Great Western Coffee Shop

Couldn't see this posted elsewhere but on both meridian and bbc South evening news tonight they are featuring a report from Japan showung (what I believe to be) the first new train which is going to be used in the Thames valle area. Not sure what other regions this will be shown on

The reporter (Paul Clifton) tweeted a photo

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2P_utiCIAI38j4.jpg)

Twitter discussion then focussed on SPADs/SPARs (what's one of those?) being more likely with that nose cone...

Well, we aren't getting those, so any discussion about the nose cone being likely to increase SPADs is moot. That's a picture of a couple of N700 series Shinkansens.

This is what we're getting:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2TnxWYCcAAbTiJ.jpg)
https://twitter.com/PaulCliftonBBC/status/532805529320431616

Out of interest, what triggers a SPAD - is it the front of the train's bodywork, or the wheels making a track circuit? If it's the latter, then a prominent proboscis makes no odds (so you're safe, BNM  :) ).

Technically just passing the signal post is a SPAD but before ATP and TPWS you could often get away with it provided you didn't hit the next track circuit, and nobody saw you and reported it, which on the GWML was something like 200 yds on plain track.

Nowadays it's triggerd if you go over the ATP or TPWS grids at the signal. But you've also got a speed mechanism which will apply the brakes if you go over the TWPS trigger grid and don't reduce speed quickly enough it will intervene to stop the train before a SPAD occurs.

ATP locks you down to a speed after a double or single yellow. Which can be frustrating because with good sighting distances you can often see the next signal at green but you can't accelerate as you haven't reached the unlock trigger.

Hopefully ECTS will cure that and the train will be free to accelerate as soon as the sections ahead are clear.