missing carriages

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

Suppose the operating rules for the signallers say watch out, so the train doesn't over-run the platform and foul the point where the single line starts, but I've never known a single driver do this at Moreton, on many journeys, over many years.

No, but it would only need to happen once and there would be the risk of a low-speed collision. The phrase 'at a stand or nearly at a stand' is the mantra the Signallers have to adopt to all three of the 'home' signals on the approach to the platform, when the section signal on the platform is at danger. The distance between signal and crossing is very small. Should all be a thing of the past soon when we have a nice double-track railway though!

[willc]

Point taken, but surely the drivers all understand this anyway from learning the route, or can't they be trusted to drive appropriately? They presumably know full well where their crossing points on each service are.

My favourite piece of operating recently was when we were brought to a stop at the edge of town, then went at walking pace to the home signal next to the signal box, where we sat, 30 yards from the platform, while the 18.50 Worcester to Paddington arrived and departed. It was pretty frustrating and pretty silly and if we had been allowed straight to the platform, the train would have been at a stand for several minutes before the 18.50 turned up. Not sure I can put up with another two years of that kind of thing frankly.

It was like waiting outside Templecombe, though there they have the excuse there's only one track and one platform, as the double track starts just to the west - another ridiculous legacy of the geniuses in BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) Western Region who drew up the single-tracking schemes, though I suppose they never thought anyone would want to reopen the station.