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North Kent Manual

Official Files

Title	Version	Released
Simulation (Payware)	1.2	16/03/2022
15/10/2009 WTT (Midnight and 0445 starts included)	1.0	23/02/2022
08/04/2015 WTT (Midnight, 4am, and 2pm starts included)	1.1	16/03/2022

Additional user-written timetables are available to download here .

Introduction

This simulation puts you in charge of the North Kent workstations located within Ashford IECC as they were prior to the commisioning of the Rochester workstation within East Kent Signalling Centre at Easter 2016. There are three routes available to and from the London Bridge direction, these are the Up & Down North Kent (runs between Charlton and Strood), the Up & Down Bexleyheath(runs between Blackheath and Crayford Creek Junction) and the Up and Down Dartford Loop (Runs between Hither Green and Dartford Junction). Between Dartford Junction and Dartford there are three lines (Down Main, Reversible and Up Main). Beyond Dartford your area of control is predominately double track. Between Northfleet and Gravesend at Springhead Road, the Up & Down North Kent Connection lines join leading to and from Ebbsfleet International High Level and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL). The station at Gravesend has Up and Down Passenger loops. At Hoo Junction the single line to Cliffe and the Isle of Grain leave the main lines. At Strood the Up & Down North Kent lines become the Up & Down Maidstone Branch with an Up Platform Loop with access only to and from the Maidstone lines, Just to the country side of Strood the Up & Down Toomer Loops gives access to the main line at Rochester. All main running lines with the exception of the single line to and from Grain are electrified by the third rail system at 750V Direct Current. The CTRL overhead electrification stops just short of Springhead Road Juncton on both the Up and Down North Kent connection lines. Between Slade Green, Barnehurst, Crayford and Dartford two triangles are provided.

On the Up & Down North Kent lines at Plumstead you have carriage sidings, then at Slade Green you have a major maintainence facility on the down side of the line along with five berthing sidings on the up side. There are no sidings located on the Up & Down Bexleyheath lines. On the Up & Down Dartford Loop lines a reversing siding is provided at Sidcup. At Dartford you have four berthing sidings on the up side of the line with a single siding on the down side. On the up side of the line at Northfleet are the reception sidings for the cement works, although during the time period the simulation is set these sidings were being used in connection with the Cross Rail construction taking place. At Hoo Junction you have freight sidings located both sides of the line. On the single line to Grain sidings are located at Cliffe for an aggregates depot. Access arrangements for these sidings are given under the relevent panel notes. All sidings are electrified except for the sidings at Northfleet, Hoo Junction and Cliffe Brett Marine.

The majority of traffic that the SimSig signaller will be dealing with is southeast London commuter traffic, with regular passenger services on all lines with services between London Charing Cross and Gillingham (Kent), London Charing Cross / London Cannon Street to Dartford, London Cannon Street to Plumstead, London Cannon Street to London Cannon Street via the Crayford Spur in both directions, London Victoria to Dartford. Freight services operate via the North Kent lines to and from Angerstein Wharf, engineering department trains to and from the yards at Hoo Junction, Frieghtliner traffic to and from the Isle of Grain along with aggregates traffic to Cliffe Brett Marine. The shunter at Hoo Junction may at times keep you busy with shunt moves between the various sections of the yard, these are referred to as P1, P2 and P3 (note these do not refer to platform numbers).

Start-Up Options

Scenarios

Beginner

No simulation problems or delays. Easy mode is set in this scenario.

Timetable Developer

Use to design and test your timetables. Easy mode is set in this scenario. No random failures.

Leaf fall season

Leaf fall season is now with us. Down come the leaves and drivers are driving according to the conditions!!! See panel notes for other effects this scenario causes. Maximum random failures of two.

Standard Simulation

A standard day of running on the Dartford area lines. There is chance of a TSR today, along with a chance of some failures and delays to services. However the S&T teams report that they are fully staffed. Maximum random failures of three.

Difficult

Expect a fair number of problems during your shift today, A fair chance of some failures,delays and speeds. S&T report some staff shortages and response times will reflect this. Maximum random failures of five.

Hot summer day

The temperature is rising over the lines around Dartford. Hopefully your temperature will not rise as the infrastructure takes a hit. All S&T teams report severe shortages today. Maximum random failures of six.

Eras

There are two eras in the North Kent.

2009

In 2009 although the connection to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link had been commissioned there were no booked services in the included Groundhog Day timetable. All four up sidings at Dartford are available to the SimSig signaller and the old track layout at Gravesend still exists. The North Kent SimSig signaller still has control of Strood and the East Kent Signalling Centre is still very much in the future.

