Reversing Royal Oak

[Deleted]

I was just wondering if this is ever done. I know there's a crossover to the west of the station (or at least the westbound end, I don't know if it's actually west of the station), but is this ever used, because I'm not sure if there are any signals for it.

[superteacher]

Yes it has been used on occasion. However, it has a ground frame, meaning that it can only be controlled from the site. So it isn't used much in regular day to day service, even for reversing late trains. It was used a while back when there was engineering work when they ran a Hammersmith to Royal Oak service. The crossover is west of the station, and is of the trailing variety.

[Deleted]

Thanks

[Tom]

May 21, 2014 22:09:29 GMT superteacher said:

Yes it has been used on occasion. However, it has a ground frame, meaning that it can only be controlled from the site.

It's not even as advanced as a ground frame, the points are handworked via individual levers in a similar manner to depots. They must also be secured for every movement over them in a facing direction, and the time taken to do this (as well as the lack of signalling) tends to prohibit using it as a regular reversing point.

[Deleted]

Does anyone know if there are plans for it post-resignalling? I can't imagine this would be allowed to continue, surely it'll either be taken out or modernised?

[Deleted]

Rather than start a new thread, but under 'Reversing' in general, I would comment that the early Sunday morning D Stock reversal on Putney bridge is of some interest.  The WTT calls for D Stock train 44 ex PG sidings to arrive empty on Putney Bridge itself (not the station) at 06 52.5, the driver to shut down, walk right through the train (that's 12 doors to open and shut isn't it?), reset for eastbound, await the shunt signal, drive over the crossover from westbound to eastbound into Putney Br station, board passengers and get under way at 07 00. That's precisely seven and a half minutes.  Is this a minor marathon or have I misread the TT? 

Of course this would be simpler if the bay was long enough for a D, but I gather the bay will shortly become the westbound through road after the splendid Ransome's & Rapier, Ipswich, England, 1911 'Oil Buffer' has been removed, along with its mini monorail trolley wheel supporting the wooden stop block.  Will the present westbound be filled in or become a reversing bay requiring crossing the westbound to go east?  


 

[Deleted]

Yup that's a mainline shunt, no? Certainly changing ends and walking up the train on the mainline is no different, in theory, to doing it in a siding. There definitely used to be one at the end of service at Leytonstone on the Central, I don't know if it's been taken out, but a train would come down from Epping and terminate in platform 2 and would then head out onto the mainline and shut down, change ends and take it back into platform 3 to form the last Hainault. You can only get to Hainault from platform 3, you see.

[Tom]

May 27, 2014 15:17:51 GMT @locopix said:

The WTT calls for D Stock train 44 ex PG sidings to arrive empty on Putney Bridge itself (not the station) at 06 52.5, the driver to shut down, walk right through the train (that's 12 doors to open and shut isn't it?), reset for eastbound, await the shunt signal, drive over the crossover from westbound to eastbound into Putney Br station, board passengers and get under way at 07 00.
(snip)

Will the present westbound be filled in or become a reversing bay requiring crossing the westbound to go east?  

Thirteen doors if one unit is double ended. It sounds worse than it actually is.

As I understand the plan at Putney is for the bay to become the through line and the existing WB plaform to be removed.

[Tom]

May 27, 2014 15:12:56 GMT tut said:

Does anyone know if there are plans for it post-resignalling? I can't imagine this would be allowed to continue, surely it'll either be taken out or modernised?

I haven't got the 'end state' layout to hand, but I understand a crossover in the Royal Oak/Paddington area is to be provided as part of the resignalling. There were originally plans to signal the existing following 7/7, but they faded away again.

[melikepie]

If Royal Oak is reversed it will be kaO layoR

[superteacher]

May 27, 2014 15:24:47 GMT tut said:

Yup that's a mainline shunt, no? Certainly changing ends and walking up the train on the mainline is no different, in theory, to doing it in a siding. There definitely used to be one at the end of service at Leytonstone on the Central, I don't know if it's been taken out, but a train would come down from Epping and terminate in platform 2 and would then head out onto the mainline and shut down, change ends and take it back into platform 3 to form the last Hainault. You can only get to Hainault from platform 3, you see.

Yes that move in the Central is still in the timetable. However, it's only been done in fairly recent years. Before then, the last train from central London was always a Hainault.

[roythebus]

Re the Putney Bridge main line reverse, the 00-something staff Upminster-PB staff train used to reverse on the bridge before going back to PG for the night.