Interesting Regulation at Swindon

[whole diary]

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Came back from Cardiff yesterday after a day out to Penarth (walk back over the Cardiff Bay barrage and then bus back to Cardiff Central, but that^s another story) on 1625 Cardiff ^ Padd.  We were late at Wootton Bassett after a door incident at Newport, but preceded (as booked) the 1700 Bristol ^ Padd by a few minutes.  At Rushey Platt we crossed to the UR and heading for P1 at Swindon.

Things are a bit busy at Swindon at that time, with 3 up HST^▸ (High Speed Train)^s and the 1736 Swindon ^ Westbury as well.  We got held outside Swindon and the 1700 Bristol ^ Padd overtook us on the UM and went in P3.  It departed P3 just as we drew into P1 (no doubt having picked up all the passengers for Reading and Paddington).  We departed 3 minutes afterwards, expecting to be checked behind the 1700 Bristol - Padd while it called at Didcot (our train didn^t).

However, the 1700 Bristol ^ Padd was put over to the UR at Challow and we overtook it, so got a clear run from Swindon to Reading.

I can^t recall any similar move with up HST^s between Swindon and Didcot.  I^m not questioning or criticising the regulation as it looks like it was quick reactions to emerging events.  It was interesting, which I mean in the true sense of the word.

[bobm]

With the TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) now covering the approaches to Challow from the west as well as the four track section they now have a bigger picture which possibly gives them the chance to react better in such situations.

[Adelante_CCT]

'Signalmen' seem to get plenty of stick when it would appear they have made a mistake and not enough credit when they have solved a sticky situation so I would like to add my praise for this in this instance, but.......

Looking at your example from yesterday it would seem that the Swansea was 9 Late at Wootton Basset but 18 late by the time it left Swindon, the Bristol meanwhile was just the 2 late at Wootton Basset, 9 late by the time it was at Didcot which resulted in being 15 late arrival into Paddington. The 17:35 from Cheltenham (P1) was on-time.

I can understand not wishing to delay the 17:36 Transwilts service however I see no reason for the Swansea not to have gone straight into P3. Being 9 Late at the time would have resulted in an arrival at Swindon at 17:36, allowing the Westbury to depart on-time (Give or take a few seconds). The Bristol could then have just gone into P1 and both HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) would have arrived Didcot/Reading around 8 minutes earlier than they ultimately did.

[eightf48544]

Isn't this sort of situation the all singing and dancing digital railway is supposed to solve? I wonder what it's solution would have been?

However what it does illustrate is what I learnt at at Sutton in the sixties  that the railway is a true real time system which changes by the second and that any decision can be wrong as circumstances change dynamically. As i know when we shut up Sutton trying to turn a train around, on controls orders, in the Down Epsom Downs platform (4). Couldn't get detection due to signal wire contracting in frost. Still the sledge hammer worked!