Selby diversion Signal Boxes

[Ploughman]

What Signal boxes were abolished by the construction of the Selby Diversion on the ECML?
This would also include any fringe boxes off route.

Thanks.

 

[Gloster]

What Signal boxes were abolished by the construction of the Selby Diversion on the ECML?
This would also include any fringe boxes off route.

Thanks.

I think that the answer is none. The report on the 1980 Riccall Turnread AHB accident refers to the signalman at Selby sending Obstruction Danger to York and Doncaster.

 

[Sultan1056]

I would agree, none.

 

[Ploughman]

If the incident was at Riccal then that would surely be on the old alignment now the A19.
Were there any boxes at Hambleton, Barlow, Sherburn, Selby Canal or Temple Hirst?
I know that Gas Wood got a new panel to cover an extended area.

 

[edwin_m]

If the incident was at Riccal then that would surely be on the old alignment now the A19.
Were there any boxes at Hambleton, Barlow, Sherburn, Selby Canal or Temple Hirst?
I know that Gas Wood got a new panel to cover an extended area.

I think that's the point - if the report says the signaller at Selby sent Obstruction Danger to York and Doncaster then there must have been no other boxes on the old alignment besides these three, all of which must have stayed open to control other routes.

New interlockings were provided for the diversion at Colton, Hambleton and Templehirst and they were recontrolled into York IECC when it took over around 1990. I couldn't say where they were controlled from before that.

 

[Sultan1056]

New interlockings were provided for the diversion at Colton, Hambleton and Templehirst and they were recontrolled into York IECC when it took over around 1990. I couldn't say where they were controlled from before that.

Colton, Hambleton and Templehirst were all initially controlled from York Box before they transferred to the IECC

 

[MarkyT]

Colton, Hambleton and Templehirst were all initially controlled from York Box before they transferred to the IECC

The opening in 1983 was before VDU workstation signalling control technology had been implemented anywhere on BR. The first IECCs were introduced in 1989 at Liverpool St, York and Yoker. York South workstation took over the interlockings on the diversion; however, the BPSR (British Power Signalling Register - https://bpsr.org.uk/ ) states that the original 1983 free-wired remote interlockings were not replaced with SSI until 2006. Therefore, the IECC must have initially incorporated a relay interlocking interface for this area.

 

[edwin_m]

Therefore, the IECC must have initially incorporated a relay interlocking interface for this area.

Yes it did, I was involved in implementing it.

 

[Gloster]

It is normal practice to send the Obstruction Danger bell signal to the next box along beyond the obstruction. If Selby sent it to York then it may be assumed that York was the next box north of Selby. If that was not the situation, I would expect to see some comment or explanation in the report. There is also a reference to to the signalman seeing the train described on the panel as it passed Chaloners Whin Junction. The reason for sending Obstruction Danger to Doncaster is less clear, but could just be playing safe. However, this does infer that Doncaster was the next box south.

There was the swing bridge and Barlby at Selby, but both these were appear to have had the status of ground frames. There may also have been gateboxes but, due to not being mentioned in the report, these may only have been south of Selby.

 

[rower40]

When the IECC first took over, it used "interface processors", using SSI-like hardware. These were replaced with the RII (Relay Interlocking Interface) subsystem, which had the SSI's software converted into Pascal to run on Motorola 68000-series processor boards, like the rest of IECC.

edwin_m is being very modest - he wrote the bulk of the RII software. All of it is still running (albeit ported onto Linux now).

Colton, Hambleton and Temple Hirst, when updated to SSI, were an instance of "interfaced" SSI; the trackside modules are not actually trackside, but are in the relay rooms, where they connect to the existing trackside cabling to the track circuits, points and signals. So the relay rooms are still there, but with far fewer relays!