Car Stop Signs in the 1980s/90s

[pheaton]

Hi All,

 

I seem to remember that car stop signs on station platforms in the 1980s/90s ran from S to 1 to 3 to 4 to.....all the way to 12, is this the case or did imagine it and  they just had numbering for the length of trains that normally call there...as is practice nowadays?

 

Thanks

 

Simon

[ikcdab]

I'm pretty sure they have only ever placed signs for the length of the usual trains that call.

[John M Upton]

Certainly on the Sussex Coast in the 1980s to 1990s they were all in multiples of 4 as all the EMUs were four car at the time.

 

Once the three car units started turning up, the numbering started to get a bit messy. .

 

[Wickham Green too]

Certainly messy round here .......... multiples of 2 & 4 from the Ten-Car Scheme ( whether EPBs or Networkers ) then they went an' ordered FIVE car 367s which didn't fit the pattern ( at the same time lengthening all the platforms for twelve cars ).

[great central]

You should see some of them now, different operators have their own signs for their specific rolling stock and also within the same operator for different stock. Brought about by the use of 'Harris humps(?)' on low platforms so that at least one door is positioned correctly to allow a smaller step up.

[phil-b259]

1 hour ago, Wickham Green too said:

Certainly messy round here .......... multiples of 2 & 4 from the Ten-Car Scheme ( whether EPBs or Networkers ) then they went an' ordered FIVE car 367s which didn't fit the pattern ( at the same time lengthening all the platforms for twelve cars ).

 

The lengthening of platforms was started by British Rail as the original plan by NSE was to go for 12 car suburban operation in the early 1990s with only 4 car Networkers to be purchased.

 

Unfortunately HM Treasury spending limits put in place as the 1990s recession began to bite meant that this plan has to be revised (but not before a large number of simple to extend stations had their platforms lengthened) to limit trains to the existing 10 car length plus amending the rolling stock order to include the 2 car Networker - something that was never envisaged at the outset.

 

Fast forward a couple of decades and Connex decided they needed more stock - but as neither Railtrack nor Network Rail had resumed BRs platform lengthening scheme (which left the most expensive / difficult to fix platforms as still only 10 car length) they opted for 5 car units so as to minimise on dead spec (i.e. intermediate cabs) and remain within platform limits.

 

Unbelievably its not until the past couple of years that Network Rail / the DfT have finally found the cash to sort out extending the remaining platforms to 12 car length - but having done this there is insufficient rolling stock in the SE fleet to make proper use of them.

 

Now BC (before Covid) the hot money was on a 'total fleet replacement' for the SE Inner services which would get rid of the Networkers (which despite looking the same came from two builders on Government orders so are actually 3 sub classes with incompatible components) as well as the 367s in favour of a harmonious fleet with enough units to operate large numbers of 12 car trains. This would of course been 30 years since British Rail tried to do the same only to be thwarted by the DfT / HM Treasury.....

 

 

 

 

[Jeremy Cumberland]

Didn't St Erth in the down direction have a 13, or am I just imagining it? Also, I recall the signs went in the wrong sequence at one point, something like 7 - 9 - 8 - 10.

[The Pilotman]

4 hours ago, Jeremy C said:

Didn't St Erth in the down direction have a 13, or am I just imagining it? Also, I recall the signs went in the wrong sequence at one point, something like 7 - 9 - 8 - 10.

Lots of the stations in Cornwall had signs like that beyond the platform ends for the long loco-hauled passenger trains. Maybe those sort of signs are what the OP remembers.