Signalling Swinford

[84f]

Signalling Swinford

 

After around 4 years of faffing around and a couple of false starts, I am now pretty close to a final plan for my new layout. I would really appreciate some advice on how to signal it properly before I start on the build.

But first the backstory.

Swinford is based on the GWR Stourbridge Town branch and the goods only continuation down to the Stourbridge Basin goods station at Amblecote.

The town station was (and still is) at the end of a short branch from Stourbridge Junction Station on the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OWWR absorbed into the GWR network shortly after opening).

The  branch from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town still exists and at 0.8 miles long is the shortest branch line in the UK. A freight only line continued down a 1 in 27 embankment to the canal basin at the end of the Stourbridge branch off the Staffs and Worcester Canal and closed in the mid 1960's.

The canal side industry served by an extension from the GWR goods station included the Stourbridge Rolling Mills, Stourbridge Foundry and the Firebrick works of Harts and Pearson. There were a number of adjacent glass works, but as far as I can ascertain none of these was served by the railway.

The branch was built as double track as far as Stourbridge Town, but from 1935 it was operated as two parallel single track lines, one for goods and one for the passenger trains.

 

My model will be called Swinford as it the differs too much from the prototype. It will be set around 1950 and built to 4mm OO-SF standards and will be permanent.

·       The goods station will be modelled in an abbreviated form due to space constraints.

·       A smaller fictional interchange shed will be included on the canal.

·       An entirely imaginary feeder from the Earl of Dudley’s Pensnett Railway will be included.

·       From 1935 the Town signal box was closed and the line was operated as two lines on a one engine in steam basis. My model will retain the signal box as I want to be able to occasionally use the run around at the station and there will also be a signal box to control the interchange with the Pensnett Railway.

 

I have taken a stab at the signalling as set out in the signal box diagram  below (and after inspecting the pre-1935 signalling diagram), but I am unsure about a number of things

1.       Will I be able to retain the double single line working with the signalling as shown  - will any ground discs be required?

2.       I could revert to a conventional double track working but would need to add an additional crossover – and that will be tricky as it would need to be on a curve and incline. So I would rather not do that.

3.       I have proposed a signal in the yard to control traffic from the Pensnett Railway to the exchange siding.  I assume a trap point would also be required, but not sure where?  The yard shunter would be propelling wagons to the gas works up this line as well.

4,       Are any other signals required? I anticipate there would be two shunting engines in steam at anyone time, plus the train engines. I have this idea that a goods train will arrive in the yard, the engine will uncouple and return light engine up the branch to be serviced at the engine sheds.

5.      Are any other trap points required?

 

Apologies for the long ramble, but I think context is important to understanding.  I hope it is clear what I am trying to achieve.  The diagram represents the scenic sections. There will be two fiddle yard and a non scenic link section between the town and the goods station. 

 

All suggestions and criticisms will be gratefully received.  I would rather revise the plan before I start building anything.

Thank you very much

Robin

 

 

 

[84f]

Hello Moderators.

I fear that I posted this in the wrong section, could you please move it to Permanent Way, Signalling & Infrastructure

Thank you very much

Robin

[mike morley]

When I first looked at this I thought signalling it would be fairly straightforward, but the longer I've looked, the less sure I've become.

According to the Stourbridge Town signal box diagram (https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/gwr/T2008.htm) it was originally only parallel single tracks through the actual station, with conventional double track down from Stourbridge Junction.  The signalling for even that comparatively simple arrangement was rather more complex than I'd expected and my gut instinct would be to use that but assume the "extra" cross-over and the signalling associated with it were further up the line, off scene.

With regard to the yard, I would suggest a catch point at the foot of the incline to catch any runaways, and a trap point at the other end of the yard to prevent any trains from the Pensnett Railway making an unexpected entrance.  That trap point might work in tandem with a signal.  That signal would control entry to the yard.  There wouldn't be a signal for exiting the yard onto the Pensnett Railway - the mainline signal man would not have the authority to clear a train onto someone else's track.

The headscratcher there is the gasworks trains and I wonder if it would make life easier if they were operated by Pensnett locos.

 

[84f]

7 hours ago, mike morley said:

When I first looked at this I thought signalling it would be fairly straightforward, but the longer I've looked, the less sure I've become.

According to the Stourbridge Town signal box diagram (https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/gwr/T2008.htm) it was originally only parallel single tracks through the actual station, with conventional double track down from Stourbridge Junction.  The signalling for even that comparatively simple arrangement was rather more complex than I'd expected and my gut instinct would be to use that but assume the "extra" cross-over and the signalling associated with it were further up the line, off scene.

With regard to the yard, I would suggest a catch point at the foot of the incline to catch any runaways, and a trap point at the other end of the yard to prevent any trains from the Pensnett Railway making an unexpected entrance.  That trap point might work in tandem with a signal.  That signal would control entry to the yard.  There wouldn't be a signal for exiting the yard onto the Pensnett Railway - the mainline signal man would not have the authority to clear a train onto someone else's track.

The headscratcher there is the gasworks trains and I wonder if it would make life easier if they were operated by Pensnett locos.

 

Thank you for your suggestions, Mike, I have been trying to work the extra crossing in with limited success, so I do like your suggestion of imagining that off scene and following the pre 1935 signal diagram. 

Trap points sound right, I will think further about the gas works traffic. 

Cheers 

Robin