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VMS lightweight Signals - cheap and "cheerful"


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  • RMweb Gold

Why was the RETB abolished on the East Suffolk? It was adopted during the 1980s to reduce the costs of re-signalling that stretch and enabled it to remain open.

Apart from Emma's comments I was told a couple of years ago that it was getting increasingly difficult to get spare parts for the points - hence they're also being replaced by more traditional equipment on the Central Wales Line (although I don't know what is happening in Scotland or are they receiving any serviceable parts from those taken out of use elsewhere?).

Edited by The Stationmaster
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  • 4 months later...

Hi guys

 

amazed I hadn't read this string before, East Suffolk was my project!

 

As for VMS, there have been comments that they are too bright, we installed a couple as points indicators at Beccles pending the final commissioning, came back during that work early in the morning from lodging at Lowestoft, went across Beccles bypass and thought there was a second sun rising!

 

As for lightness, yes very light. 

 

Holes in the front, well apparently they are all "self cleaning" if you read the blurb from the manufacturer, as for snow, we had lots recently including the "wrong type of snow" and I haven't heard anything bad (yet).

 

Changeover is via plug couplers.

 

As for leaks, I haven't come across this one yet ~ welds that foul the hinge mechanism and stripped threads on the stainless bolts that connect the aluminium post to the steel base are the ones that I have witnessed.

 

So why did we install them? At the time the decision was made there was a big push to have lightweight signals from Network Rail, and at that moment in time VMS were the only approved product, the GRP Dorman versions only had trial certification.

 

 

The Hydro Kinetic points operating equipment, this all went to Scotland and the existing points on East Suffolk were changed to HW operation (Beccles is IBCL)

 

The project as a whole was heavily reliant on the Fixed Telecoms fibre Network (FTN) being in place, there are basically small islands of signalling equipment along the line of route.

 

It's ironic that these islands nearly replicate the areas controlled by the local signalboxes prior to RETB!

 

This project might also be one of the last to roll out conventional SSI instead of more modern signalling systems such as "Smartlock", again at the time this type equipment was not available to us, and because of the ridiculously tight timescales we were working to we needed something with a proven track record that was readily available.

 

I do love the fact that I was part of the project that installed 500m of new railway in East Anglia at Beccles and doubled the train service to that end of the world (shouldn't have taken it all out in the 1980's if you ask me!)

 

The whole project was less than £12M (contractors price - last time I looked) which isn't bad for the resignalling of 45 miles of railway, a new passing loop and a new control centre, not to mention it's been relatively reliable (I won't mention Ely - Thetford - Norwich as a comparison ~ ooops, I just did)

 

I'll get some photos uploaded when I get a chance.

 

Mike

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  • RMweb Premium

Is this a VMS' back in your old haunts Dave?

 

A very dark and very dodgy pic of 70002 on the low level at Warrington

 

post-408-0-31474600-1366381073_thumb.jpg

 

cropped to show:

 

post-408-0-95450000-1366381124.jpg

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Some more of the East Suffolk signals

 

 

ES 2035 (photographed from a foot crossing) (ES2042, below, is hidden behind the post)

This is a wrong road signal, I think it's a fixed red and is used to keep the Sizewell trains within fixed signals.

post-6662-0-76972600-1366885174_thumb.jpg

 

 

ES2042

post-6662-0-27375700-1366885175_thumb.jpg

 

Thanks to anon on the gang for using my camera to capture these shots of ES2042

 

This signal acts as Saxmundham home, it's a 3-aspect

post-6662-0-74488700-1366885175_thumb.jpg

 

post-6662-0-39301100-1366885176_thumb.jpg

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I don't think ES 2035 is a fixed red because why is there a 55mph speed board there?

 

In my opinion these are not signals, they are ghastly and if this is the future then thank goodness I have only a few more years to go, driving passed these.

 

 

Perhaps it has been placed on the wrong side for sighting purposes? The photo does suggest a curve to the left, and a signal would be more instantly visible on the outside of the apex rather than inside.

 

Who's going to be the first one to model one of these?

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No signals would be placed in the cess of the opposite line even for sighting purposes (the Great Western were good at doing this though!). If a signal in the cess of the left track in the picture was not visible in the required distance then a banner repeater would be installed.

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  • RMweb Gold

As Brian says, it's certainly for the wrong line, I will take a trip to the next signals some time and see if there are any which permit signalled wrong line moves, or I'll ask the signalman at Saxmundham if the doors open next time I'm on the station.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi

 

ES2035 is for the wrong direction signalled move to Halesworth ES2047, in the days of RETB everything was bi di, you could send trains in any direction on any line!

 

To offer flexibility the UP line was signalled for bi di working between Saxmundham and Halesworth.

 

You'll note there's also a random Stop board at Woodbridge, ES2013, this was to allow wrong road working from Westerfield, not quite sure how how this was going to be signalled as the 2 routes from Westerfield (signal number escapes me CO6XX) are for the DN ESK and the DN FLS only.

 

I will get some photos uploaded at some stage.

 

 

Mike

Another one of the Saxmundham signals, acting as Saxmundham repeater for ES2042 (above)

 

ES2044, 21 March 2013.

attachicon.gifDAS541274.JPG

 

attachicon.gifDAS541287.JPG

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  • 6 years later...

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