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On-time 2J06 Basingstoke to Reading was held before Southcote junction giving priority to the early running 1A70.
1A70 stops at Reading West and normally a large number of people will transfer from 2J06 to it for a connection into Paddington.
Instead 2J06 had to sit on a red signal whilst 1A70 dwelt at Reading West until it's scheduled departure time.

2J06 comes into Reading 5 late and then a 10 minute wait until the next transfer to Paddington. Which was a 5 car IET.
Not impressed.

Does seem bizarre presumably 2J06 comes into 1 or 2 ar Reading so could have had a clear run and not heold up 1A70 which presumably had to wait for a path into a through platform. Wonder if was manual intervention or ARS.

Normally 2K23 comes through from Newbury, the points switch to let 2J06 up from Basingstoke, then they switch back again for 1A70 which rolls into Reading West to pickup all the people who just got off.
2J06 does go into P2 at Reading.

Just to assist anyone following this

2K23: 06:56 Newbury to Reading due Reading West at 07:23
2J06: 07:08 Basingstoke to Reading due Reading West at 07:27
1A70: 06:05 Frome to London Paddington due Reading West at 07:32

I suspect the issue was:-  Acton T.C. to Merehead Quarry 766T due Reading West at 0721 but actually made 0725½.

Its late arrival blocked Southcote Junction across the path of the Up Basingstoke and it was more expedient to let 1A70 slip by beside the stone train it rather than hold it for the stopper.

Ah, well spotted. We're all second class to freight :)

I think it's unfair to blame 766T for lateness; it was timed at 2E at "Reading Main Line West". It was then checked, and held presumably on the Feeder Relief Line, which made it late when it got going. It's not obvious why it was held back, unless it was 5S39, a northbound XC running ECS from Eastleigh. It was 5L at Mortimer, and while - being a Voyager - it could catch up and was on time at Southcote, may well have been running late at the decision point.

It's quite a busy time at Southcote. If 766T is at fault, it's for being there at all and being slow to get moving. It is in fact the last goods working that way for two hours; arguably a bit late to start the peak-hour truce. There are ten goods paths from the first passenger service at 5:20 to that one at 7:20, and six of them actually ran today. Only that one was late. It is later on, when passenger trains are getting in the way, that the timekeeping of the goods trains gets worse.

It wasn't ARS.
DAMHIKT.

 
DAMHIKT.

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Not one I’d seen before either.

Google says “Don’t ask me how I know that”.

As a driver, most signalling decisions are often irritating!

I recall, on another forum, an enquiry from someone who had just been accepted for training to become a signaller, they were uncertain as to what to wear for training, prior to uniform being issued.
The advice given by a driver was "bathrobe and carpet slippers, start as you mean to go on" another driver suggested "whatever you feel comfortable sleeping in"

As any driver will tell you, the whistle or horn is for waking up signallers. To be even handed, signallers refer to detonators as "drivers alarm clocks"