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Three Bridges ASC

Introduction

Three Bridges Area Signalling Centre is located at the station of the same name, on the busy line between London and Brighton. Opened in April 1978, the large operations floor originally housed six panels numbered from 1 to 6, but with panel 1 split into A, B, and C positions. This split allowed better management of the busy and complicated London end of the layout where two sets of four main tracks merge from London Bridge and London Victoria stations and split out towards West Croydon and East Croydon, with the large Selhurst depot in between the convergence of the two London lines.

Later in its life, Three Bridges gained Panel 7, covering the Horsham lines. This is not included in this simulation because SimSig Horsham already covers it.

The control equipment is laid out as separate control and indications panels. This allows signallers to be further from the indications and thus see a much better picture of movements happening nearby and potentially approaching their area of control.

The simulation includes three eras: the year 2000 to 2013, 2014 - 2017, and 2018 to 2019 approximately. While there were a number of changes across those two decades, it was felt that consolidating into three main eras would work for most years with little to no compromise - an additional siding that can be ignored if it wasn't yet built, for example. That said, the two main differences in the later era are Redhill gaining platform 0 (and platform 1 becoming a bay), Three Bridges depot opening, extra stabling at Brighton, and additional bi-directional signals between Balcombe Tunnel Junction and Haywards Heath.

Selhurst Depot has its own control panel in real life, slotting with Three Bridges in certain areas. However, in the simulation, panels 1A and 1C will be controlling the entrances and exits mostly, though slots are provided to prevent head-to-head movements.

Reigate signal box is a lever frame controlling the station of the same name, plus the line towards (excluding) Shalford Junction and thence Guildford. This box has been included in the simulation to join to a potential Guildford simulation, though is slightly simplified (no ground frames or emergency crossovers). It has been included due to the large number of trains that terminate at Reigate from Three Bridge's control area, and is too small to make a simulation of much interest standalone.

The signal box panel is oriented such that London is on the left and is geographically north; while Brighton is to the right and geographically south.

Start-Up Options

Scenarios

Four scenarios are provided. Beginner mode provides the most help, and has the least issues like failures. Standard mode has a few failures at a time. Quarry Line Closed is a scenario whereby all trains must run via Redhill instead of the Quarry lines. Finally, Leaf Fall has trains accelerating more slowly and braking more cautiously due to the risk of wheel slip during leaf fall season.

Eras

Three eras are provided as follows:

Timeframe	Notes
2000-2013	Old layouts at Redhill, Gatwick, Three Bridges
2014-2017	Newer layout at Gatwick, and Brighton Down Sidings
2018-2019	Newer layouts at Redhill, Three Bridges, and Brighton Down Sidings

The timeframes are approximate because the railway is constantly evolving. Choose the era based on the timetable date.

Other Options

Option	Notes
Level crossings enabled	(default: ticked) Full level crossing simulation when ticked. No level crossings at all when not ticked.
ARS enabled	(default: ticked) Automatic routesetting is enabled when ticked and disabled when unticked.
Extra TD berths	(default: unticked) Additional berths are provided at Brighton and some sidings to better handle platform sharing and divisions, and to assist with locating trains entering from sidings. Note that in many cases ARS will not route into such sidings if this is unticked - you will need to set the final route.
Point normalisation alarms	(default: ticked) Certain points flash when they should be normalised by the signaller when enabled. No alarms when unticked.

With the exception of ARS, the default options are the most true to life.

Features

ARS

The simulation features ARS which is programmed to handle most, but not all, signalled moves. Generally it works fairly well in regulation but as with anything involving ARS, remember it is a tool to aid, not a replacement for you. There are pinch points like Redhill and Brighton where services can get particularly congested and, with trains delayed, are better resolved by hand than by ARS.

ECS moves to and from depots are usually timed very generously to allow for shunting. In the sim, trains leaving Selhurst or Lovers Walk Depots may thus appear very early, and ARS may fail to accurately predict times for such trains. It is recommended that moves in these areas are controlled manually where possible.

Three Bridges Depot (in modern era) does not have the same problem, because trains are timed at the entrance/exit to the depot as well.

The real-life Three Bridges ASC will shortly receive ARS, and will face these same issues in real life; it is likely that "Depot Entrance/Exit" locations will be provided at Selhurst and Lovers Walk to resolve these issues.

