Largest Signalling area

[strange6]

I've been trying to find this out, but I'm wondering which signalling control centre in the UK has the largest control area in terms of miles covered from entrance to exit? I would say it would be Doncaster. Anybody know?

 

[Hydro]

Surely the new Thames Valley centre will soon be the daddy of miles covered?

 

[Railsigns]

Edinburgh Signalling Centre used to control the greatest route mileage and track mileage. I don't know if that's still the case.

 

[Aictos]

Surely the new Thames Valley centre will soon be the daddy of miles covered?

What about the East Midlands Signalling Centre or the much rumoured merger of Kings Cross and Peterborough PSBs?

 

[Hydro]

What about the East Midlands Signalling Centre or the much rumoured merger of Kings Cross and Peterborough PSBs?

50 years time there will be a big warehouse full of signalmen controlling the entire network I'm sure. Kings X/Peterborough will definitely be a fair few miles.

 

[strange6]

Railtrack will know. Think I'll blast off an email to them and see what I get in return

 

[Hydro]

Railtrack will know. Think I'll blast off an email to them and see what I get in return

Probably an undeliverable email reply.

 

[ainsworth74]

Railtrack will know.

I doubt it seeing as they haven't been in existence for the better part of 10 years!

 

[The Planner]

Dont expect a reply from that shower, they dissapeared 9 years ago.

 

[strange6]

Dont expect a reply from that shower, they dissapeared 9 years ago.

I meant Network Rail haha

 

[Zoe]

I doubt it seeing as they haven't been in existence for the better part of 10 years!

RT Group PLC wasn't disolved until June 2010.

 

[Metroland]

The biggest areas controlled are probably: Edinburgh IECC, York IECC, Motherwell.

Thames Valley, East Midlands and West Midlands SCC will be the biggest when fully commissioned.

East Midlands shown here

http://www.esg.co.uk/userfiles/files/events pdfs/Network Rail presentation - Jacquie Brown.pdf

West Mids area here on last page

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse...rns/west midlands and chilterns rus scope.pdf

and Thames Valley will be London-Bristol/Westbury and connections

 

[the sniper]

West Mids area here on last page

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse...rns/west midlands and chilterns rus scope.pdf

Does anyone happen to know what the current schedule is for all the various resignalling/recontrols in the West Mids area? I was told that the schedules have been changed (i.e. delayed) since the document above was published in 2008.

 

[The Planner]

They dont appear to be that far out. Oxley went over at the end of last year as did the North Warwicks. Water Orton hasnt slipped as far as I know. Kidderminster and the re-control up to Smethwick is next year. Walsall is possibly 2013 now. Banbury is still up in the air but still said to be 2014 and New St may slip a little and will include the Stechford - International re-control. Madeley doesnt have a date and Worcester will probably be later than 2018 too.

 

[Mojo]

You could send an email to this Railtrack to see if they know?

 

[Hydro]

You could send an email to this Railtrack to see if they know?

Never fails to make me crease up, must've read it about half a dozen times and I laugh every time!

EDIT: Quote of the moment:

May we start by observing that in our days on the track, the railway environment was
frequently dirty, oily, greasy and slimy. It was something that you learned to live with and
didn’t moan your face off if you went on your arse whilst carrying out Rule 55. But, we
suppose that days have changed and if your ambulance chasing solicitors can get you a
few bob for you, then so be it. After all, with what the private sector is screwing out of what
should still be a nationalised industry, your £20,000 is but a fart in the sweety jar in which
they all seem to have their fingers firmly wedged.

 

[WL113]

They dont appear to be that far out. Oxley went over at the end of last year as did the North Warwicks. Water Orton hasnt slipped as far as I know. Kidderminster and the re-control up to Smethwick is next year. Walsall is possibly 2013 now. Banbury is still up in the air but still said to be 2014 and New St may slip a little and will include the Stechford - International re-control. Madeley doesnt have a date and Worcester will probably be later than 2018 too.

But will any of this actually achieve any benefit? Apparently some of the equipment being installed is not as reliable as the kit being removed. Axle counters do not have the same reliabilty as track circuits. HPSA and clamp lock point machines are far inferior to electro-pneumatic actuators which have worked well for over 40 years.

Surely the cost of these schemes would be better spent on reactivating routes that were needlessly closed in the BR era, Walsall to Stourbridge via Dudley and Walsall to Lichfield are the two glaring examples.