2017

In 2017 the area around Gravesend has changed beyond recognition. The middle through lines have been removed and there is now a bay platform in use by trains that arrive from the Dartford direction and return to Dartford. You can now terminate at Northfleet from the Dartford direction on the up line. This turn back facility was provided as part of the Gravesend resignalling scheme and remains a very valuable asset to the relevent train service managers and Network Rail staff within the Kent Integrated Control Centre to this day.

Dartford Up Siding 2 has been taken out of use for safety concerns and as a result is shown within the sim with general isolations on the exit arrow and shunt signal applicable to this siding. The fringe at the Strood end of the simulation is now to the Rochester workstation within the East Kent Signalling Centre and takes place whilst trains are within Higham Tunnel.

Other Options

At start up the signaller has the option to disable the ARS within the entire sim. It should be noted that if this option is ticked then the only way to re-enable the ARS is to start a new session.

Features

Automatic code insertion

Automatic code insertion is provided at all locations where trains are likely to change description within the North Kent area of control. It is to be noted that the sidings at Dartford can only automatically insert if it is a simple change of code. If a train splits in the sidings the new codes will need to be inserted by the user manually.

Automatic Route Setting

Automatic Route Setting is enabled on all main running lines with ONE MAJOR EXPECTION, which is the branch on the Isle of Grain. However it is to be noted that moves from NK 502 to NK 454 signals (Those off the Grain branch to the UP MAIN line) will be signalled by Automatic Route Setting. The user should bear in mind the real life signallers on the work stations do take action to prevent the ARS setting the route from NK 502 signal too early which it will do in real life.

Auto signal stems

The majority of auto signals within the North Kent area are plated as being automatics, however the user should note that various auto signals are plated as 'controlled' signals. The reason for this is that these signals in real life protect electrical section gaps.

Electrification

As noted in the introduction apart from Northfleet Sidings, Hoo Junction Yards and the branch to the Isle of Grain and Cliffe Brett Marine, all lines are electrified on the Southern Region 750 volt direct current system. The supply for this is controlled from the electrical control room situation at Lewisham. For the purpose of this simulation the Up and Down North Kent connections at Ebbsfleet Interational also has 25000 kV electrification controlled by the EMMIS controller located within the Ashford High Speed control centre .

Interlocking Areas

The following interlocking areas are included within the North Kent simulation.

Interlocking Area	London end location	Country end location	Era	Workstation
NA Interlocking	Woolwich Arsenal	Erith	2009/2017	North Kent One
NB Interlocking	Between Eltham and Falconwood	London side of Perry Street Fork Junction	2009/2017	North Kent One
NC Interlocking	Mottingham	Country side of Crayford	2009/2017	North Kent One
ND Interlocking	Erith (Up & Down North Kent/Perry Street Fork Junction (Up & Down Bexleyheath)	Crayford Spur Junction	2009/2017	North Kent One
NE Interlocking	Country side of Crayford (Up & Down Dartford Loop \ Crayford Spur Junction (Up & Down North Kent	Dartford	2009/2017	North Kent One
NF Interlocking	Dartford	London side of Stone Crossing	2009/2017	North Kent One
NG Interlocking	London side of Stone Crossing/Ebbsfleet International	Country side of Gravesend	2009/2017	North Kent Two
NH Interlocking	Country side of Gravesend	Between Hoo Junction and Higham	2009/2017	North Kent Two
NJ Interlocking	Between Hoo Junction and Higham	Cuxton / Rochester	2009	North Kent Two

Penalties

Owing to the steepness of the uphill gradient of the down line between Strood and Rochester the signaller on the North Kent Workstation 2 should ensure that the signaller at Rochester has cleared the signal at the top of the bank (ER 4) for a freight train. If a freight train passes either NK 455 and NK 461 at yellow then a penalty will be applied to your score.

Train Operated Route Release

It should be noted that the following signals on the Grain Branch do not have Train Operated Route Release

NK 506 (Up direction leaving Grain)

NK 509 (Down direction heading to Grain)

Features not included

SPAD indicators

The SPAD indicators associated with signals 402/494 have not been simulated within the North Kent simulation.

Workstation Notes

North Kent One workstation

The North Kent One workstation is the busiest of the two workstations provided in terms of route mileage and number of trains. You will be responsible for the following interlocking areas, NA,NB,NC,ND,NE and NF. The main focus of your attention will need to be the area between Slade Green, Barnehurst, Crayford and Dartford with the majority of train services merging on Dartford Junction to funnel in via the three lines to Dartford station, although you will need to be aware of services which turn left at Crayford Spur 'B' Junction or turn right at Crayford Spur 'A' Junction. Use of the auto buttons on signals NK 343 and NK 147 should be with extreme caution. In all interlockings some signals protecting junctions have controls imposed that will replace signals to danger if an overlap track circuit occupies with a train sitting at a signal with that signal at danger. The sim will only cause this if failures are enabled or the user manually occupies a track circuit.