Broadly speaking, subareas are labelled after the 3-character CRS/NRS codes, optionally followed by a line, orientation, or direction letter (or combination thereof). For example, CAT is the CRS code for Caterham and as it's the only subarea there, there is no suffix. Norwood Junction has four subareas: NWD is the CRS code and is followed by DS for Down Slow, DF for Down Fast, US for Up Slow, and UF for Up Fast. The arrangement of tracks at Redhill differs from Norwood so the convention there is RDH (for Redhill) followed by UN for up side north end, US for up side south end, TN for Tonbridge line, etc.

All stations where trains terminate and form new services have ACI controls. Note that there are insufficient TD berths in some stations to handle multiple divides or joins - particularly Brighton. However, see the Other Options section above for an additional berths option for Brighton.

Electrification

Most of the area is electrified by the 750v DC third rail method. Only a few sidings, plus the line west of Reigate, are not electrified. There are no possible signalled and timetabled moves onto non-electrified lines for electric trains so electrification limits are not marked, per real life.

Track Circuit Overrides

A number of locations have track circuit overrides. These provide an "are you sure?" moment for the signaller when routing from ground position shunt signals into occupied tracks. They do not need to be used for call-on routes from main aspect signals which will clear automatically once the approach control timer has elapsed.

To operate, set the route normally, over the occupied track. Right-click on the appropriate red circle to operate the override. Once that and any other conditions are met, the shunt signal will show a proceed aspect. The override will cancel automatically once the route has released, either behind the train, or by manual cancellation.

Norwood Junction platform 7 override has never worked in real life and this is simulated in SimSig.

Panel Notes

Each of the panels has different characteristics which make each difficult in different ways. The timetables can also make a panel easier in one scenario and more difficult in another scenario.

Therefore, recommending panels for beginners really depends on a number of factors! Nevertheless, here is a brief summary:

• Panels 1A and 1C have a lot of depot movements and the risk of mis-routing is high. Recommended for more advanced users.
• Panel 1B is probably the busiest panel but is also very short time-wise, but the risk of mis-routing is high. Recommended for more advanced users.
• Panel 2 is simpler but does have joins and divides at Purley which may be harder for new users.
• Panel 3 is very intense, especially with the 2019 timetable. Delays here can ripple throughout the entire simulation. Recommended for more advanced users.
• Panel 4 has a lot of terminating/originating services, plus more extensive use of the depot at Three Bridges in later years. However, it should be manageable by a typical non-new user.
• Panel 5 is the longest panel in terms of route miles. Putting a stopping train in front of a fast can cause ripple delays throughout the simulation. There are also joins and divides at Haywards Heath. That said, an average user should be okay here.
• Panel 6 features the busy Brighton station and depot. Recommended for slightly more advanced users.
• Reigate is a lot simpler than all the panels, but does (optionally) have level crossings to deal with. It does have the risk of boredom though if crossings are switched off and only a handful of trains per hours.

Other notes:

• Some signals on panel photos are shown to the left of the track when, in fact, they are located on the right. It is believed most of these are shown on the left to reduce panel clutter. The remainder may have switched sides during the life of Three Bridges. Generally the simulation follows the panel layout.
• In various places, trap points in overlaps look like they are laying in the wrong positions. This includes up routes through platform 1 at Three Bridges, Gatwick Airport, and Hove, amongst other places.

Panel 1A

This panel controls Norwood Junction, part of the Selhurst Depot entrances, and Norwood Fork Junction. The four main lines on the left come from London Bridge while two further come from Crystal Palace. A flyover takes the Down Wallington line over three of the running lines, before ducking under the Victoria slow lines.

Unlike the Victoria lines, and pretty much the rest of the Three Bridges control area, the lines are arranged in direction pairs rather than fast or slow pairs. The flyovers and duck-unders at Norwood Fork Junction and Windmill Bridge junction sort the lines into fast/slow pairs. The resulting layout is complex to look at and mis-routings as one starts to learn the panel are common. Take your time and follow the lines carefully.

Early in the morning, numerous trains come out of Selhurst Depot and cross to platforms 4 and 5 before reversing and heading south. These can present themselves fairly early at the depot exit, so check their arrival times at Norwood Junction to ensure something coming from London Bridge doesn't take you unawares.

