Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

From memory there's one (possibly two) upper quadrant ones at Banbury, the rest being lower quadrant.  Oh, and some colour light ones to throw into the mix as well!

[paul7575]

Are you sure they don't just count the preferences of the individuals hanging around platform ends? 

Paul

[eightf48544]

Are you sure they don't just count the preferences of the individuals hanging around platform ends? 

Paul

Probably so that's why it will be lower quadrant.

[willc]

For an in-depth look at Banbury's rag-tag selection of signals, see Adrian the Rock's signalling site. Links to pages about the south and north ends of the station from this page http://www.roscalen.com/signals/Banbury/index.htm

The south end is GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) lower quadrant country when it comes to semaphores, though the main line has colour lights.

[willc]

*fingers crossed, hoping for upper quadrants to upset the Brunel posse*

Even lower quadrants were a bit new-fangled for Mr Brunel. How about disc and crossbar instead?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Didcot_disc_and_crossbar_signal.jpg

Pity early loco drivers, who had to cope with this selection of weird and often not very wonderful devices.

http://www.railsigns.co.uk/sect1page4/sect1page4.html

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Reading station's ^15m road revamp plan 'approved'

A ^15m roads project as part of the Reading train station revamp has been given conditional approval.

Reading council was set for ^15m from the government to upgrade the road network, but the funding was put on hold as part of the Spending Review.

The Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) said it wanted to see savings, but was set to give the green light in January.

The station is being remodelled by 2013 to include five more platforms and two additional entrances.

A DfT spokesperson said: "The department will look carefully at the costs and scope of the scheme and explore possibilities to reduce costs and increase local contributions.

"We hope to agree a way forward on funding by January."

Reading West Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Alok Sharma said: "It is not full approval but it is certainly progress and a good sign. I am confident the council can take it forward and get full agreement."

The ^850m revamp of the rail station was confirmed last week during a visit by transport minister Theresa Villiers.

[eightf48544]

Great Western pattern lower quadrant semaphores!

Quote from latest MDRS news letter!

[ChrisB]

There are actually TWO semaphore posts gone in at the south end of Plat 1/2 at Banbury.....

[BBM]

Two shiny signal posts have now appeared at the south end of platforms one and two.  Covered up, but from the counter-weights already fitted it looks like they're going to be semaphore signals - I wonder how many brand new semaphore signals get installed these days!

A new semaphore signal was installed earlier this year on Platform 3 at Shrewsbury, however I think it's upper quadrant. There's a picture of it about three-quarters of the way down this webpage in the section headed "New signal at Shrewsbury":

http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nw1007c.htm

[IndustryInsider]

There are actually TWO semaphore posts gone in at the south end of Plat 1/2 at Banbury.....

That's what I said. 

[Fish]

Are we still on "Reading Station Improvements"?  This thread is going to take some wading through by 2016 when the improvements are supposedly completed unless it is unravelled soon! 

[IndustryInsider]

Well, the Banbury signalling changes are part of the Reading Remodelling in so much as they wouldn't have happened had this Xmas block not been required!

[eightf48544]

Apparently the reason they are lower quadrant is that are replacing two ground discs. Thus the signal wire run, levers and interlocking are unchanged they just hook up the new arms to the old wires.

[super tm]

Apparently the reason they are lower quadrant is that are replacing two ground discs. Thus the signal wire run, levers and interlocking are unchanged they just hook up the new arms to the old wires.

I doubt that.  Upper or lower quadrant would not make any difference to the wire run, levers etc.  More likely they had a couple spare from the recently abolished boxes on the Stratford on Avon area.

[IndustryInsider]

The new signals at Banbury will be commissioned and brought into use this coming Sunday.  As well as the signals themselves, a few ground semaphore signals they are replacing will be recovered and TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System) grids will be installed and 'Off' indicators will be provided on the platforms.