NA Interlocking (Plumstead)

The Up and Down North Kent lines are pretty up straight up and down running although there are a set of sidings at Plumstead, the method of operating of which is shown below. A general speed limit of 60 mph applies to passenger trains with freight trains operating at two-thirds line speed. Trains pass to and from London Bridge panel five whilst between Woolwich Arsenal and Woolwich Dockyard. All signals are four aspect.

Trains using Plumstead sidings which are shown as forming a new service (In the 2009 Groundhog Day timetable only the last two arrivals are booked to berth) then these should reverse in siding one which as the signaller in charge you have full control over. If you wish to enter the other sidings at Plumstead then you will need to request an acceptance by clicking on the shunters acceptance button. It is possible to terminate trains in the up direction at Plumstead and return towards Dartford.

NB Interlocking (Barnehurst)

The Up and Down Bexleyheath lines are pretty much straight up and down running although there are turnback facilities available at Barnehurst, aside from this there is little of operational note. These lines are the 'least' busy of the lines on this workstation.A general speed limit of 60 mph applies to passenger trains with freight trains operating at 2/3's line speed.Trains pass to London Bridge panel five between Eltham and Falconwood. All signals are four aspect.

NC Interlocking (Sidcup/Crayford)

The Up and Down Dartford Loop lines are pretty much straight up and down running lines with turnback facilities at Sidcup in the form of a dedicated siding and the ability to terminate and start back at Crayford. A general speed limit of 60 mph applies to passenger trains with freight trains operating at two-thirds line speed. Trains pass to London Bridge panel seven between Lee and Mottingham. All signals are four aspect.

The siding at Sidcup is fully under your control with no special instructions on operating trains in and out of here.

The area around Sidcup is a high risk wheel slip / slide area, and as a result of this there are special signal controls applied to NK 315 on the down line approaching Sidcup. In order for this signal to clear it will need the track circuit that signal sits on clear and signal NK 319 at Sidcup clear or the track circuit with 315 signal on occupied for 43 seconds.

ND Interlocking (Slade Green)

The ND interlocking area marks the merging of the lines from Abbey Wood (NA interlocking) and Barnehurst (NB interlocking) at Crayford Creek Junction, along with the first of two triangles within the Dartford area. This triangle allowing moves between Barnehurst and Slade Green and vice versa. This triangle is least used of the two in the default timetable with a handfull of trains timetabled on the Erith loop during rush hours. A general speed limit of 60 mph applies to passenger trains with freight trains operating at 2/3's line speed, although it is to be noted that the speed around the Erith Loop is 20 mph and speeds into and out of the depot complex are also severely restricted. All signals are four aspect.

Signals NK 142, NK 143, NK 145 and NK 146 will remain at danger with routes set unless a route is set up to the signal or the track circuit immediately behind the signal is occupied. This is to prevent drivers 'reading through' at the junction piror to these signals and thinking that the signal applies to them, when they're actually taking the diverging route.

Although it is possible to terminate an up train in the up platform at Slade Green it should be noted that the new train can only proceed to the depot complex or the Up Carriage Sidings, there is no provision to head directy towards Dartford or Barnehurst from the up platform at Slade Green.

In order to send trains into the Up Carriage Sidings the signaller will need to place a call to shunter on duty and await the shunters acceptance to be given. For the avoidance of doubt country end refers to trains approaching from the Crayford Creek Junction end. For trains departing the shunter will interpose the description of the train waiting to depart, at which point you can set the route as normal.

Slade Green Depot

Slade Green Depot is controlled by it's own signalling panel which is operated by staff employed by the train operating company. In addition to the shed roads, down siding and the CWM road, the Depot panel controls the lines through to the headshunts at each end of the depot, and there are numerous slots (labelled *1 to *8) between the depot signaller and the North Kent signaller. These slots are granted following phone calls to the depot Person In Charge (PIC).

Slade Green Depot slots SG51,SG52 and SG53

Slots SG51, SG52 and SG53 are controlled by the PIC at Slade Green T&RSMD and when they are given they unlock points NK2127, NK2161 and NK2162. These slots are required for moves both on and off the T&RSMD. When the shunter is ready to send a train he will automatically give the required release. When a train is to enter the depot you will need to send the request to release the points as well as phoning the PIC to send the train. It is recommended that these slots are requested in good time as trains approach the depot complex. These slots are requested by left-clicking them.