The entrances/exits to Selhurst Depot at signals S4 and S7 share trackwork - a train could enter via S7 and seconds later come out via S4, though this is not simulated. As a result of the shared trackwork, it is not possible to route into the depot at both ends at the same time. There is no restriction on one entry and one exit, or both exiting, though don't expect trains to do both movements simultaneously.

Down trains from Norwood Junction to West Croydon must take the Down Wallington line, while everything else must take the Down LB Slow or Down LB Fast.

The route from Crystal Palace sets in two halves. The first half is set by Victoria ASC across the diamond. The second half is set by Three Bridges and completes the route. In fact, either half can be set at any time, but only when both halves are set will the protecting signal at Bromley Junction consider showing a proceed aspect. This "signal" (actually a slot) will show a white light in the simulation when Three Bridges' part of the route is set. Up trains from Norwood Junction towards Crystal Palace have no slotting or unusual arrangements - just set the route. Both this route and all routes from T15 require the "gate locked" indication which controls access to the small maintenance depot there. The crossing itself is not currently operational in the simulation so this will always be lit.

Slots must be requested from Selhurst Depot in order to send trains in. Left click on the green circle to request the slot.

Norwood Junction goods yard to Windmill Bridge used to be a through track but that capability was removed before the eras simulated in this simulation.

Panel 1B

Panel 1B takes the lines from London Bridge and London Victoria and merges them into five lines (2 up, 2 down, and 1 reversible). East Croydon station is very busy for commuters and it is important to keep the trains flowing as best as possible. The four middle platforms are bi-directional - but beware that re-platforming a train may cause more delay than simply waiting for the correct platform to become available.

East Croydon station throat has a number of non-preferred routes (ie crossing over to an adjacent line and then back again). These set automatically based on availability and, like the platforms, it may be better waiting for the "straight" route than wiggling a train and potentially causing a delay on the adjacent line.

Routes from T124, T126, and T128 to T114, T116, T118, and T120 have automatic delayed yellow functionality. If the right-hand platform track is clear then T124/6/8 will show proceed immediately (subject to other approach control), But if the platform track is occupied then a delayed yellow approach will be used instead.

It is not possible to bring a train to opposite ends of the same platform, such as routing to T109 with a route set to T120.

The Down Slow to Slow Reversible crossover at South Croydon (from signal T131 to T135 via 1626 points) allows trains towards Purley to bypass the restrictive 20 mph limit at South Croydon Junction, but was only brought into use on 31th January 2011 and therefore shouldn't be used in timetables set before that date.

Selhurst Depot points S65 and S70, immediately after signal S23, are shown in a different order on the panel photos vs scheme plans and Google Earth's historical imagery. As the panel is the odd one out from multiple sources, SimSig has gone with the scheme plans and Google Earth.

Panel 1C

This panel covers Selhurst station through to West Croydon. The latter has a centre turnback siding that wasn't commissioned until early 2010 but can be ignored for 2009 and earlier timetables.

Departing trains from Selhurst Depot towards Selhurst station need consideration as to which road to depart onto. This is because anything reversing at Selhurst and continuing south must use the inner loop instead of the outer.

This panel is probably the easiest of the three "1" panels, but does require careful reading of the timetable and the screen to ensure trains are sent the right way. Even sending a fast line train on the slow line can cause significant delays for the panel 1B or panel 2 signaller as they try to sort it back into its correct slot.

There is no route from West Croydon platform 3 (signal T41) into the Reversing Siding. The call-on route from T37 into platform 4 has been out of use for a long time and thus cannot be set in the simulation.

Finally, the panel 1C signaller needs to be watching panel 1B for approaching trains even before they reach East Croydon, such is the rapid approach and closeness of the latter. The same goes for watching panel 1A (the Down Wallington) though this line has fewer than half the trains of the main lines.

Panel 2

Panel 2 takes trains from East and South Croydon through Purley and sorts them into four routes/destinations. Firstly, Purley station features a junction with the Caterham and Tattenham Corner branches, both dead ends but both with service generally every 20-30 minutes. Some of these services divide/join at Purley. Secondly, the Fast and Slow lines split at Stoats Nest junction (alongside which the Tattenham Corner branch makes a brief and unconnected reappearance) into the Quarry and Redhill lines respectively; the former bypassing Redhill and two other stations completely, though never more than a couple of miles away.

