How would you tackle this? I appreciate any advice.

[minty625]

How would you tackle this? I appreciate any advice.

 

[Pigeon]

Advice: post it upright so people can read it without cricking their necks...

 

[fkofilee]

Nuke it from a really high orbit maybe? Not helpful i know but 20 platforms bidirectional? Jesus...

 

[Efini92]

It only says it can be completely closed for two days. Doesn’t say you can’t close platforms individually for as long as needed. When new st was resignalled they closed two platforms at a time whilst they installed all the new equipment. Once it had all been installed it was closed for a couple of days whilst they carried out the testing and commissioning.

 

[gingertom]

that's not an exam question, that's somebody looking for free consultancy.....

 

[TSG]

How would you tackle this? I appreciate any advice.

If I was to guess you're going to do that exam, how about you have a go at it first then the likes of me (go figure how I recognise it) tell you what we think of your answer (in constructive terms). I honestly think that might help you more. Practising answering the questions is more help than someone telling you the answer to past questions. Apologies in advance if my guess is wrong .

that's not an exam question, that's somebody looking for free consultancy.....

It is an exam question, but I see your point. The people who run stations like that know the answer already though

 

[XCTurbostar]

So for me;
A) Sounds a lot like a Waterloo type example so; close 8 platforms and rebuild whilst retaining the existing on the others. Bring into service over 8 weeks and then close more progressively.
B) Factory Acceptance Testing before any site works, staff training and project sub sections help e.g. pairs of platforms. When installing, Installation Test Plans should be used. When testing on site, a Site Integration or Site Acceptance test programme should be followed. After all this, the system should be stress tested to real world examples e.g. maximum electrical load.

 

[eman_resu]

If I was to guess you're going to do that exam, how about you have a go at it first then the likes of me (go figure how I recognise it) tell you what we think of your answer (in constructive terms). I honestly think that might help you more. Practising answering the questions is more help than someone telling you the answer to past questions. Apologies in advance if my guess is wrong .

Minty - You need to talk to your mentor if you are struggling for a reasoned response. There will be a marking criteria and key considerations to take into account. Whilst there are a few very competent signalling engineers on this forum, the rest of us, well........

As XCTurbostar mentions, this does sound very much like a Waterloo scenario - As a practicing Signal Engineer you should already be familiar with the reasons why, and the consequences of, how things went wrong at Waterloo during signalling testing - https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-19-2018-collision-at-london-waterloo

 

[NSEWonderer]

For question A:

Pretty sure you can install new lineside signalling equipment alongside old ones without actually disrupting the old signals till it's time to remove them. You'd just bag the new ones up till it's time to switch on.

Track circuit work etc could be done in parts of the infrastructure that are less used during the off-peak via temporary isolation blocks.

Site surveying and risk assessments I'd be also thinking of for this question especially as the post above me has a link to a collision at Waterloo during signalling testing. Might want to consider in this day and age of Ai, some form of simulation.

 

[alxndr]

Doesn’t say you have to retain track circuits so one option there is to install axle counters in non-disruptive possessions but not link them through until commissioning.

 

[jupiter]

I don’t understand. Is this ”test first, lesson later”? In general, right, it’s the other way round.

In the classes you attend combined with assessed homework afterwards you should be given the knowledge and skills to tackle this.

 

[TSG]

I don’t understand. Is this ”test first, lesson later”? In general, right, it’s the other way round.

In the classes you attend combined with assessed homework afterwards you should be given the knowledge and skills to tackle this.

Broadly speaking, the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers exam is self study. If someone gets to a question like this and has no idea, I would suggest they read/do the things suggested in the study guide on their website. Once they've done that it's worth practising past paper questions to get used to the timings and the way of answering them. A critique of those answers from suitably knowledgeable engineers may help. Giving an answer or partial answers, not so much

 

[Tim M]

Edinburgh Waverley (21 platforms), 1976/1977 winter Resignalling. Started with weekend closure in Princess Street Gardens cutting for new track layout to be installed, commission to new signalling at the Haymarket end and fringe to existing miniature lever frame at the Mound Tunnel. Then progressively close and reconfigure the track layout and resignal the four corners of the layout, new signalling commissioned every couple of weekends. Finish off with new signalling commissioned at the Carlton Tunnel end fringed to Portabello existing Signalling. The job was great for overtime, and good for experience early on in my career.

Follow that up with Victoria Southern Region, but that’s a terminal station.

The rules for such work have changed since then with preference to close everything for days or weeks, I’ll leave that to others to discuss new vs. old practices.

 

[MadMac]

Edinburgh Waverley (21 platforms), 1976/1977 winter Resignalling. Started with weekend closure in Princes Street Gardens cutting for new track layout to be installed, commission to new signalling at the Haymarket end and fringe to existing miniature lever frame at the Mound Tunnel. Then progressively close and reconfigure the track layout and resignal the four corners of the layout, new signalling commissioned every couple of weekends. Finish off with new signalling commissioned at the Calton Tunnel end fringed to Portobello existing Signalling. The job was great for overtime, and good for experience early on in my career.

Follow that up with Victoria Southern Region, but that’s a terminal station.

The rules for such work have changed since then with preference to close everything for days or weeks, I’ll leave that to others to discuss new vs. old practices.

Slightly before my time, but the design of the ‘new’ Waverley somewhat lent itself to that sort of approach, being split up into “bite-size” chunks in the form of the Apparatus Rooms dotted around the area (from memory, seven of them).