Misc steam railway, traction, station and rail-related news

[StoneRoad]

ION, according to RTT [ i think] the Tyne Valley line is being used for diversions off the east coast mainline this weekend.
For some of the time on Saturday the timetable averages one train every 10-12 minutes.
Somewhat busier than the usual one per hour is each direction that is the more normal style !

Think the camera and I are going to do some gricing ...

 

[[62]]

If you're on Facebook, this fella who seems to work for Nigerian railways is good for updates and videos of the exported HSTs. Was just looking earlier today at a photo I took last year of 43184 near the M5 at Exminster. Now it's working out of Oyingbo. Mad.

 

[StoneRoad]

Yesterday's incident near Lockerbie ...
Fallen tree blocked the line & also wrecked the OHL

Tree on overhead wires at Beattock blocks West Coast Main Line

Rail operators advised passengers to change travel plans with some told not to travel north of Preston

www.bbc.co.uk

That's going to take a while to sort out !

 

[stethoscope]

Caught this series on last night - Abandoned Railways from Above which yesterdays episode was the once 'Varsity Line', and which parts are now being restored at great cost and complexity as East West Rail. It seems so incredibly short-sighted (as so much infrastructure building has been in this country) that this line was ever lost - connecting two University cities, multiple mainlines, towns across four counties.

Also binged some older episodes of Secrets of the London Underground again - I love this programme

Easy weekend viewing

 

[editor]

It was lovely to see that Cuxton's 145 year old listed signal box is still in use, but I can't quite work out why. The level crossing is barely used by traffic and there seems to be no sidings or loops to be seen.

Anyone know more?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

It was lovely to see that Cuxton's 145 year old listed signal box is still in use, but I can't quite work out why. The level crossing is barely used by traffic and there seems to be no sidings or loops to be seen.

Anyone know more?

there's a page on kent rail here, and a brief thread on rail forums here.

it would appear still to be a proper signal box, albeit with colour light rather than proper signals.

 

[editor]

there's a page on kent rail here, and a brief thread on rail forums here.

it would appear still to be a proper signal box, albeit with colour light rather than proper signals.

I did see those but it still seems strange why this box still survives. I'm glad it does but it really does seem anachronistic!

 

[teuchter]

There are still a few lines around the place that are signalled in sections from boxes along the route (instead of from a more centralised control centre that might cover a wide area).
They gradually diminish in number as time goes by. It is probably largely determined by how long ago the signalling was renewed - perhaps the Medway line had equipment renewed towards the end of the era before everything was being shifted to control centres.

That line went from semaphores to colour light not that long ago, I think. But it seems that this sometimes is done independently of changing the underlying signalling system (which will consist of a very complicated network of track circuits and interlocking and so on).

 

[StoneRoad]

The cost of converting / adding into a power box may not be justified, even if the line carries enough passengers ...

Still have local boxes [cabins] on the Tyne Valley Line for similar reasons.

 

[kalmatthew]

There are still a few lines around the place that are signalled in sections from boxes along the route (instead of from a more centralised control centre that might cover a wide area).
They gradually diminish in number as time goes by. It is probably largely determined by how long ago the signalling was renewed - perhaps the Medway line had equipment renewed towards the end of the era before everything was being shifted to control centres.

That line went from semaphores to colour light not that long ago, I think. But it seems that this sometimes is done independently of changing the underlying signalling system (which will consist of a very complicated network of track circuits and interlocking and so on).

I was really supprised to find out the London to Portsmouth line south of Guildford was still on boxed signals until last year. (I discovered mainly through the closures to do the conversions.)

 

[[62]]

The cost of converting / adding into a power box may not be justified, even if the line carries enough passengers ...

Still have local boxes [cabins] on the Tyne Valley Line for similar reasons.

Yeah, Crediton (tokens for Eggesford or Okehampton and a level crossing) around my way is basically not cost-effective to replace.

I do like the way Shrewsbury's large boxes have been filed in the 'too difficult' pile. It's like a working railway museum.