Trains often divide and join at Purley such that one train operates between there and London, and two separate portions between Purley and Tattenham Corner and Caterham. Care should be taken with headcodes to ensure each portion carries the correct train description. Towards London, ensure the "through" description is at the London end of the platform.

Whyteleafe and Whyteleafe South stations both have crossings controlled by a crossing keeper at the former station. There is little interaction between the crossing keeper and panel 2, and in real life panel 2 cannot even see whether Whyteleafe have locked the crossings to allow trains to proceed. However, in the simulation, this is visible: the signals will be red until a train approaches. Signal T569R is on a split track section where only the combined occupancy is shown, and will go back to yellow before the train reaches the short berth track section in front of signal T569.

Caterham and Tattenham Corner both have auto platform working. Both work the same way. The ARS subarea must be disabled before the auto working can be enabled, and the subarea cannot be re-enabled until the auto working is switched off. When enabling auto working, be aware that all routes other than the route into or out of platform 2 will be cancelled, causing an adverse change of aspect if a train is approaching. With a train in platform 2, and the station throat clear for a short time, the auto working will set out of platform 2 as soon as it's available (no TRTS required). Once platform 2 and the station throat have been clear for a short time, a route will be set into platform 2 regardless of whether a train is approaching.

Non-stop trains between Purley and Earlswood may use the Redhill (slower) or Quarry (faster) lines without questioning the route.

Panel 3

Panel 3 recombines the Quarry and Redhill lines, and also features branches off to Tonbridge and Reigate at Redhill station. Note that the layout of Redhill station varies between eras.

Quarry and Merstham Tunnels have tunnel controls on them, to prevent a second train coming to a stand inside the tunnel. A proceed aspect at the signal before the tunnel requires the tunnel clear, or the preceding train having a proceed aspect out of the tunnel and beyond.

The Goods and No.2 Up Siding (older era) show as through tracks in the simulation as they were in real life. However, in the simulation, all three have independent entrances and trains will exit the simulation there. One exception is No.2 Up Siding where a timetabled reversal in that siding will cause the train to remain in-sim.

Redhill platform 1A in the 2000 era requires the train description to step into the TD berth for 1A before ACI will work.

The Fast line platforms at Earlswood are out of use normally though can be used for emergency egress in real life.

For simplicity, the various hand points and sidings at Salford are simulated as stubs with the exception of the bottom "Up Sdgs" line which is an entry/exit.

Non-stop trains between Purley and Earlswood may use the Redhill (slower) or Quarry (faster) lines without questioning the route.

The slot at Salfords Up Sidings applies to signal T1150 only. Signals T1146 and T1148 do not need the slot to route to the Up Sidings.

Be aware that all lines at Redhill, including the through lines, have call-on routes that will set instead of the main route if the platform or line ahead is occupied.

Panel 4

This panel features Gatwick Airport station, Three Bridges station, Three Bridges depot (more functional in later eras), the branch to Crawley, and Balcombe Tunnel Junction where the four track main line ends.

Gatwick airport gained an additional platform in the later eras. At the same time, the Gatwick Express trains that used to use dedicated rolling stock and run non-stop to London Victoria, swapped from using platforms 1/2/3 to platforms 6 and 7 which provided for fewer crossing moves over the slow lines. Check that a terminating train from the north doesn't then form a service into the Up Sidings because if it does, it'll need to use platforms 1 to 3 instead of 4 to 6/7.

There are aircraft trip wires and "accident imminent" (from the airport control tower) indications just south of (to the right of) Gatwick Airport station. They are not simulated as the author feels that comes under the category of "game over", not to mention slightly macabre.

Three Bridges depot has some slots to allow routes into the depot. Left click to request these. In 2018-2019 era, these slots are also interlocked with the corresponding set of points to enter the depot. The points cannot be reversed unless the slot is granted. The shunter will usually grant the slot for a departing train without waiting for it to be requested; if for any reason this doesn't happen, requesting the slot and waiting for it to be granted will allow the relevant routes to be set.

Crawley is part shown on the indications panel at Three Bridges but is not controlled by Three Bridges panel 4. Routing here is performed automatically by the simulation and should thus be left alone. You will, however, get a dummy TRTS alert for an Up train starting from platform 2 which is required for the automatic routing.