Slade Green Station to Slade Green Depot London End

In order to make this move the user must call the Slade Green T&RSMD PIC (SG 101 slot) to request permission for the train to enter the depot. The person in charge will grant slot *7. You must also request SG51 slot, and it is recommended that you left click on the green roundel before the train arrives at Slade Green station. The granting of slot SG51 will also cause the '2127 points free' indicator to illuminate. Once both slots are lit you can then set the route by clicking on the relevant signal at Slade Green station and the arrow pointing to the right between the tracks indicating the Shed roads and the down sidings. Whether the route is called to the Down Sidings or Shed Roads is determined by the depot PIC.

Crayford Creek Junction to Slade Green Depot Country End

In order to make this move the user must call Slade Green T&RSMD PIC (SG 171) to request permission for the train to enter the depot. The person in charge will then grant slot *1. You must also request SG 52 slot. Once both slots are granted, you can then set the required route towards NK 521. You will then need to route from NK 521 signal to the exit arrow at the end of the East Headshunt. Once the train is fully on the headshunt you then need to route from NK 524 to the left pointing exit arrow between the Shed Roads and Down Sidings. The point between the two lines is controlled by the depot PIC.

Dartford Junction or Crayford Spur A Junction to Slade Green Depot Country End

In order to make this move the user must call Slade Green T&RSMD PIC (SG 164) to request permission for the train to enter the depot. The person in charge will then grant a slot *2. You must also request SG 53 slot. Once both slots are granted, you can set a route towards the exit arrow between the Shed Roads and Down Sidings. The point between the two lines is controlled by the depot PIC.

Internal Depot Moves

The depot PIC can route trains between the west end headshunt and the depot/down sidings and the CWM line in both directions without consulting the North Kent signaller. In the simulation, these movements will be made automatically without any input from the user.

The depot PIC can also allow a train to approach NK521 without informing the North Kent signaller.

Be aware that any of the above moves may delay the acceptance of trains entering the sidings from the main line.

Slot * number	Use	How to request
1	Moves from Crayford Creek Junction to Slade Green Exit	Signaller to call Slade Green T&RSMD PIC (SG 171)
2	Moves from Crayford Spur 'A' Junction to Slade Green Exit	Signaller to call Slade Green T&RSMD PIC (SG 164)
3	Release of NK 2161 Points (Down North Kent to 521 Signal	Signaller to left click slot control to the left of *3 for depot bound trains, PIC will grant for depot departures
4	Release of NK 2162 Points (Crossover from East Head shunt to Down North Kent	Signaller to left click slot control to the left of 'SG53' text for depot bound trains, PIC will grant for depot departures
5	Control for moves to East Headshunt	Timed release after setting route into East Headshunt
6	Release on NK 521 for moves to Crayford Spur 'A' Junction	Granted automatically by PIC for depot departures
7	Release on NK 524 for services to Crayford Creek Junction	Granted automatically by PIC for depot departures and not required for moves into the depot
8	Moves from Slade Green station to the Depot at the station end of the depot	Signaller to call Slade Green T&RSMD PIC (SG 101)

NE Interlocking (Dartford West/Crayford Jns)

The NE interlocking is where the lines from Slade Green and Crayford merge for the run to Dartford. It is also responsible for the busier of the two triangles in the area with the Crayford Spur used by a number of freight trains (It is worth noting that some of these freights are longer than the spur so may block the main lines). The line speeds gradually reduce from 60 to 20 heading towards Dartford. At Dartford Junction, there are then three lines towards Dartford station, of which only the middle track has access to and from all lines at Dartford Jn and all platforms at the station.

All platforms at Dartford are permissive and there are no platform restrictions for outbound travel. If you wish to be fully prototypical then a train may only be left 'berthed' on platform one and if you do this the normal action would be to manually set 2207,2216 and 2219 points normal and apply a reminder to these to protect the train left there. All signals are four aspect.

NF Interlocking (Dartford East)

The NF interlocking is responsible for the East end of Dartford station and the station carriage sidings. The four tracks of the station reduce back down to just an Up and Down running line. On the Up side of the line are four berthing sidings along with a short link between up siding four and Dartford platform one, whilst there is a single carriage siding on the Down side. There are no special instructions for working these and all five sidings are fully track circuited. All the carriage sidings have TRTS plungers, this includes the short link road between Up siding four and platform one. All signals are four aspect.

All platforms at Dartford are permissive and there are no platform restrictions for outbound travel. If you wish to be fully prototypical then a train may only be left 'berthed' on platform one and if you do this the normal action would be to manually set 2207,2216 and 2219 points normal and apply a reminder to these to protect the train left there.

The line speed is 20mph within the Dartford Station area, inceasing in stages to 75mph at the workstation boundary.

