Trivia - "Train complete with tail lamps lit" calls for single line

[WirralLine]

Wrexham General to Wrexham Central is an effectively unsignalled single line with no token system in place. There is a starting signal at Wrexham General in the Bidston direction. For trains arriving from Bidston heading into the short single line section to Wrexham Central the conductor has to call the signaller stating that the train has arrived complete with tail lamps.

There is a fixed distant signal on the approach to Central, and a fixed distant coming the other way on approach to General. Aside from these and the starting signal mentioned above, there is so signalling between or at the 2 locations.

Are there any other examples of such single line working where a call by the conductor (or driver) has to be made and no tokens involved?

 

[edwin_m]

Wrexham General to Wrexham Central is an effectively unsignalled single line with no token system in place. There is a starting signal at Wrexham General in the Bidston direction. For trains arriving from Bidston heading into the short single line section to Wrexham Central the conductor has to call the signaller stating that the train has arrived complete with tail lamps.

There is a fixed distant signal on the approach to Central, and a fixed distant coming the other way on approach to General. Aside from these and the starting signal mentioned above, there is so signalling between or at the 2 locations.

Are there any other examples of such single line working where a call by the conductor (or driver) has to be made and no tokens involved?

One train working of dead-end branches is quite common. When I was involved in signalling in the 1990s I encountered several where the line was proved clear by the sequential operation of several track circuits where it joined the rest of the network. That can't protect against a portion of a train being left in the section beyond the last track circuit, so I think there would have been some rule on those sections for the crew to confirm to the signaller that the train was complete.

With the later advent of axle counters, I guess the confirmation would not be needed as a single one on at the start of the single line could count the axles in and back out again.

There were and probably still are places elsewhere where the tail lamp would not be visible from the signal box when the train was out of section, so the crew might have to contact the signaller to confirm the train complete. A traditional example would have been a signal box at the exit of a loop, where the guard might detach the tail lamp and show it to the signaller to prove the train was "inside". As there is no longer a guard, places like this may now have a tail lamp camera instead.

 

[Belperpete]

"One train without staff" sections were not uncommon, and I seem to recall that BR issued standard circuits for the kind of sequential track circuit proving used.

There were also places where a "Train Arrived Complete" plunger was provided for the guard to confirm this, where the signaller couldn't see.

 

[Nippy]

Not quite the same, but on the Bicester to Oxford single line there was a camera that turned on when a train was arriving onto the Track Circuit at Oxford North. The Oxford signaller could observe the tail lamp and then press the button to clear the block. If we missed the tail lamp, we’d have stop the train and ask the crew if the train was complete.

 

[merry]

This is quite a common safe working method. E.g. at Loughborough GCR we have to rely on the Guard (or Traffic Manager) reporting train complete. In this case the box is some distance beyond the platform, nearly at the shed. It is a duty of traincrew when arriving in a loop or siding on absolute block lines, to report train complete (even for a light engine) if the train rear does not pass the box, as the sigalman cannot see the tail lamp, and can therefore not send 'train out of section' to the box in rear.
Failure to do this causes delay to following services. The signalman must not 'assume' train complete as that would violate one of the safe working principles of absolute block.
Interestingly, light engines are the one least likely to remember to report, in my experience... i guess they assume it is obviously complete! But how many engines (or brake vans) should there be?

 

[Spartacus]

There was a similar arrangement up at Butterwell. There were signals, but the cables kept getting stolen, and all replacing them was doing was lining someone's pockets. I believe a similar situation came in on the western end of the Coalville line towards Burton.

 

[Tomnick]

The single line is a red herring here – the call is necessary so that 'train out of section' can be given for the AB section that you've just come out of. It's no different to the Loughborough example above, in that respect, and the same principle as those where 'train arrived complete' plungers are provided (e.g. Dinting to Manchester East section) or tail lamp cameras.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Malton arriving from the York direction if we are terminating there

 

[D6130]

Is the Stourbridge Town branch worked on the same principle?

 

[Railsigns]

Is the Stourbridge Town branch worked on the same principle?

The one train working on that branch is enforced by use of a train staff.

 

[D6130]

The one train working on that branch is enforced by use of a train staff.

Thanks....the more traditional method of working.

ISTR, that the Skipton-Swinden Quarry branch is worked by track circuit occupation at the Skipton end.

 

[Railsigns]

ISTR, that the Skipton-Swinden Quarry branch is worked by track circuit occupation at the Skipton end.

Not any more. It's worked by no-signaller key token now.

 

[D6130]

Not any more. It's worked by no-signaller key token now.

Thanks.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Services terminating at Blea Moor from the south are required to ring the 'box with "complete with tail lamps".