Balcombe Tunnel Junction is a fairly high speed junction meaning trains onto/off the slow line will clear the junction quickly. Note that signals 299 and 301 (later era) are panel 5's signals, while 294 and 296 are panel 4's signals. In reality they are back-to-back with each other.

When running trains "wrong line", the train descriptions will initially step to the first signal in the "right direction", followed by the intermediate station, if appropriate, followed by the signal at the far end of the reversible section. The section between Haywards Heath and Balcombe Tunnel Junction is a little different in the 2017-18 era because of the additional signals and steps more normally.

Crawley station is not under the control of Three Bridges panel 4, however, some indications are shown.

Panel 5

This is the longest panel in terms of route mileage where even the fastest trains can take 15 minutes to cross the one panel, compared to 45 minutes for five panels from Brighton to Selhurst or Norwood. Apart from Haywards Heath, the whole panel is a two-track railway, albeit with bi-directional signalling along much of it. The main priority here is to ensure trains are in the correct order - not putting a stopper in front of a fast, for example.

In the later era, Balcombe Tunnel Junction to Copyhold Junction has a signal for the "wrong" direction for every "right" direction signal. However, many of these are repeater signals that do not increase headway at all. Furthermore, these repeater signals can display red aspects! Proof of this (beyond the signalling plans used to create the simulation) can be seen in the YouTube cab ride video linked in this manual. In this era, the four routes through Balcombe station are one-button-control routes (left click on the entry signal; no need to click on an exit signal).

Trains often divide and split at Haywards Heath, with separate portions between there and the east and west coasts either side of Brighton (varying destinations/origins). Care should be taken to ensure each train carries the correct description, and that the London section has the "through" description.

When running trains "wrong line", the train descriptions will initially step to the first signal in the "right direction", followed by the intermediate station, if appropriate, followed by the signal at the far end of the reversible section. As an example, working from Preston Park to Keymer Junction will result in a step from Signals T420/T422 to T421, then T421 to Hassocks (T389), then Hassocks to T370. The section between Haywards Heath and Balcombe Tunnel Junction is a little different in the 2017-18 era because of the additional signals and steps more normally.

Unusual Signalling Arrangements

All these features are true to life, unless otherwise stated.

• Signal T335RR is fixed at double yellow (older era).

• Signals T331R and T335R are fixed at yellow (older era).

• Signals T337, T339 and T343 will not show a proceed aspect until a route is set towards them.

• There are no routes to Signal T349. Platform 3 at Haywards Heath can only be entered from the south end but trains can depart back to the south from any platform.

• Signal T342 is a fixed red, therefore no routes are possible from this signal. As such, do not send trains continuing in the Up direction into Platform 2 at Haywards Heath.

• The "platform" for Haywards Heath Platform 1 extends beyond signal T345, towards the spur. This allows for trains to pull past the signal to fit into the platform. This should only be used for any freight trains that need to run-round.

• The

  Direction of Flow arrows are normally lit in the "normal" direction for each section of line. Setting a "wrong road" route will cause the "normal" direction arrow to extinguish and the "reverse" direction to light. When the route releases, the "reverse" direction will extinguish and the "normal" direction will light. In real life these take a few seconds to switch back to the "normal" direction.

• Signals T665 and T667 at Brighton read over a staff crossing with white lights. Due to the proximity of this crossing to those signals, they will not

  clear for 20 seconds after setting the route to allow any users to clear the crossing. An exception to this is when a train is leaving platform 3 towards signal T667 whereupon the signal will clear immediately if the train has yet to pass signal T450.

• Various sets of points in depot, yard and siding areas are not self-normalising and must be manually replaced to normal after the passage of a train. The track will flash white in the immediate area of that particular set of points, and as there is a message event for this on

  F3 Options - Messages tab you will see a message appear in the messages window too. You can also set a sound effect to go off when this occurs. This feature can be disabled with the appropriate start-up option.

• The Ardingly Branch is a non-electrified single track freight-only line leading to a run-round loop at Ardingly itself, and is only about a mile and a half long. Although an entry point has been provided here in SimSig, trains will not exit here and will thus need to be timetabled in and back out again as the train will not "fall off" when it reaches Ardingly. When the train is on the branch, the "train in section" indication will show in red until the train leaves the single line towards signal T337. The train description from Haywards Heath will step from signal T336 to T331 but will need cancelling manually from T331.

