Bishops Stortford

[NSE]

Evening all, coming at you from the 16:58 NXEA Liverpool Street to Cambridge service! Just stopped at Bishops Stortford and found myself routed into platform 2. This seemed to confuse the platform staff as well as passengers, as I left, a fellow 317 was sitting in platform 1 bound for Liv. St. Any reasons why this was the case? I heard a unit failed at Mountfichet earlier was this it? Can't believe they left it in platform one for hours though. Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[Z12XE]

There's a Track Circuit Failure in SSD Tunnel at the moment, but the failed train from this morning was a 315

 

[NSE]

Ahh ok, I saw on 315 sitting dead in platform three, so I guess that was the failed unit. Its destination blind said Stanstead Airport. Whats a track circuit failure? and which tunnel? It didn't seem to stop my train.

 

[Z12XE]

Sorry - Stansted Airport (SSD) tunnel.

Someone else can no doubt provide a better explanation than i can about what a track circuit is and what a failure can do to things

 

[O L Leigh]

No failure would have been sat in the platform that long. If it hadn't been moved to Ilford already it would have been shunted away into the carriage sidings.

However, all Stansted (note the spelling, please) services were being terminated short at Bishops Stortford with a bus replacement for the last little bit due to the track circuit problems. The Cl315 on P3 was likely the slow service while the units on P1 would probably have been a terminated StanEx, leaving P2 for Cambridge trains.

O L Leigh

 

[Kingfisher200262]

No failure would have been sat in the platform that long. If it hadn't been moved to Ilford already it would have been shunted away into the carriage sidings.

However, all Stansted (note the spelling, please) services were being terminated short at Bishops Stortford with a bus replacement for the last little bit due to the track circuit problems. The Cl315 on P3 was likely the slow service while the units on P1 would probably have been a terminated StanEx, leaving P2 for Cambridge trains.

O L Leigh

Slightly off topic, but relevant to Bishops Stortford, I have a question concerning the numbering of platforms. Instinctively, particularly at stations serving London direct, you would think that Platform 1 would be the London platform, or in the case of multi-platform stations be the furthest platform on the "up" line.

However, at B-S, Platform 1 faces Cambridge, with Platforms 2 and 3 being the normal "up" platforms (although I think all three platforms are signalled bi-directionally).

Is there any set convention and if not, who decides and upon what principles?

 

[O L Leigh]

I guess there is no convention, or at least not at Bishops Stortford.

The main London platform can't be P1 because it's in the middle, but at least P1 has the main entrance and booking office. However, both Harlow Town and Broxbourne are numbered 1-4 with P1 being on the Up Loop, but the booking offices there are not on the platforms. Cheshunt seems to be the closest match with P1-2 being on the through lines and P3 being the bay (equivalent to the Up Loop at BIS), but it is a mirror image.

Yes, all platforms at BIS are both bi-di and permissive.

O L Leigh

 

[Kingfisher200262]

I guess there is no convention, or at least not at Bishops Stortford.

The main London platform can't be P1 because it's in the middle, but at least P1 has the main entrance and booking office. However, both Harlow Town and Broxbourne are numbered 1-4 with P1 being on the Up Loop, but the booking offices there are not on the platforms. Cheshunt seems to be the closest match with P1-2 being on the through lines and P3 being the bay (equivalent to the Up Loop at BIS), but it is a mirror image.

Yes, all platforms at BIS are both bi-di and permissive.

O L Leigh

Thanks a lot for your help with that. It's puzzled me for a while, and proves that there's not necessarily a logical answer to every question.

 

[island]

Sorry - Stansted Airport (SSD) tunnel.

Someone else can no doubt provide a better explanation than i can about what a track circuit is and what a failure can do to things

A track circuit is a device that allows signalling or control rooms to determine whether there is a train in a certain section of the track. If it fails, then they can't determine this, and have to either work out some other way of determining it or use some rather more old-fashioned ways of running (for example a pilotman).