Largest Signalling area

[The Planner]

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

I cant comment on the reliability of the infrastructure, but what they are doing considerably improves the capacity of the lines.

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

In the current world of no money, BCRs and cycle paths built on top of the lines, yes....

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....

Again, Im not a signaller, but it wont be a panel, that I know.

 

[nr_signaller]

New st will be going into west mids signalling centre eventually which uses westcad (vdu based)

Also axle counters have come on a long way in the llast couple of years in terms of reliability, now that maintanence schedules have been worked out and signalling technicians have gotten used to the technology. They rarely fail now and if they do, it can normally be reset by the signaller, unlike track circuits..

 

[Metroland]

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....

Not really, the original SSIs were a bit slower than RRI, but mostly these days its not a lot different - Not that route relay interlock is ever considered for new or replacement installations (a re-wire at most) as it's old technology and takes up a lot of room.

There are considerable cost savings with VDUs, and the problem of overview has been somewhat solved through large LEDs/Projection like Stoke/Rugby etc

 

[TDK]

Area wise Three Bridges is a huge are coverage on the southern

 

[LAX54]

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

Covers: C/S Marks Tey to Norwich, Wrabness, Thurston, Felixstowe, Hethersett. combination of MCS and NX Signalling.

and without a doubt the busiest box on the Network between 2300 and 0600.

When the Signaller signs on duty on the Ipswich Panel, he does not sit down from 2100 until about 0230, where there is a lull until about 0250, then it's all go again until 0500 or so.

At 0400 it is not unusual to have Ipswich yard full, with about 3 or 4 waiting access on the Main Line, and 3 coming up from Felixstowe.

If you then add Engineering work to his workload and SLW....

When he goes home he is knackered, you can see it on his face!

 

[Zoe]

I would have thought the big drawback with axle counters is that you can't just go and place a track circuit operating clip on the line in an emergency.

 

[TDK]

I would have thought the big drawback with axle counters is that you can't just go and place a track circuit operating clip on the line in an emergency.

That is why IVRS (GSM-R) is used in most axle counter areas