Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
A real oddity last night, just wondering how it happened if anyone might know.
The delayed 2136 (not delayed by the time it got to Bletchley due to the long dwell at Northampton) Birmingham New St-Euston WMT service ran via the Up Bletchley to loop at Platform 5 for a certain tour with a certain Deltic to come through - a very rare move. Sadly I had no idea of this so didn't get a photo, but am glad I dawdled towards the stairs rather than going up in the lift as it meant I got to see it at least (I thought it was due to go through much earlier).
The oddity was that the train was showing as being in Platform 4 throughout, despite being sat in 5 and showing on the OpenTrainTimes signalling map as being in 5. It was on the displays on 4 except when a "passing train" warning showed for the Deltic, then it returned once the Deltic had passed. 5 was showing blank the whole time.
Realtimetrains seems to have picked up that it used 5: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W08433/2026-03-11#allox_id=0 - however it looks like Darwin (or whatever drives the screens) didn't.
Why would that happen? I don't think I've seen a train displaying on the wrong platform when it had actually arrived since BR days of the semi manually operated system at Manchester Oxford Road which I think didn't have anyone controlling it at night?
The delayed 2136 (not delayed by the time it got to Bletchley due to the long dwell at Northampton) Birmingham New St-Euston WMT service ran via the Up Bletchley to loop at Platform 5 for a certain tour with a certain Deltic to come through - a very rare move. Sadly I had no idea of this so didn't get a photo, but am glad I dawdled towards the stairs rather than going up in the lift as it meant I got to see it at least (I thought it was due to go through much earlier).
The oddity was that the train was showing as being in Platform 4 throughout, despite being sat in 5 and showing on the OpenTrainTimes signalling map as being in 5. It was on the displays on 4 except when a "passing train" warning showed for the Deltic, then it returned once the Deltic had passed. 5 was showing blank the whole time.
Realtimetrains seems to have picked up that it used 5: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W08433/2026-03-11#allox_id=0 - however it looks like Darwin (or whatever drives the screens) didn't.
Why would that happen? I don't think I've seen a train displaying on the wrong platform when it had actually arrived since BR days of the semi manually operated system at Manchester Oxford Road which I think didn't have anyone controlling it at night?