North Kent Two workstation

The North Kent two workstation is the quieter of the two work stations, with the main area of interest being Hoo Junction and the associated yards. In all interlockings some signals protecting junctions have controls imposed that will replace signals to danger if an overlap track circuit occupies while that signal is already at danger. This may be observed if a track circuit failure affects an overlap track circuit.

NG Interlocking (Northfleet- Gravesend)

The NG interlocking runs from the London side of Stone Crossing station to the country side of Gravesend and for pretty much its entire area of control is plain Up and Down running lines with a ruling speed of 75 mph with freight trains operating at two-thirds line speed, apart from the loops at Gravesend station. On the approach to Gravesend is the junction at Springhead Road where the Up and Down North Kent Connections lead to and from Ebbsfleet International High Level. The auto buttons on NK 427, NK 431, NK 433 and NK 440 will only work when the automatic route setting subareas are switched off. Turning on the subareas will disengage the auto buttons. All up line signals are four aspect, the down line signals are four aspect until reaching reaching NK 431 from where they become three aspect.

The level crossing keeper at Stone Crossing station will occasionally call in to advise that someone wishes to cross. If there are no trains approaching then you can advise him to take the slots back, at which point NK 411, NK 413 and NK 416 will all return to danger. When the crossing is clear again, the crossing keeper will phone to advise you that he is about to return the slots.

Trains heading in to the sidings at Northfleet should be routed to the stop board on the arrival line, note that there was no shunt signal on the entry signal so a full running aspect will be given. Trains departing from the sidings will be described by the person in charge if the simulation is running in easy mode. The driver of the train entering will telephone to notify you that the train is ready and will then proceed onto the departure road.

Slots for the route towards Ebbsfleet International will be granted automatically by the Ashford High Speed Control Centre signaller whilst a train for Ebbsfleet International is between Gravesend and Springhead Road Junction. Trains coming off the line from Ebbsfleet International will enter as normal and the only action needed by the North Kent signaller is to set a route as normal. The markers on the Up and Down North Kent Line Connections labelled as *OHLE are the limits of the 25kV overhead line electrification for the High Speed line.

At Gravesend there are no special signalling arrangements, however the SimSig signaller must note that none of the lines within the station area are permissive and as such the joining or splitting of services here is not permitted. The up platform loop is protected at the London end by wide to gauge trap points. The Up lines through the station are fully reversible, while the Down platform loop can be used to turn back terminating trains from Springhead Road.

NH Interlocking (Hoo Junction)

The NH interlocking runs from the country side of Gravesend to the London side of Higham station. Primarily this interlocking comprises plain Up and Down running lines, these are then joined by the single line to Grain at Hoo Junction. The ruling line speed is 75 mph with freight trains operating at two-thirds line speed on the main line with a top speed of 40 mph on the single line to Grain. Up line signals are four aspect, down line signals are three aspect whilst signals on the single line are two aspect with repeaters. Note that signal NK 502 controlling moves off the single line is a four aspect. The various locations around the Hoo Junction area are shown in the box below the up yard.

Shornmead crossing is located just the London side of Hoo Junction and is provided with an emergency replacement control which places up to nine signals back to danger (Depending on what routes are set), although conventional protection can be provided by NK 443, NK 456, NK 500, NK 502 and NK 1618. You should note that a train stopped at NK 1611 signal will actually be sitting over the crossing and as such permission should not be granted to use a crossing with a train at this signal.

Hoo Junction has major freight yards on both sides of the line as well as the connection onto the Grain branch. There is a staff crossing at the location which offers protection to users by means of a white light. Access to the down yard is possible at all times and a route can be set into the yard when you are ready The person in charge of the down yard will interpose a train when ready which you can then signal as normal.

Hoo Junction Up Yard is split into three sections, which are shown as P1, P2 and P3 sidings. P3 section is only available for trains approaching from the Strood direction. P2 section can be accessed from the London direction from both up and down lines and P1 can only be accessed from signal NK 1611. To allow a train to enter the up yard you will need to call the "Hoo Junction Yard Shunter" and advise they where a train is approaching from. You should note that a train that is reversing at NK 1611 could be given permission for either P1 or P2 sections and the train should be sent to the correct part of the yard. For trains departing the yard the shunter will describe the train at the appropriate signal and you are then free to signal the train as normal. See above for various shunt moves around the Hoo Junction area. In general trains should be timetabled to 'Hoo Junction Up Yard' as a general location. In the situation that either P1 or P2 is specified it is still possible that when you call to advise of the train being at NK 1611 signal that the shunter gives the alternative location for the train, this is the equivalent of the shunter having the 'booked' siding full and gives you the other to clear the running line.

