Access to Salisbury Depot

[RedPostJunc]

Apologies if this has already been covered; I did some searches, but could not find anything relevant.
Why does Salisbury Depot only have access through a single set of points at the western end of from platform 1 of Salisbury station?
If an ECS train failed/derailed blocking access to the points or the points failed, or the track failed (broken rail), all stock would not be able to enter or leave the depot until the fault was resolved. Why was no alternative access provided at the western end of the depot?

 

[Bertie the bus]

You could ask that question about just about anything. Why aren’t 2 track railways 4 track so if a train fails blocking the line or there is a problem on 1 line they can’t be routed onto the other track? Why isn’t there an M6a motorway running parallel to the M6 to prevent the chaos when the M6 is closed due to a fatal collision or a lorry shedding its load?

The answer is redundancy and contingency isn’t built into anything unless it is safety critical.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

The bottom line...£££££....at the time of the changeover from LH to units, and hence the new depot (as was), the timetable/unit maintenance could be accommodated within the designed layout that exists today. Any additional pointwork and signalling (between the station and Wilton Jn) would have come at not insignificant cost initially, but also an annual maintenance cost going forward year on year, just on the off chance it might be needed, but probably not.
The layout as is (IMHO), is not ideal timetable wise, as it requires numerous shunts at both ends of the station to access platform 1 and thus the depot, but this is tempered by unit access in to depot limits being limited (in my time/involvement - likely unchanged today) to 20 min intervals due to operational requirements on the depot. There are only so many moves/tasks (carriage washing/CET/refuelling) that can be accommodated within any 60 mins!

From a timetable pov, one benefit to the overall, might have been platform 1 being re-instated as a proper passenger platform, complete with a facing crossover (and associated signalling) between Salisbury Tunnel and the station on the Down road, to allow Down terminators (due to go to depot) to run direct to p1, thus (overall) saving a good proportion of the shunt moves around the station each evening. But, I suspect it may be found if such a revised timetable plan were worked up in this regard, it may actually not be of any real gain, as the access to depot being limited timewise (between arrivals) as mentioned, which is itself already maxed out (or was in my time) might negate any proposed advantages of having direct passenger access Down in to p1 - the devil is as always in the detail. The whole thing revolves around the physical space (the ground plan) available for the depot, and that is already maxed out.

This has always been a topic of conversation even within the TOC/NR, particularly when the 158's arrived, which involved certain long disused sidings being brought back to use in addition to the units that already stabled in and around the station. The signallers at Salisbury earn their crust and some. It's not only the depot that works full out servicing units as they do.

 

[Kite159]

Nothing will likely change with the track layout until the area is resignalled, similar with bringing platform 5 up to passenger standards (as that would be useful for the GWR services which terminates at Salisbury these days)

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Nothing will likely change with the track layout until the area is resignalled

Wasn't closely involved, but do recall there was a costing done for replacing the signal heads (I think?) but even that proved cost prohibitive from what I remember. This was donkeys years ago, when figures for replacing one turn out were being banded around as £1m plus. The thing with Salisbury's layout in general, is that any changes may make operational movements/planning within station limits a tad easier (as I touched on) but the real time financial returns or train service enhancements would be negligible so the status quo remains!