to cause a delay or stand-off between Up trains, or a long freight train in the Up Goods preventing a Down departure from platform 1.

For northbound departures from Arpley Sidings, you may instruct the shunter to route the train via 212 ('The Hole') or 213. Note that 'The Hole' is not electrified, and in the modern era sees very little use, and has been used as a stabling road.

Track circuit overrides are provided for permissive moves on the Up Goods and Up Slow at Bank Quay station, and on the Up Helsby south of Walton Old Jn.

Take care routing trains off the Down Helsby to the Down Fast; the running time from Frodsham Jn for a train booked to call at Runcorn East is generally longer than the running time of passenger trains from Weaver Jn.

Preston Tunnel (176 miles 4 chains to 176 miles 7 chains) on the approach from Weaver Junction is also known as Preston Brook Tunnel, the simulation accurately reflects the label etched into the panel tile in Warrington PSB.

Timetable Notes

08/04/2015

Midnight, 04:00 and 14:00 starts are provided.

The new electrification described above was energised a month prior to this timetable's date; on 8th April, electric traction had been introduced on most Manchester Airport- Liverpool services, but diesels were still in use on the other services.

09/01/2019

Midnight, 04:00 and 14:00 starts are provided.

Introduced in May 2018, most trains from the Hindley line terminating at Wigan were diverted from Wallgate to North Western, and this unusual operation continued into 2019. The change was reversed later in the year.

Level Crossings

Name	Type	Panel
Astley	TEL	Astley
Slutchers Lane	TEL	Arpley Jn
Norton	R/G	South
Woodside Farm	TEL	Eccles

Multiplayer & Chaining

The simulation can be played by a single reasonably experienced player, and is ideal for 2-3 in multiplayer.

The simulation chains at the following locations:

Simulation	Location
Chester	Frodsham Junction
Crewe	Weaver Junction
Edge Hill	Fiddlers Ferry
Huyton	Rainhill
Huyton	St Helens Central
Manchester Piccadilly	Crow Nest Jn
Manchester Piccadilly	Ordsall Lane Junction
Wigan Wallgate	Wigan Wallgate

Bi-Di working on the Chat Moss line from Eccles towards Manchester is not implemented.

Hot Keys

In addition to the standard shortcut keys , the following are available:

Key	Panel Area
1	Wigan North Western
2	Springs Branch - Bamfurlong Junction
3	Golborne Junction
4	Dallam RMT
5	Warrington Bank Quay
6	Acton Grange Junction

Acknowledgments

Simulation by: James Pedrick (Pedroathome)

08/04/2015 WTT by: John Mills (Meld)

09/01/2019 WTT by: John Mills (Meld)

Reference Section

Signal Number Plan

• Warrington 1972-2009 Signal Number Plan

• Warrington 2009-Present Signal Number Plan

These are Adobe Acrobat PDF files. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer you can get a free download of the latest version from the Adobe website . Use the built-in Find function (Ctrl+F) to locate signal numbers.

Signal Box Prefix Codes

Code	Box
AJ	Arpley Junction SB
AY	Astley SB
CN	Crow Nest Jn SB*
ES	Eccles SB
FF	Fiddlers Ferry SB*
HN	Huyton SB*
MP	Manchester Piccadilly PSB*
MS	Monks Siding*
NN	Norton Junction SB*
PN	Preston PSB*
SH	St Helens Central*
WD	Winsford SB*
WW	Wigan Wallgate*

*Fringe box, signals not controlled in this simulation. Non-prefixed signals are plated WN (Warrington PSB)

Platform & Loop Lengths

Platform Lengths

Location	Platform	Length (m)
Dallam RMT	1	200
	2	200
	1&2	450
	3	200
	4	200
Warrington Bank Quay	UG	260
	1	245
	2	250
	3	255
	4	230
	Dock	65
	Loco	45
	DS	235
Wigan North Western	1	240
	2	80
	3	80
	4	300
	5	280
	6	280

Loop Lengths

Location	Loop Name	Length (m)
Arpley SB	Latchford Siding	615
Arpley SB	MSC Siding	615
Warrington North	Springs Branch Loop	30

Splash Screens

Splash101	A Class 60 approaches Earlestown platform 1 with a rake of steel wagons
Splash102	The ATW loco-hauled set arrives at Earlestown platform 2
Splash103	A TPE Class 350 arrives at Wigan North Western platform 4 with a Manchester Airport service, as a Class 156 arrives in platform 5 working a Blackpool train
Splash104	A Northern Rail class 319 departs Wigan North Western platform 6, heading to Liverpool. Signal 45 is showing Yellow, with a route set towards WN57. WN44 can be seen to the left, showing green.
Splash105	A Class 390 arrives at Wigan North Western platform 5, heading north. WN25 is showing Green, and the post-mounted WN24 is in the centre of the frame.
Splash106	A Class 66 powers up the hill from Wigan Wallgate, with a train of waste from Knowsley. WW101 can be seen through the trees, and the Exchange Sidings are in the foreground.
Splash107	A pair of 57s approach Wigan North Western platform 4 from the north. The sharp curve/pointwork leading to platform 1 and associated 10mph speed limit can be seen.
Splash108	A Class 390 arrives in Wigan North Western platform 5.
Splash109	A Class 56 leaves Arpley Jn with a coal train for Fiddlers Ferry. The photo was taken from Warrington Bank Quay station; the Fiddlers Ferry line passes beneath the WCML here.
Splash110	A Class 70 waits at WN194
Splash111	A Class 57 heads south through Warrington Bank Quay platform 2.
Splash112	An ATW Class 175 arrives at Warrington Bank Quay platform 4, having come from North Wales.
Splash113	A Northern Rail Class 150, working empty to Chester, passes WN201 at Bank Quay. To its right, the backs of WN214 and WN216 are visible, the Helsby line taking a lower alignment to Acton Grange. Between the train and the fence, the back of WN213 can just be seen; the line to Arpley Yard drops away steeply from the main lines.
Splash114	A TPE Class 185 has just passed Newton-le-Willows station, and is just about to pass WN533. The trees on the left and right occupy the trackbed of the former Motorail and NCB reception sidings.

External Resources

Cab Ride Crewe to Wigan North Western - The video enters the Warrington PSB area at approximately 17:19.

Version History

Version History

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Last edited by Hap on 27/05/2024 at 18:08