Gridlock at Crediton (7/9/2024)

[edgar13]

Experienced a bit of an unusual incident at Crediton tonight. I was travelling on 2R92 18:43 Barnstaple to Exeter Central tonight, running mostly on time up to Crediton, with a booked 10 minute wait here for two trains to pass and depart at 19:46.

2B84 to Barnstaple was due to pass us here at 19:41, but started 19 minutes late from Exeter Central.

Meanwhile 2K14 to Okehampton arrived on time at 19:46, and was booked to wait until 19:55 when 2R63 from Okehampton clears that section.

2R92 which I'm on was allowed to depart Crediton but then shortly stopped before a red as the late running 2B84 was (wrongly?) allowed to depart from Exeter. There's no platform available at Crediton for 2B84 as 2K14 is still in front, which is waiting for 2R63 to clear the Okehampton branch, which itself is waiting to clear the platform block our 2R92 occupied. I've annotated a diagram from SimSig for a rough indication of this gridlock situation.

In the end 2K14 was taken out of service to clear for 2B84, which cleared 2R92 and then finally cleared 2R63. Arrived Exeter St Davids 33 minutes late at last.

I've left the area now but from what I see knock on disruptions are still ongoing as I write!

 

[Amlag]

Yes another infuriating and disruptive day for lots of passengers on the North Devon and Okehampton services following yesterday's First trains cancellations due threats of the heavy rain bringing down trees and branches on the Oke’ton line approx 10 mile ‘Tree Tunnel’, also signal and points problems at Crediton.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Experienced a bit of an unusual incident at Crediton tonight. I was travelling on 2R92 18:43 Barnstaple to Exeter Central tonight, running mostly on time up to Crediton, with a booked 10 minute wait here for two trains to pass and depart at 19:46.

2B84 to Barnstaple was due to pass us here at 19:41, but started 19 minutes late from Exeter Central.

Meanwhile 2K14 to Okehampton arrived on time at 19:46, and was booked to wait until 19:55 when 2R63 from Okehampton clears that section.

2R92 which I'm on was allowed to depart Crediton but then shortly stopped before a red as the late running 2B84 was (wrongly?) allowed to depart from Exeter. There's no platform available at Crediton for 2B84 as 2K14 is still in front, which is waiting for 2R63 to clear the Okehampton branch, which itself is waiting to clear the platform block our 2R92 occupied. I've annotated a diagram from SimSig for a rough indication of this gridlock situation.

In the end 2K14 was taken out of service to clear for 2B84, which cleared 2R92 and then finally cleared 2R63. Arrived Exeter St Davids 33 minutes late at last.

I've left the area now but from what I see knock on disruptions are still ongoing as I write!

Presumably Crediton signaller at fault for accepting a down train from Exeter panel that he/she had no capacity to accommodate?

Not heard of this happening before.

It does show how much pressure the single line is placed under at times, there must be a case for redoubling at some point in the future.

 

[northernbelle]

Presumably Crediton signaller at fault for accepting a down train from Exeter panel that he/she had no capacity to accommodate?

Not heard of this happening before.

It does show how much pressure the single line is placed under at times, there must be a case for redoubling at some point in the future.

Does Crediton signaller 'accept' or is it just a case of Exeter panel sending? If the latter it might be a case of it slipping through the cracks - the answer being to let the up Okehampton into the platform instead of the up Barnstaple.

This scenario has been a risk ever since the Okehampton reopened - especially in the evenings when the Oke/Barny trains are quite close together.

 

[Meerkat]

Is there space for an extra block between the platforms and the singling on the Exeter line, an advanced starter and outer home kind of thing?
I assume it’s too expensive to add the current box rather than wait for resignalling, and hopefully that would move the Okehampton/Barnstaple split westward instead.
Is there any chance of resignalling this lifetime - it seems a line that would benefit so much, and a line that is way more important to the area than your average single track branch?