Recent content by Signal Head

The signal at Bedford platform is an LED head, the junction signal (WH356) is still a filament style head but appears to have been fitted with LED inserts ('light engines') in place of the SL35 filament lamps. It's reasonable to assume the other original heads in the area have been similarly...

I think the intention of the delay to 'better than Yellow' was to force an AWS caution indication for a diverging movement, which at first thought seems a sensible idea - the train needs to be running at a reduced speed for the junction, so ensure the driver doesn't get an AWS 'bell'; the...

I must have been mistaken in my recollection of where (in the video) 76MPH was reached then, but it was reached before the area where the collision occurred, so it still looks like the acceleration of 1H46 was in line with that when driving on Greens.

In an earlier post I mentioned having seen some cab video. That had speed data attached and either at or shortly after (can't remember which) WH154 the speed was 76MPH (running on Green aspects from the junction signal onwards). I think it's 50 through the junction, acceleration started after an...

I don't think he would have been able to see both signals at the same time owing to the curvature, so it's not 'reading through' the Red - more like missing the Red (for whatever reason(s)), then saw the Green before the rear of the train in front. In other words it wasn't the visibility of the...

To add to the mix - WH356 approach release operates in two steps. R->Y occurs with the train some way back from the signal, while the further step up to less restrictive aspects is delayed until after the train has passed the AWS. So, this AWS operates as though 356 is a 'fixed Distant' for the...

I agree with your logic and believe that from an overall safety point of view you acted correctly and in the best interests of the railway, its staff and users. I wouldn't expect you to be criticised for your actions, and if in the same boat I think I'd have been asking for an estimate and a...

D Depending on how far back you are going - the gates were originally locked by mechanical means ("Black's Locks"), however these became worn so would be at risk of Wrong-side failure. No identical replacements were available so they were replaced c1989 with electric locks of a type usually...

Luxury!

Derailment damage doesn't tend to produce the type of neat 'wavy' lateral displacement visible in the far distance on some of the images posted here and elsewhere, where the rails remain essentially at gauge and attached to the sleepers. There are two visible areas where rail fastenings have...

I used it in an email at work (rail industry) within the last year, then had to explain it to the recipient (older than me) who'd never heard of it.

Possibly the defect (buckle?) happened under the train you were on, so the front end passed through without incident and the driver was unaware of any issues? Happened at Tattenhall Junction (Chester) in 1971, buckle occured in the middle of a ten coach train at 70mph, causing two fatalities.

I have never known a 'greenfield' box where core functions were not supplied or backed by batteries. We (the region I worked most in) didn't typically backup semaphore electric lighting, and I have come across things like stencils fed from a 110v derived straight off the domestic supply with no...

But in that case it should have individual battery backup for critical items such as track circuits, colour-light signals and motor worked points. Along with battery backed supplies for lever locks (mechanical boxes) and control circuits, including blocks/bells. Another method is to use...

The Stockport area was due to be the first section controlled by the Ansaldo system. Despite beginning some of the PWay remodeling on the ground, and installing the interlocking equipment, various technical and operational issues combined to convince NR that it wasn't viable. The area that is...