Panel 6

ARS involving trains between Brighton and Lovers Walk depot in both directions can be an issue. This is because the train companies allow a lot of time for the trains from well within Lovers Walk depot to the buffers at Brighton (and vice versa), which in real life may involve see-sawing movements (back and forwards) to shunt from the siding to/from the depot exit. This large allowance - as much as 20 minutes - messes up the prediction algorithms that ARS uses. For example, Preston Park to Brighton is usually timed at around 5 minutes to go three signalling sections, whereas Lovers Walk to Brighton can be timed at 20 minutes for one signal section. In summary, it is important to watch the Brighton area of the sim for such issues.

When in non-"Extra TD Berths" mode, Brighton station has two train describer berths per platform - most recent arrival (buffer-end berth) and first departure out (Signal-end berth). If a train divides, or double docking is performed, then you are advised to use sticky notes to remind you of what is where. Trains leaving will only pick up the TD from the departure berth; TDs in the arrival berth are ignored for these, and a Non-Described Special Description (NDSD) will be inserted for trains departing without a TD in the leftmost berth. Always interpose outbound trains in the left hand berth. Dividing or double docking trains will therefore need their headcode inserted into the departure berth after any trains in front have departed.

With the exception of Lovers Walk Depot (L2, L11, L21 and West Carriage Road), siding exit signals are not provided with TD berths. Therefore, the signaller must interpose the description at the first appropriate signal.

Lovers Walk Depot can see which trains are approaching and thus you do not need permission for trains to enter - although you do still need the slot. To avoid delays as much as possible, it is a good idea to request the slot as the train gives TRTS at Brighton or Preston Park, this should usually be granted by the time the driver calls in from the signal.

You need to obtain permission from Hove Yard for trains to enter. Use the telephone facility to call the yard and offer the train, before signalling it in once accepted. It is a good idea to hold trains at Brighton or Preston Park until permission is given, otherwise you could potentially gridlock the area if permission is not given soon enough.

No other sidings or yards need permission.

Unusual Signalling Arrangements

All these features are true to life, unless otherwise stated.

• With a long train in platform 3 from the Preston Park or Lewes direction, the standard sequence of track occupation and clearance for route release is not met. However, in real life the route does eventually cancel by itself. In SimSig we have to simulate this by pulling the route which triggers a "subarea cancelled" message. This known issue can be ignored.

• Signal T1279 (Brighton West Carriage road) must be manually cancelled, whereupon it will then time-out before the route releases.

• There are several alternative routes between the same signals at Brighton. The interlocking will automatically set the pre-programmed preferred route if it is available, otherwise it will try the programmed alternatives. To select a non-preferred route, manually key the points before setting the route. Not every logical possibility is available in the interlocking.

• The

  Direction of Flow arrows are normally lit in the "normal" direction for each section of line. Setting a "wrong road" route will cause the "normal" direction arrow to extinguish and the "reverse" direction to light. When the route releases, the "reverse" direction will extinguish and the "normal" direction will light. In real life these take a few seconds to switch back to the "normal" direction.

• Signals T665 and T667 at Brighton read over a staff crossing with white lights. Due to the proximity of this crossing to those signals, they will not

  clear for 20 seconds after setting the route to allow any users to clear the crossing. An exception to this is when a train is leaving platform 3 towards signal T667 whereupon the signal will clear immediately if the train has yet to pass signal T450.

• Various sets of points in depot, yard and siding areas are not self-normalising and must be manually replaced to normal after the passage of a train. The track will flash white in the immediate area of that particular set of points, and as there is a message event for this on

  F3 Options - Messages tab you will see a message appear in the messages window too. You can also set a sound effect to go off when this occurs. This feature can be disabled by using the appropriate start-up option.

• Hove Platforms 1 and 2 are

  permissive in the Up direction only (ie only trains from Portslade can be called on into the platform) from main signals. All platforms are permissive in both directions from shunt signals (see next note).

• Hove has

  Track Circuit Overrides for each platform. These allow shunt signals with routes set into occupied platforms to clear. To operate, the platform track must be occupied and the shunt route (from T1400/T1398/T1391/T1393) set, and then the appropriate override must be pulled (right-click). The signal will then show a proceed aspect. The override is a one-shot feature and will reset once the route is cancelled by the passage of a train or by cancelling the route.