Access to the sidings at Cliffe Brett Marine is by ground frame release. This frame can be released with a train timed to a stand at the location of the ground frame (which is just before NK 509 signal) or with the branch between Hoo Junction and NK 509 clear and no route set from NK 506 signal. The ground frame is very simple with levers to move the points and then verbal permission to enter or leave the siding complex. The FPL is required to be placed normal to enable a train to enter or leave the siding complex. For trains leaving the sidings the shunter will ring up to request permission for the train to enter, however the train will not enter until the ground frame is released by the user. In easy mode trains will automatically be described at NK 502 signal.

The line between NK 509 and Grain is controlled by "No signalman key token" regulations worked with a Tyers number 9 key token. Once a train for Grain arrives at NK 509 the driver will call in asking permission to release the token from the instrument, once you give permission the Token In indication will extingish and the train will shortly depart on the way to Grain. When the train arrives the shunter at Grain will then contact you to advise that the token has been replaced and the train complete with tail light has passed clear of the single line section. When a train is ready to depart from Grain, the shunter will take the token and advise you that the train is ready to enter, if you are operating in easy mode then the description will be automatically interposed at NK 506 signal. Once the train has stopped at the limit of token working board (Square shown by NK 509 and Cliffe NK 509 MUST be in the timetable of the train to undertake the token working) the driver will replace the token and ask you to confirm the token shows as being replaced (Token In indication illuminated). Once this has been done the train will then proceed towards NK 502 signal.

It is possible to cause a Mexican stand off on the single line section with a train at NK 509 heading to Grain and a train heading towards NK 506 from Grain. There are no signalling controls to prevent this situation as a train can be legitimately be heading to Cliffe Brett Marine sidings with a train on route from Grain. It is down to the SimSig signaller to regulate movements over the branch as required. (I.E before routing a train for Grain towards NK 509 make sure one is not due out of Grain. The last place where a train can be held clear is Gravesend) When setting a route from NK 506 you need to set the route direct to NK 502, there is no route between NK 506 and the end of token working section board.

Locations within the yards at Hoo Junction

The following locations are located within the down yard at Hoo Junction.

TIPLOC	Location
HOOJ11R	Hoo Junction Down Siding 11
HOOJ13R	Hoo Junction Down Siding 13
HOOJ14R	Hoo Junction Down Siding 14

The following locations are located within the up yard at Hoo Junction.

TIPLOC	Location
HOOJ511	Hoo Junction Up Yard (P3 Sidings)
HOOJ512	Hoo Junction Up Yard (P1 Sidings)
HOOJ514	Hoo Junction Up Yard (P2 Sidings)
HOOVICR	Victa Railfreight

NJ Interlocking (Strood)

The NJ interlocking runs from the London side of Higham through to the fringes with Rochester (Up and Down Toomer Loop) and Cuxton (Up and Down Maidstone Branch). The ruling line speed is 70 mph with freight trains operating at two-thirds line speed, with a 15mph speed limit for all trains through the tightly curved Strood station.

The majority of trains from Cuxton will use the up loop (Platform three), however it should be noted that any train between Cuxton and Rochester (and vice versa) will need to use platform two as there is no access from platform three to the Toomer loop lines.

The lines through the two tunnels have controls fitted to try to prevent trains becoming stranded within the tunnels and the user should be aware that the controls for NK 449 between the two tunnels require no train between NK 449 and Strood station, or a train in the platform at Strood with the signal cleared. You must note that when that train departs from Strood signal NK 449 will return to danger until the train is clear of the platform. Careful use of the replacement on 449 signal might be worthy of consideration.

The lines between Cuxton and Strood have no special controls affecting trains entering or leaving on the up and down Maidstone lines.

The signaller at Rochester has a view of your train describer back as far as Higham and as such when (s)he sees a train timetabled to head to Rochester Bridge Junction (s)he will clear ER4 signal (The on/off indicator will light) If an untimetabled train is sent towards Rochester then the slot will not be given until the train is actually on the Rochester panel after passing NK 455 or NK 461 signals. Owing to the severe gradient between Strood and Rochester Bridge Junction it is suggested that any freight trains headed for Rochester are held back at NK 453 signal until ER4 signal is off to ensure a clear run to the top of the bank. Note that a freight train leaving Strood for Rochester on a single yellow signal will attract a penalty.

When trains approach from Rochester the signaller at Rochester will operate a slot request (ER 7 REQ), if you are in a position to allow the train to enter then you should click the control labelled ER 7 REQ. When clicked various points in the Strood station area will move and in due course the route will set. This is due to the overlap of NK472 extending over the junction.

Special attention must be paid to the platforming of services from Cuxton. Any train which is shown as terminating in platform number two must do so as the next workings generally depart towards Rochester. If a terminating train from Cuxton which forms a service back to Cuxton is routed to platform two then this will result in the line from Rochester becoming blocked (and preventing your virtual colleague at Rochester from running trains on the virtual line between Sole Street and Rochester), as a result of the above if a train from Cuxton is routed to platform two vice platform three this will attract incorrect platform penalties even though they are adjacent platforms.

