Traction seen between Reading and Didcot Parkway

[The Stationmaster]

What are all those black triangle signs next to the car train ?

They are the latest version of stopping point markers for passenger trains  - here is the one at the platform end which shows up that it is for 5 car trains.  The ones at Reading - commissioned with the new platforms show '2 - 5' indicating they are for trains of 2 cars up to 5 cars.

 

[rob D2]

Ah, ok. Out of interest what did the stop sign , just with 'S' mean ?

 

cheers

[Glorious NSE]

S is usually used if all trains stop at the same point.

[Banger Blue]

The black triangle is to indicate to the driver that when stopped at the board, the rear of his train ( in this case anything up to and including 5 cars ) will be clear of a certain point.

 

http://www.railsigns.co.uk/sect25page2/sect25page2.html

[RJS1977]

That "5" doesn't look terribly legible (considering that there are several of these signs with different numbers on). They certainly seem to be less legible than the "5" and "6" signs on the lamp post.

 

 

Wouldn't it have made more sense to put a larger white "5" within the black triangle?

[newbryford]

Don't forget the yellow stuff. Often stabled in the yard next to the station.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86734924@N03/8663153615/

 

Or passing through

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56454775@N06/8539723340/

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

[The Stationmaster]

That "5" doesn't look terribly legible (considering that there are several of these signs with different numbers on). They certainly seem to be less legible than the "5" and "6" signs on the lamp post.

 

 

Wouldn't it have made more sense to put a larger white "5" within the black triangle?

Presumably the idea is that Drivers' Route Knowledge will mean that they don't need such a reminder - with luck.  Now what is interesting about the Railsigns description is that the usage at Reading (and Tilehurst come to that - is clearly not entirely as explained on that site.  At Reading there are two signs effectively back to back but basically about a coach length, and a block joint, apart thus the signs serve to keep trains apart when there are two at the same platform  by indicating where they are allowed/supposed to draw up to. (They are marked '2 - 5' at Reading so clearly don't indicate that a particular train length is clear of the platform end and a completely different type of sign is used near the platform ends to indicate the stopping point for trains of 5 car length.)

[dmustu]

They are marked '2 - 5' at Reading so clearly don't indicate that a particular train length is clear of the platform end and a completely different type of sign is used near the platform ends to indicate the stopping point for trains of 5 car length.

 

They do indicate that a particular length of train is clear of the platform end. The 2 - 5 on the reversing point boards shows that a train between 2 and 5 cars in length will be in clear, anything longer will need to draw down further. Remember that the black triangle boards are only stopped at by trains that will then 'reverse move'. For us on XC, we always stop at the black triangles as all except 1 train a day arriving from the Oxford direction will change ends and Reading. The 1 a day to Guildford when arriving at Reading, should continue past the triangle and stop at the normal car stop board towards the London end of the platform as that train will continue travelling in the same direction.