Reigate Panel

Reigate SB is not fully simulated as it is, strictly speaking, a separate signal box. The level crossings are simulated but the ground frames are not. It is included to fill a gap between a potential Guildford simulation and Three Bridges.

Buckland AHB has stopping and non-stopping controls for the Up direction. One or the other must be operated for signal RG84 to show a proceed aspect - and this signal is also interlocked with Betchworth CCTV crossing. If using the non-stopping control, this must be operated before the train occupies track T(G)BN which is the track between Brockham AHB and Betchworth station.

Timetable Notes

The simulation comes with a 2009 and a 2019 timetable by default. The later timetable has a couple of hundred extra services, caused by the expansion of Thameslink and the East London Line.

2009

This timetable should use the 2000-2012 era. It is compatible with adjacent simulations that have the timetable of the same date.

2019

This timetable should use the 2018-2019 era. It is not compatible with London Bridge because London Bridge was resignalled in the mid 2010s, but should be compatible with any other adjacent simulations that have a timetable for the same date.

Multiplayer & Chaining

Multiplayer

Theoretically 9 signallers are required to operate this simulation. However, Reigate is simple enough for the Panel 3 operator to handle. In addition, panels 1A, 1B, and 1C can be operated by one player during quieter times (early morning, late night, and overnight). With four players it is recommended to operate 1A/1C, 1B/2, 3/Reigate/4, and 5/6.

Chaining

Chaining is possible to these simulations in all eras, unless otherwise stated:

• Victoria Central (except that simulation's 1990 era)
• London Bridge (though timetables may not be compatible post-2016)
• Oxted
• East Coastway

Hot Keys

Hot Key	Location
1	Panel 1 A/B/C
2	Panel 2
3	Panel 3
4	Panel 4
5	Panel 5
6	Panel 6
Shift+A	Panel 1A
Shift+B	Panel 1B
Shift+C	Panel 1C
Shift+R	Reigate

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Edgemaster for in-depth analysis of the many hundreds of control tables which have been, as much as possible, faithfully reproduced in the simulation. Many thanks to MELD for his attention to detail in the supplied timetables, and also to MarkC for co-ordinating timetables with adjacent simulation. Thanks also to the other testers who have thrashed through the timetables many times over. Finally, thanks to the staff at the real life Three Bridges ASC for their input and advice.

Reference Section

Signal Number Plans

• 2000-2013 era
• 2014-2017 era
• 2018-2019 era

Platform & Loop Lengths

Location	Plat/Line	Length (m)
Brighton	1	234
Brighton	2	278 from Hove direction
Brighton	2	200 from Lovers Walk
Brighton	3	250 from Preston Park direction
Brighton	3	85 from Hove direction
Brighton	4	250
Brighton	5	248
Brighton	6	250
Brighton	7	250
Brighton	8	240
Brighton	Down Sidings 1	260+260 (2014-2017 & 2018-2019 eras)
Brighton	Down Sidings 2	270 (2014-2017 & 2018-2019 eras)
Caterham	Platforms	181
Caterham	Siding	190
Coulsdon Town	All	161
Earlswood	1-2	212-213
Earlswood	3-4	230 (for non-passenger use such as reversals)
East Croydon	All	244-247
Gatwick Airport	1-4	246
Gatwick Airport	5-6	241
Gatwick Up Sidings	1-3	250
Haywards Heath	All	241
Hove	All	241
Norwood Jn	1	219
Norwood Jn	2	184
Norwood Jn	3	205
Norwood Jn	4	209
Norwood Jn	5	209 platform length; 300 using signal T12
Norwood Jn	6	192
Preston Park	All	246
Purley	1-4	246-248
Purley	5	224
Purley	6	208
Purley Down Sdg		320
Redhill	0	282
Redhill	1	246 (early layout); 174 (later layout)
Redhill	2-3	246
Redhill	No. 2 Siding	300
Salfords	All	158
Salfords Sidings	T1142-T1149	179
Sanderstead	All	245
Selhurst	1-2	203
Selhurst	3	159
Selhurst	4	191
South Croydon	1	156
South Croydon	2-3	170
South Croydon	4	165
Tattenham Corner	Platforms	206
Tattenham Corner	Siding	412
Three Bridges	Platforms	246
Three Bridges	Back Road	260
Three Bridges	Up Siding North	272
West Croydon	1	194
West Croydon	3	190
West Croydon	4	215
West Croydon Turnback	Siding	260

Splash Screens

All splash screens labelled PCn are (C) Paul Curran, with thanks.