Timetable Notes

2009 Groundhog Day Timetable

The supplied timetable is a continuation of the original Groundhog Day timetables. A number of trains operate between Cannon Street and Plumstead, the empty stock off of these should use Siding 1 at Plumstead, if you send these to the other sidings at Plumstead then you will need to edit the return working to show as entering at Plumstead. During the rush hours a number of London services start or terminate at Strood. These shunt via the down Maidstone line and the signaller needs to just keep an eye on the automatic route setting at the location, especially if Cuxton services are running late.

As noted in the timetable hints and tips sections..... Automatic route setting is there to aid you, not do it for you so watch it carefully!

Level Crossings

Name	Type	Panel	Between	Notes
Shornmead	Occupation	North Kent Two	Gravesend and Hoo Junction
Stoke	Automatic barrier crossing. Locally monitered	North Kent Two	Cliffe Ground Frame and Grain
Stone Crossing	Locally operated	North Kent Two	Stone Crossing and Greenhithe	Controlled by crossing keeper
Wybourne	Automatic open crossing. Locally monitered	North Kent Two	Cliffe Ground Frams and Grain

Multiplayer and chaining

With ARS on the simulation of the North Kent workstations should be easily managed by a solo operator, although a single player operating the Hot summer day could need frequent pauses. In multiplayer , North Kent is designed to be run by two people with one person on each workstation.

North Kent chains at the following locations:

Simulation	Location	Lines
London Bridge	Between Woolwich Dockyard and Woolwich Arsenal (Panel 5)	Up and Down North Kent
London Bridge	Between Eltham and Falconwood (Panel 5)	Up and Down Bexleyheath
London Bridge	Between Lee and Mottingham (Panel 7)	Up and Down Dartford Loop

Provision exists for the simulation to chain at other fringes, should the corresponding simulation be developed in the future.

Hot Keys

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

Key	Panel Area
1	Lee / Eltham
2	New Eltham
3	Abbey Wood / Welling / Albany Park
4	Slade Green / Perry Street Fork Junction
5	Crayford Spur Triangle
6	Dartford / Gravesend
7	Northfleet / Hoo Junction
8	Grain / Strood
B	Barnehurst
Shift+D	Dartford Junction / Dartford
Shift+G	Springhead Road Junction
Shift+H	Hoo Junction
Shift+N	Northfleet Junction
Shift+O	Strood Tunnel
Shift+P	Plumstead
Shift+S	Slade Green / Crayford Creek
Shift+U	Sidcup
Shift+Y	Crayford Spur

Acknowledgements

Simulation by : Paul Anthony James Curran

Timetables by: John Mills

I also wish to thank the staff on the real North Kent workstations and the staff at Slade Green Control Tower (aka The Tower) for their patience on seemingly random questions during various shifts, also thanks to Geoff Mayo for creating SimSig and allowing me to build this simulation, and lastly not forgetting the testers.

Reference Section

Signal Number Plan

• North Kent 2009 Signal Number Plan

• North Kent 2015-2017 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.

Signalbox Prefix Codes

The following signalbox codes are used within the North Kent simulation. Codes marked * are external boxes.

Code	Box
CX*	Cuxton
ER*	Rochester
GC*	Grain Crossing
L*	London Bridge
NK	North Kent
SG*	Slade Green Depot (The Tower)

Platform and Siding Lengths

Unless shown below all platforms and sidings can take 10 coaches of either 465/6 or 376 stock

Location	Platform	Length
Albany Park	1&2	284
Barnehurst	1&2	282
Belvedere	1&2	248
Bexley	1&2	285
Bexleyheath	1&2	287
Crayford	1&2	284
Ebbsfleet	5&6	300
Falconwood	1&2	285
New Eltham	1&2	285
Sidcup	1&2	285
Stone Crossing	1&2	285
Welling	1&2	284

Location	Siding	Length
Plumstead	No 1 Siding	240
Sidcup Siding		285

Timetabling Details

The following page will be use to any user wishing to write a timetable for the North Kent Simulation

Timetable_writing_2009

Timetable_writing_2017

Slade Green T&RSMD movements

The table below shows the locations required to validate a timetable from Slade Green station to Slade Green Depot London end.

Location 1	Location 1 Platform	Location 2	Location 3
Slade Green	DM or UM	Slade Green Depot (London End)	Slade Green T&RSMD
Slade Green	DM or UM	Slade Green T&RSMD

The table below shows the locations required to validate a timetable via Crayford Creek Junction to Slade Green Depot.

