GWR Signalling for Terminus

[The Stationmaster]

15 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

SM, could a van or similar be propelled to the  stop block after the loco had been released and then the coaching stock propelled back onto the van, so that it became tail traffic?

 

 

It could be - and there is an Appendix entry which indicates that vehicles could be left n the platform line stop block at Bodmin when a train was expected to arrive in the platform.  But the obvious question is why do it that way when it would be simpler to put it on the front of the train where it was next to the engine and therefore easier to shunt off unless the engine would first run round to shunt it from that end.  (And of course in the heating period a vehicle without steam pipes would have to go on the back of the train),   

 

So it might have happened that way but why didn't happen at the vast majority of places where there was no equivalent to the disc reading from the run round loop?

[bécasse]

There were no WR goods trains west of Boscarne Junction so one WR passenger service westbound and two eastbound were advertised in the WTT as "mixed". It isn't clear to me how they were handled during the reversal at General although I suspect that they carried very little in the way of traffic.

[The Stationmaster]

On 02/12/2021 at 13:12, bécasse said:

There were no WR goods trains west of Boscarne Junction so one WR passenger service westbound and two eastbound were advertised in the WTT as "mixed". It isn't clear to me how they were handled during the reversal at General although I suspect that they carried very little in the way of traffic.

It depends which year you look at.  In Winter 1938 there were two mineral trains in each direction between Bodmin Road and Boscarne Jcn and one Mixed Train between Bodmin Road and Wadebridge.  In the opposite direction there was a train shown as Mixed which originated at Wadebridge but was shown in the STT only to convey freight rated (cattle) traffic between Bodmin and Bodmin Road - these two Mixed Train workings were no different in 1949.

[bordercollie]

Hi

It appears that they are some unknowns. I have been back through previous posts and some other reading. I hope that I can be put right if my conclusions do not make sense or if there is a more likely way that things may have been done. I have decided on the following:

 a) I will place all my signals as per sketch by Mike minus the outer advanced starter and shunt ahead signals.

 b)   I will have a double ground signal at toe of the slip to direct traffic along loop or onto Mineral branch 2. If it isn’t easy to construct a double from MSE components then I may only provide one ground signal which would have permissible with 3 bar locking.

 c) I assume white lights for the two crossover points at each end of the loop and at the entrance to engine shed/carriage siding and red for the rest.

 d) In relation to the home signals on main line I will only have two signal arms i) 1 for platform and ii)1 directing into the loop. For the rare occasion where a train or light engine was to enter the goods yard directly I will assume hand/lamp directions from signalman were used.

 e) A train arriving from Mineral Branches or the mainline into loop would require the engine to pull forward onto the platform line to round its train. It may have been easier for the train to arrive on platform road. However, the need to run round from loop to platform road must have happened on occasions at Bodmin. I don't suppose the ground signal would have been put in if it wasn't needed.

 f) I may have the advanced starter signals as a full bracket. I will wait and see how it looks when I do a mock-up

 g) The loop to goods yard point was sprung. I will have the point as a normally operated one. I hope this doesn't complicate things. Would a signal have been needed for exit from goods yard?

Best wishes

Graham

 

[The Stationmaster]

Excellent.

 

A few comments -

Item  C .  the use of a white light in the disc from the platform line is in some ways debatable  - whichever you do someone might say it is wrong and someone else will say it is right.

Item D.  Yes.  Such situations were not unusual on the GWR and simply required careful co-operation between the Signalman and the Shunter in charge of accepting the train into the yard.

Item E.  Could well be.   As I said discs like that on the loop were unusual and the reason for pri oviding them as t some places is far from either obvious or clear.

Item F - Go for what you think looks best if you do it but use the scenery to make the need fora bracket signal as obvious as possible if you can.

Item G.  I know of locations where that was exactly what was done sometimes with a signal for coming out of the siding and sometimes without.  So you'll not be wrong if you don't provide a signal as there was precedence for it in the real world (on the GWR).

[Miss Prism]

On 01/12/2021 at 18:10, The Stationmaster said:

Quite why anybody would want to make a movement from the loop to the stop block end of the platform is something I find rather difficult to comprehend except in order to release an engine which had brought a train into the loop to run round via the platform line (and thus pass at danger the disc at that end of the crossover!).

 

It's been a long time since I worked the Bodmin (model!) box, but I'm sure there was an engine movement from the loop to the platform buffer stops. Probably something to do with swapping locos on the passenger sets, with one coming off shed and another going to the shed. It was great fun. Here's the diagram (I forget some of the lever numbers now!)

 

[bordercollie]

On 05/12/2021 at 23:48, Miss Prism said:

 

It's been a long time since I worked the Bodmin (model!) box, but I'm sure there was an engine movement from the loop to the platform buffer stops

Hi

I have had a look at the Bodmin video on the NLG website. It appears the movement you refer to occurred when a mineral train arrived at the platform. The engine then ran round the train. The brake van was then removed from end of train and moved to the end of loop. It then proceeded over the crossover to platform road to propel the train for further shunting movements.

Regards

Graham

[Miss Prism]

Ah yes! Thanks.

[Stephen Freeman]

There was a long running series of articles in Model Railway Constructor, perhaps there may be some info in there. I know I have some of the articles but probably not all. Just a thought, I will have a look.

[bordercollie]

On 09/12/2021 at 21:16, Stephen Freeman said:

There was a long running series of articles in Model Railway Constructor, perhaps there may be some info in there.

Hi

I have all of the MRC articles from which I have got my rudimentary understanding. However, there are always things not covered in such a series.

 

Best wishes

Graham

[Stephen Freeman]

1 hour ago, bordercollie said:

Hi

I have all of the MRC articles from which I have got my rudimentary understanding. However, there are always things not covered in such a series.

 

Best wishes

Graham

Hi,

I couldn't find anything on it either in the articles I have.