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From the Save The Train Forum :

The first area to move under the control of the Thames Valley Signalling centre at Didcot will be Reading Signal Boxes 'Berks & Hants' panel covering Newbury (approx) to Lavington (approx.) with Didcot taking over the controls at midnight tonight.

The next section will then be moving over in approximately five weeks.

Fingers crossed everything powers up correctly!

Yee of little faith since when have signaling projects ever not worked perfectly when switched on  ::) :P

Good luck to the commissioning team

Havant ::) you any confidence that the changeover will go smoothly?

Paul

Pompley will go ok  ;D

An apauling pun!   ;) :D ;D

The second panel to transfer over to Didcot's TVSC took place last Sunday, covering Southcote Junction (where the B&H and Basingstoke lines diverge south of Reading) to Newbury.

And the third stage of the transfer took place over the weekend with signals between Moreton (just east of Didcot) and between Goring & Streatley and Pangbourne now being controlled from the TVSC.

Closure of Swindon 'B' IECC takes place tomorrow with control transferring over to a 'Didcot & Level Crossings' Workstation at the Thames Valley Signalling Centre in Didcot.  Swindon 'B' only opened as recently as September 1993 and incorporated similar technology (such as Automatic Route Setting) that was found in the recently closed Slough IECC.

That means only Swindon Panel, Oxford, and Slough Panel remain to transfer to the TVSC from the original list - though I believe the TVSC will now have to be expanded to cater for additional box closures.

What does/did Swindon B cover?  Is it based in the same building as the original Swindon panel?  I assume it took over work from some of the original panels. Was this because the workload was getting too much?   Signalling is a particular interest of mine but I hadn't realised Swindon B was going this week.

This reduction in signal boxes is only putting a scheme that was envisaged for Swindon "B" Westbury, Exeter the plan was for the WR to only have 5 boxes, Swindon "B" was going to be the centre of the Western Main Line when it was conceived Slough IECC was only meant to be short lived eventually moving to Swindon "B" hence the "SN" signal name plates.  Swindon "B" was meant also to have the space for an Electrical Control Room although when I saw the plans at the time and then the build there was just enough space for a light switch in the designated area which shows the level of commitment some on the WR 25 years ago.

Didcot will indeed need expanding, especially if the planed ECR happens.  NR's original scheme to only have 2 National ECR's is now in tatters with Route devolution, GW was going to be part Manchester ECR  and part Three Bridges.

It covers from MP51 Moreton Cutting crossovers just on the Reading Side of Didcot to MP 64 1/2 just east of the Challow/Wantage loops and I assume as far as Didcot North Junction.  It was built when the loops were put in.

It is in a separate building in a Car Park about 1/2 mile to the West of Swindon Station.

Route control northwards covers as far as Appleford (down) and Radley (up).

There's some internal and external pictures here: http://photos.signallingnotices.org.uk/photo_index.php?pc=3 (http://photos.signallingnotices.org.uk/photo_index.php?pc=3) - although bigger than Slough IECC it is just as ugly!

What are the benefits of this from a passenger's point of view?

If things go 'tits up' with all this rationalisation does that mean that even greater disruption may occur? ???

You mean like the failure at Cardiff last week that paralysed things for a few hours? (Though not sure whether that was the new box or the old one.)

Benefits to passengers lower staffing head count therefore a reduction in overhead costs, better traffic management that is signalling in one location therefore route control should be more effective.  When a timetable change is made the reprogramming of the system commuters is less onerous likewise for any system config or updating.

Dis-benefits yes there is the risk of a "global" failure this could take out large area, power supply wise there are a number of secure supplies to a site like Didcot at least 1 generator possibly 2, if there is not a second onsite there will be a socket for a second; there will be all manor of UPS's all this will be split into different fire separated rooms likewise the signalling computers and telecoms will be in separate rooms.
There is always some weak links the designers and operators would have risk assessed these.

It should be born in mind that right from the early days of railways effort has been made to reduce the number of signal boxes, the early 1960's saw the introduction of Old Oak Common, Slough, Reading these closed many many signal boxes