Crewe to Shrewsbury Signal Box Closures

[Class 92]

That would be quite interesting to see but I don't think i will if its at midnight!

 

[Pathman]

What happens to the Nantwich signal box now. I know some have been preserved, any word on Nantwich?

 

[Class 92]

I'm not sure what will happen with Nantwich but it would be great if it was preserved but i don't think it will be

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I did a quick tour of the line today.
The bi-di has a 50mph speed limit for wrong-line working.
There seems to be an intermediate signal in each section, so you can have two trains following one another in the same direction (Nantwich-Wem, Wem-Harlescott).
Judging by the layout, you can work south on the northbound line all the way from Crewe to Shrewsbury, but northbound there is no bi-di Nantwich to Crewe.
It's very odd coming off the spanking new signalling approaching Shrewsbury, with its big bright LEDs, into what feels like 19th century semaphores at Crewe Bank.

Much of the line has a run of thin green cable alongside.
Is this the data cable for the signalling?
It looks quite vulnerable just lying on the ballast (damage, theft etc).
Is it supposed to be buried?

 

[TDK]

I am amazed they made the business case stack up for any element of bi-di signalling. It is normally the first to go in any value management, even if anyone is brave enough to suggest it.

I cannot see the bi-di signalling any help unless their are problems and also I just cannot believe there is no extra headway for timings on the route!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I cannot see the bi-di signalling any help unless their are problems and also I just cannot believe there is no extra headway for timings on the route!

If NR can do daylight maintenance on one line while running 2tph each way on the other, surely it will be a great benefit compared to closure and diversion/buses?

 

[The Planner]

I cannot see the bi-di signalling any help unless their are problems and also I just cannot believe there is no extra headway for timings on the route!

The fact that there is no real uplift in capacity is fairly laughable to be honest.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Are you referring to the basic signalling on the route (ie not the bi-di)?
It did seem to me that it was still based on "blocks" with home and distants.
I was expecting to see something nearer a uniform signal separation to give a specific headway.
Is that what you mean?
Sorry if I'm being thick.

 

[The Planner]

Not at all, it is exactly what I am on about, why it wasn't put in as 3 aspect all the way along I really don't know.

 

[Class 92]

I thought the line was 3-aspect all the way from Crewe to Shrewsbury?

 

[The Planner]

No, it is two aspect RG YG signals, so effectively distant and home signals with the odd 3 aspect one thrown in.

 

[Class 92]

So all they have done really is replaced semaphores with colour light and moved it all to Cardiff. Is the line capacity higher now though?

 

[The Informer]

If NR can do daylight maintenance on one line while running 2tph each way on the other, surely it will be a great benefit compared to closure and diversion/buses?

It wont happen on days but more likely on nights.

Heres a photo of the Signalling Lockout system for prohibiting Bi-Di movements for Patrolling (bottom) and line blockages for maintenance (top)

 

[Tomnick]

From one diagram that I've seen, I understand that the bi-di is only available, without resorting to unsignalled moves, between Nantwich and Wem (and then only with a shunt at Nantwich to run an Up train over the Down), presumably until Crewe Jn and Gresty Lane are resignalled to provide the signalled routes onto and off the bi-di. The new kit will probably be life expired by then anyway .

 

[The Planner]

Gresty Lane goes fairly soon. I know they are working on it and control shifts to Crewe.

 

[The Informer]

From one diagram that I've seen, I understand that the bi-di is only available, without resorting to unsignalled moves, between Nantwich and Wem (and then only with a shunt at Nantwich to run an Up train over the Down), presumably until Crewe Jn and Gresty Lane are resignalled to provide the signalled routes onto and off the bi-di. The new kit will probably be life expired by then anyway .

I agree with the backshunt at Nantwich regarding an UP train wishing to travel bang road on the DN, but im pretty certain they can signal a train wrong road all the way from Nantwich to Shrewsbury Crewe Jn and vice versa.

 

[Crossover]

Much of the line has a run of thin green cable alongside.
Is this the data cable for the signalling?
It looks quite vulnerable just lying on the ballast (damage, theft etc).
Is it supposed to be buried?

We have quite a few of it round here, on the Huddersfield Line and Harrogate Loop, at least

No I don't think it is meant to be buried and yes it does look a bit vulnerable!

 

[Class 92]

I was going to Crewe in the car today and at this level crossing in Nantwich a van got 'trapped' on the level crossing (the barrier was on top of the vans roof) but luckily the train was going towards Crewe (Down line) so it didn't hit the van if the train was going towards Shrewsbury (Up line) then it would of probable hit the van also there was a Shrewsbury train passing about a minute before! There were people from Network rail there who were able to raise the barriers after the train passed but the van driver and passenger were quite lucky.
I think all the traffic was being diverted along the road because the normal route for vehicles was closed.

The level crossing was a AHB and isn't normally used as much as it was today.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I was going to Crewe in the car today and at this level crossing in Nantwich a van got 'trapped' on the level crossing (the barrier was on top of the vans roof) but luckily the train was going towards Crewe (Down line) so it didn't hit the van if the train was going towards Shrewsbury (Up line) then it would of probable hit the van also there was a Shrewsbury train passing about a minute before! There were people from Network rail there who were able to raise the barriers after the train passed but the van driver and passenger were quite lucky.
I think all the traffic was being diverted along the road because the normal route for vehicles was closed.

The level crossing was a AHB and isn't normally used as much as it was today.

There's an article by Roger Ford on the Crewe-Shrewsbury level crossing technology in the November Modern Railways.
They have retained CCTV at Wem, and put car detectors there and at two other busy crossings.
This prevents barriers closing if a car is below.
Looks like they need it at all crossings!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

from NRE:

A signalling problem is causing disruption at Wem.

15 minute delays reported.
Anybody know if it is anything to do with the new signalling?

 

[Class 92]

With it being at Wem it could of been something to do with the level crossing as it is known and a bad level crossing for people jumping over them and things like that?

 

[Tomnick]

There's an article by Roger Ford on the Crewe-Shrewsbury level crossing technology in the November Modern Railways.
They have retained CCTV at Wem, and put car detectors there and at two other busy crossings.
This prevents barriers closing if a car is below.
Looks like they need it at all crossings!

Missed this one. Why do you need 'car detectors' at all crossings when (a) CCTV or the MkI human eyeball is already provided at virtually all full barrier crossings and (b) they'd be useless at AHBs anyway?

 

[The Planner]

Curse of the MCB-OD again?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Missed this one. Why do you need 'car detectors' at all crossings when (a) CCTV or the MkI human eyeball is already provided at virtually all full barrier crossings and (b) they'd be useless at AHBs anyway?

Roger Ford's article (the one in the August issue rather than November) mentions Nantwich and Harlescott as other sites where the "barrier protection management system" has been installed.
I don't know what type of crossings these are now (they were MCBs).

 

[Class 92]

I have noticed Prees has got CCTV as it has a sign and you can see the cameras on the back of the lights.

 

[Tomnick]

That's not CCTV in an operational sense though (cameras to prove crossing clear are substantial contraptions, mounted high up, usually set back from one corner of the crossing) - more likely to provide evidence against red light jumpers. They are, I thought, all now MCB-OD (i.e. 'car detectors') crossings...that's not to say that every crossing needs the OD stuff though, as it acts as a replacement for CCTV.

 

[The Informer]

There is no way as long as have a hole in my rear that those laser obstacle detectors were trialled on this earth in our weather conditions before approval. They are the most unreliable piece equipment ever to be installed on our infrastructure failing several times a week. They dont like, sun, rain, wind, fog, flies, moths or just about anything. I can't wait to see what it makes of snow and ice!!!