As for New St, there is no way that station can be signalled by anything other than the present NX panel, unless the capacity of the station is reduced rather a lot...

 

[TomBoyRacer]

York PSB (1951) clocked in at around 4 miles but was at that time the largest route relay interlocking around.
I know that Reading PSB when openened stretched from Didcot to near Slough and included around 50 miles of the B&H line also
I believe Motherwell at one time held the honour of being the largest in terms of route miles and may still do so?
Without checking I would also say that Edinburgh must be quite hefty in terms of mileage.

Doncaster ECML mileage is from Stoke Tunnel (100m to Balne area c. 160m)

 

[nr_signaller]

Rugby SCC covers approx 100 miles of the WCML, gotta be worth a shout?

 

[Aictos]

What about Inverness and the 161 miles and 13 chains of the Inverness to Wick route?

Secondly when the West of Scotland SC is complete, how much would it cover?

 

[Metroland]

Rugby SCC covers approx 100 miles of the WCML, gotta be worth a shout?

Certainly in the top few, as is: Doncaster, Tyneside IECC, Kings Cross, Carlisle, Preston, Cambridge, Liverpool Street IECC, Colchester, Stoke SCC, Marylebone IECC, South Wales SCC, Gloucester, Bristol, Sheffield, the RETB control centre at Banavie (though not much traffic is handled), Leicester, West Hampstead, Three Bridges, Victoria, London Bridge, Ashford IECC

 

[SouthStand]

You could send an email to this Railtrack to see if they know?

Classic, I trust these letters are genuine replies?

 

[The Planner]

But will any of this actually achieve any benefit? Apparently some of the equipment being installed is not as reliable as the kit being removed. Axle counters do not have the same reliabilty as track circuits. HPSA and clamp lock point machines are far inferior to electro-pneumatic actuators which have worked well for over 40 years.

Of course it will, the schemes all improve on whats already there. No more absolute block south of Stourbridge, improved headways up the Chase, across Sutton Park and Bescot and all manner of other bits and bobs.

Surely the cost of these schemes would be better spent on reactivating routes that were needlessly closed in the BR era, Walsall to Stourbridge via Dudley and Walsall to Lichfield are the two glaring examples.

All seperate pots of cash to these schemes and still moving forward, Walsall to Lichfield is a long way off though I admit.

As for New St, there is no way that station can be signalled by anything other than the present NX panel, unless the capacity of the station is reduced rather a lot...

Grandfather rights and derogations, people are well aware that if you alter the station itself it wont work. It wont be an NX panel either, it will be VDU based.

 

[the sniper]

They dont appear to be that far out. Oxley went over at the end of last year as did the North Warwicks. Water Orton hasnt slipped as far as I know. Kidderminster and the re-control up to Smethwick is next year. Walsall is possibly 2013 now. Banbury is still up in the air but still said to be 2014 and New St may slip a little and will include the Stechford - International re-control. Madeley doesnt have a date and Worcester will probably be later than 2018 too.

Thanks for that, nowhere near as delayed as I was led to believe!

 

[strange6]

I'm going to contact NR and find this out. Will tell you all when I get an answer! I think it may be up in Inverness

 

[Metroland]

Secondly when the West of Scotland SC is complete, how much would it cover?

Most of the west of Scotland, and one would assume possibly RETB.

NR works/resignalling plans are all here

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...sg=AFQjCNGs0Kf2hLH5BRHBIUvHDT4NEavpPQ&cad=rja

 

[WL113]

As I have said before, axle counters are not an improvement. In fact they are inferior to track circuits.



10.6 miles of track, Walsall to Lichfield. Is it really that difficult?



Grandfather rights and derogations, people are well aware that if you alter the station itself it wont work. It wont be an NX panel either, it will be VDU based.[/QUOTE]

In which case forget the current flexibilty and capacity at Birmingham New Street. Setting a route on MCS/VDU systems is like waiting for a slow boat to China....

 

[Zoe]

In which case forget the current flexibilty and capacity at Birmingham New Street. Setting a route on MCS/VDU systems is like waiting for a slow boat to China....

I expect ARS would be used though so as long as everything runs as booked the signalmen would not have to set many routes.

 

[WL113]

ARS was considered for BNS some years ago. The system at the time could not manage traffic as efficiently as a Signaller operating an NX panel.

 

[nr_signaller]

ARS was considered for BNS some years ago. The system at the time could not manage traffic as efficiently as a Signaller operating an NX panel.

ARS at Barnes?