• Splash PC1 = View of the up starting signals at Purley
• Splash PC2 = The junction between the Tattenham (Main) and Caterham (Branch) lines south of Purley.
• Splash PC3 = 377420 working 1F27 11:25 Eastbourne to London Victoria speeds through Purley on the Up Fast
• Splash PC4 = 377620 departs Coulsdon Town with 2P29 12:48 Purley to Tattenham Corner.
• Splash PC5 = Looking towards Reedham from Coulsdon Town. The signal in the background is T175 on the Down Quarry.
• Splash PC6 = 387223 speeds away from Stoats Nest Junction with 1W60 12:44 London Victoria to Brighton.
• Splash PC7 = 387202 passes the remains of Coulsdon North station working 1U61 12:53 Gatwick Airport to Victoria.
• Splash PC8 = Looking towards Coulsdon South (Left background) and the remains of Coulsdon North (Centre)
• Splash PC9 = 377430 passes the former entrance to Coulsdon North.
• Splash PC10 = Unidentified class 700 passes Reedham Siding working 9R23 11:35 Bedford to Gatwick Airport.
• Splash PC11 = 377706 starts the climb to Woodmansterne with 2P31 13:18 Purley to Tattenham Corner.
• Splash PC12 = 1P38 14:20 Caterham to London Bridge waits to depart in the hands of 377613.
• Splash PC13 = 455826 arrives at Caterham with 2J33 13:13 London Bridge to Caterham. The berthing siding visible in the background.
• Splash PC14 = T567 and Whyteleaf South level crossing with 455826 seen arriving with a London Bridge via Tulse Hill service.
• Splash PC15 = Upper Warlingham with T550 standing guard.
• Splash PC16 = Copyhold Junction looking towards Balcombe (Centre) and Ardingly (Right).
• Splash PC17 = Copyhold Junction looking towards Haywards Heath.
• Splash PC18 = Unidentified class 377 speeds towards Balcombe.
• Splash PC19 = Thameslink class 319 prepares to slow down for the Haywards Heath stop.
• Splash PC20 = 377474 speeds through the up platform at Balcombe with an unidentified working.
• Splash PC21 = Balcombe station looking south with T315 in the background.
• Splash PC22 = Unidentified Thameslink 377/5 heads for the coast throught Balcombe.
• Splash PC23 = 377429 runs at speed through Three Bridges. The ASC stands at the right.
• Splash PC24 = 700114 arrives at Three Bridges with a set of empty stock to the new depot complex.
• Splash PC25 = 700112 arrives from Horsham whilst getting photo bombed by T277 and T281 signals.
• Splash PC26 = Right away Horsham!!!
• Splash PC27 = 387210 heads down the fast line towards Brighton.
• Splash PC28 = 700100 heads into service from the new train care facility. 387210 has greens through Balcombe Tunnel Junction.

Additional Information

Trivia

Hove is often jokingly referred to as "Hove Actually" since when residents are asked if they are from Brighton, they often answer "No, I'm from Hove, actually" - perceived locally to be of a higher social class than Brighton.

External Resources

Link	Details
Brighton to Bedford Driver's Eye	Brighton to Bedford driver's eye view, believed to be from around 2017
Brighton to Barnham Driver's Eye	Brighton to Barnham driver's eye view, believed to be from around 2016
London Bridge to Brighton Driver's Eye	London Bridge to Brighton driver's eye view, from 2005
Signalbox photos	Photos of the control and indication panels in Three Bridges ASC, dating from 2007

Version History & Known Issues

See Version History

Compatibility with Brighton (plus more)

Timetables written for the old Brighton simulation should still work for trains that do not head from, or go towards, Three Bridges. Saved games are not compatible as it's a whole new simulation.

Previously there were unreleased versions of Croydon and Gatwick simulations that some people did receive without permission. These versions are consigned to history as this simulation was written by taking the public Brighton simulation and writing new data for Balcombe Tunnel northwards to the London fringes. Again, some timetables may be able to be adapted to work, but we will not entertain any discussion on how, or even if, this could be done.

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Last edited by Steamer on 26/03/2023 at 16:32