Route knowledge at junctions: I tip my hat to the train drivers

[ComUtoR]

7.4 Differential permissible speed indicators

The bottom figure always shows the higher speed. It applies to:

• passenger trains (loaded or empty)
• parcels and postal trains (loaded or empty)
• light locomotives.

The top figure applies to all other trains

From the Rule Book - Issue 6

When I was taught... It was the top applies to "non-bogied vehicles"

 

[PudseyBearHST]

With regards to feathers, I wouldn’t get too hung up on left and right... this can be confusing. Its routes 0,1,2,3,4,5,6. There are times when a “left” can mean straight on and a “straight on” can mean right. It’s down to route knowledge at each junction that you know you’re going the right way. Take Ordsall Lane, as I come round the corner into Manchester, I want a 4 or 5 even though to me, it still feels like I’m going “straight on”

Then there’s things like Warrington. If I’ve got a green on the up fast, I know I’ve been wrong routes so I wouldn’t proceed. It’s all about your route knowledge. What makes sense at one location, won’t make any sense somewhere else.

Colwich Junction seems like that too. If you’re going towards Stafford, you need a left... I mean err Junction indicator 1 ... even though it feels like you’re going straight on towards Preston.

 

[chuff chuff]

From the Rule Book - Issue 6

When I was taught... It was the top applies to "non-bogied vehicles"

That's how I remember it.

 

[hexagon789]

But a loco hauled passenger train can travel at the higher speed which applies to passenger trains, parcels trains and light locos.

I was just going by what I was told; if it's wrong then mea culpa, sorry.

 

[30907]

When he says the line drops 1.58 repeatedly, how severe is this drop to the driver and train?

For a train, a 1 in 58 climb of any length will severely hamper (say) a class 150. Not as steep as the banks out of Bradford Interchange, but steeper than anything on Blackburn-Bolton, the diesel lines I'm most familiar with.
For the driver I imagine the issue on top of timekeeping (or keeping within linespeed down gradient) would be adhesion in damp conditions?

 

[DunfordBridge]

The signalling system will ensure that separation between trains is maintained, which is likely to mean that the second train would be heavily checked at the signal in rear of the junction signal whilst the first train waits for the approach control to do its stuff and then crawls into the loop. It’s still usually quicker overall (to put the first, slower, train into the loop) because the second train can get stuck into it as soon as the first train is inside that way.

In this case, especially given how the first train is moving towards the signal as it’s being overtaken, I suspect that it’s just called at Marsden, where the distance (on foot) between the two platforms and lack of passenger information (?) means that it’s preferable to make a bizarre move like this than to re-platform the stopper to the loop platform at short notice.

Reason for everything. I do seem to remember that it is not easy to get from one platform to the other at Marsden.

 

[driver_m]

Just to further confuse some of you. Some signals now have a junction indicator which will display, despite the fact that it's the only route you can take. The prime example of this is Brinklow, north of Rugby on the WCML going 'bang road' (travelling on the Down Trent Valley in the Up direction). On the normal direction (Down) the fast and slow lines merge, however, going in the reverse direction, you are presented with two tracks now. One of which is unavailable to use in the up direction. So you are signalled with a feather. You could argue it future proofs the line for full bi-di running, but I would argue that it was an unnecessary item to include. I'd love to know how much got added to the bill for this feather.

 

[Tomnick]

I don’t know whether there have been any similar accidents since, but that sort of “unnecessary” feather possibly has its roots in the derailment at Foxhall Junction (Didcot), where the Down Relief ended and a main aspect only took you out over relatively slow crossovers onto the Down Main, but the line physically continued straight ahead. The driver overlooked the speed reduction through the crossovers, possibly mistakenly believing that he was running under clear signals on the Down Main already, and made a terrible mess over the junction. Providing a junction indicator, even if not logically necessary, would have made it clearer and probably prevented that one.