Junction Island Platform Working

[tynewydd]

The Summer 2021 SRS Signalling Record had a detailed article on the Bridge of Dun station.  The station had an island platform on the Down side, and in the article there was mention of an intriguing working practice.  

Several times a day, three trains would converge on the island until at least the 1950s - a Down train to Montrose and an Up to Brechin would meet a Down Aberdeen express with the Brechin train being shunted backwards from the Up main over to the outside of the island the other end of which was already occupied by the Down Montrose train facing the other way. The Down express to Aberdeen would then arrive on the other side of the island and all the passengers and luggage could quickly transfer between trains without using the bridge or a level porter's crossing.   The express would leave, and then the Brechin train, and finally the Montrose train following the express as far as Dubton Junction. 

This seems like an interesting "move" operationally and I have such an island with the right sort of multiple lines joining and leaving to mean that Up and Down trains might benefit from a transfer - in my case I could actually see 4 trains meet as the local branch has a dock in the island as well. 

The question is - was this a one-off for BoD or were there other examples of creativity in use of an island platform to minimize passenger transfer time so that this would look interesting rather than out of place? 

Adam

[Artless Bodger]

Maybe not quite what you are after, but in the 1960s / 70s, Ashford station would see 3 trains for different destinations in one platform. In platform 1 the up loop, from west (up) to east would be a 2 car EMU for Charing Cross (SER route via Tonbridge), a 2 car EMU for Victoria (LCDR route via Maidstone East, iirc all stations to ME then semifast to Victoria) and a 2 car DEMU for Hastings. These would await an up fast from Dover and Folkestone on platform 2, passengers transfering across the island, then the three trains would depart one after another, the two up trains once the fast had cleared the junction. The platforms at Ashford were divided into A, B and C sections. At other times when the Victoria service had come from Margate, we'd have to dash through the subway to platform 4 to catch it after a day in Folkestone. With 3 near identical units in one platform it was easy to get in the wrong one as one poor lady found out as we drew up at Charing, she wanted to go to Hildenborough!

[Compound2632]

And of course there was Limerick Junction, where up and down trains on the main Dublin - Cork line could exchange passengers with up and down trains on the Waterford - Limerick line, all trains having reversed in...

[tynewydd]

Wow! -> Limerick Junction is like old Chester General with the central platform crossover welded to Templecombe Junction for the "all passenger trains reverse" part on steroids - but the crossing is on the level to boot rather than with a bridge over the S&D.  A wonderfully Irish layout!   

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

In the early 1970s I went to Dovey Junction (an island platform one face serving the route the north the other to the south) to witness just such a situation.  A down train was timetabled on Sundays only to meet one from Aberystwyth and another from Pwllheli.  It was possible to connect from any of the three directions to any other.  It was everybody out once the train from Aber arrived, it was shunted to a siding while the train the other way went through, and it came back into the platform afterwards to resume its journey.  Much use of the token instruments and pulling of levers.  

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, tynewydd said:

Wow! -> Limerick Junction is like old Chester General with the central platform crossover welded to Templecombe Junction for the "all passenger trains reverse" part on steroids - but the crossing is on the level to boot rather than with a bridge over the S&D.  A wonderfully Irish layout!   

 

 

It's been modernised and they don't reverse in now.  I posted some photos and signalling diagrams here the other day :