Location 1	Location 1 Path	Location 2	Location 3	Location 4
Crayford Creek Junction	DNK or DBH or UCS	Slade Green Exit	Slade Green East Headshunt	Slade Green T&RSMD

The table below shows the locations required to validate a timetable between Dartford Junction and Slade Green Depot.

Location 1	Location 1 Path	Location 2	Location 2 Path	Location 3	Location 4
Dartford Junction	UML or RVL or DML	Slade Green Exit	N/A	Slade Green T&RSMD
Dartford Junction	UML or RVL or DML	Crayford Spur A Junction	UNK	Slade Green Exit	Slade Green T&RSMD

The table below shows the locations required to validate a timetable between Crayford Spur and Slade Green Depot

Location 1	Location 2	Location 2 Path	Location 3	Location 4
Crayford Spur	Crayford Spur A Junction	UCL	Slade Green Exit	Slade Green T&RSMD

Additional locations

The following locations do not have official TIPLOC's, however the table below outlines the 'TIPLOCs' used for these locations.

Additional Location	"TIPLOC"
Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev)	CRFDC18
Dartford NK1552 (Rev)	DART552

The user should note that trains are pathed as follows

Down direction

Crayford Creek Junction to Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev)

Slade Green Depot (Crayford End Exit) to Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev).

Up direction

Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev) to Slade Green T&RSMD

Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev) to Slade Green Up Sidings

Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev) to Perry Street Fork Junction

Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev) to Slade Green station.

Please note that no path is provided between the following locations in the up direction

Crayford Creek NK1518 (Rev) to Crayford Creek Junction.

Splash Screens

The following splash screens are enclosed with the North Kent simulation

Filename	Description	Credit with thanks
Splash CP1	1574+3806 Approach platform 4 at Dartford. Engineering works have seen this train diverted via Dartford	Colin Price
Splash CP2	456010+465169 Approach platform 4 at Dartford	Colin Price
Splash CP3	1564+1562 Approach platform 2 at Dartford. Access to the sidings at this time by double slip	Colin Price
Splash CP4	465178 and 3804 in platforms 3 and 4 at Dartford	Colin Price
Splash CP5	66044 in Dartford Sidings during the resignalling from Dartford Powerbox to North Kent	Colin Price
Splash CP6	205009 prepares to depart Gravesend with a Strood shuttle brought in after flooding in Higham Tunnel	Colin Price
Splash CP7	33117 and 8024 arrive at Gravesend with a Strood shuttle. This push pull set up in use due to Higham Tunnel being flooded	Colin Price
Splash CP8	1576 leads 3807 on the down through at Gravesend with a diverted Victoria - Kent Coast service	Colin Price
Splash CP9	1609 and 3493 power through Gravesend with a service heading to Victoria. This service diverted owing to engineering works on the Sole Street line	Colin Price
Splash CP10	1613 and 1872 head for Ramsgate on the down through at Gravesend. Wonder what the customers thought of the delights of Northfleet and co	Colin Price
Splash CP11	465179 approaches platform 1 with a Gravesend to Charing Cross service. At this time even Networkers carried the two digit head codes	Colin Price
Splash CP12	465030 leaves platform 3 at Dartford with a Gillingham (Kent) service, whilst an unseen train has the signal to depart platform 4	Colin Price
Splash CP13	375601 leads 375302 into platform 2 at Dartford with a diverted Ramsgate/Dover Priory to London Victoria service	Colin Price
Splash CP14	375616+375613 approach platform 4 at Dartford	Colin Price
Splash CP15	376017+376015 make their way into platform 4 at Dartford whilst 465163 starts another one of its many lifetime trips to London	Colin Price
Splash CP16	465015 prepares to depart from platform 3 with what looks like a Victoria service	Colin Price
Splash CP17	395015 arrives at Gravesend with a train bound for London St Pancras International	Colin Price
Splash CP18	465001 leads 466028 into platform 1 at Gravesend with a London Charing Cross service. Unidentified class 376 stands at Platform 2	Colin Price
Splash CP19	465031 stands at platform 1 at Gravesend with a Charing Cross service	Colin Price
Splash CP20	465188 and 465154 rest in platform 2 at Gravesend	Colin Price
Splash CP21	465001 leads 466028 out of platform 1 at Gravesend with a London Charing Cross service. Unidentified class 376 stands at Platform 2	Colin Price

All splash screens labelled CPn are (C) Colin Price. Splash screens CP1 to CP12 taken whilst Dartford PSB was still in service, the others were taken after North Kent was commissioned.

Routes not Allocated to ARS

Non-ARS routes

Version History

Version History

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Last edited by headshot119 on 15/04/2022 at 12:22