Getting to Pangbourne on a Saturday evening ....

[whole diary]

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Yesterday evening (Saturday 3rd December) we travelled on the 2053 Reading to Pangbourne - or so we thought.  After leaving Reading on time with the normal station and train announcements we came to a long stand at Reading West junction.  (Regular travellers on this line will know this is not unusual as this is where local trains are held to save Freightliners the inconvenience of red signals in the Reading area - but that's another story).

Anyway, after a few trains had whizzed past on the other 3 lines our Driver came on and said that because of engineering work we would be crossing over to the main line when some fast trains had gone through.  Also she apologised and said that the train would not now be calling at Pangbourne, but road transport would be available at Tilehurst.

About a dozen Pangbourne passengers duly alighted at Tilehurst on the DM. No sign of road transort. So I pressed the Help button and asked where the road transport was. The nice man said there wasn't any as trains were running normally, and offered the helpful information that in fact the 2053 ex Reading had just left Pangbourne 3L.  I said it may well have done, but that it had probably passed through at about 70 mph as there are no platforms at Pangbourne on the DM. So we needed road transport. Whereupon he asked me to wait before I was cut off.

I tried again and had a very similar conversation with a nice lady before I was again cut off.

Then we all noticed on the information screen that next down stopper, the 2123 ex Reading, was showing as arriving on P3 (ie DR).  Good news for Pangbourne people.  Peering down the line we could see that it was indeed coming in on P3. We all trooped over the footbridge and got our train.  I spoke briefly to the Driver, who said he had been told at Reading that he was going DM and wouldn't be calling at Pangbourne, and had made announcements accordingly. But now he was on the DR he would do.  After leaving Tilehurst he came on and apologised for the earlier incorrect info and said he would be calling at Pangbourne. 

I do hope that the Driver will not be in trouble for stopping at Pangbourne after he had been told he wouldn't be.

So what happened?  Did the signalman close the DR in error 2 hours ahead of the booked and advertised closure?

 - edited for typos -

[super tm]

So what happened?  Did the signalman close the DR in error 2 hours ahead of the booked and advertised closure?

 - edited for typos -

No comment 

[eightf48544]

Looks like Thames Valley signalling centre is taking on the habits of the old Reading panel.

Doesn't bode well it when it takes on Slough IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) and Slough panel. Be ablr to muck up everywhere from Padd to Swindon.

[SandTEngineer]

Looks like Thames Valley signalling centre is taking on the habits of the old Reading panel.

Doesn't bode well it when it takes on Slough IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) and Slough panel. Be ablr to muck up everywhere from Padd to Swindon.

It took on Slough IECC over Xmas...............You haven't noticed then?.......

[ellendune]

I recall seeing a list of dates for transfer of signalling to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre, but cannot remember where.  Can anyone help?

[paul7575]

I copied this a while back.  Not sure why it splits GW^▸ (Great Western) into two sections - perhaps there was an idea that there'd be two ROCs^▸ (Rail Operating Centre - a centralised location for railway signalling and train control operations for a specific route or region) at one stage?

Thames Valley
2011 - Slough IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre)
2012 - Swindon 'B'
2013 - Slough Panel, Colthrop, Kintbury
2014 - Swindon 'A'
2016 - Oxford
2018 - Greenford
2024 onwards - Westbury

Great Western
2012 - Ley
2015 - Bristol PSB^▸ (Power Signal Box)
2019 to 2024 - Gloucester, Liskeard to Penzance and branches, Plymouth PSB
2024 onwards - Cotswolds, Exeter, Crediton, Paignton, Exmouth Jcn, St Andrews Jcn, Worcester area, Malvern lines

I've included Wessex (new build ROC at Basingstoke) because there's a slight overlap, eg Yeovil Pen Mill.

2012 - Exeter to Salisbury
2013 - Aldershot to Farnham, Poole to Dorchester
2014 - Yeovil Pen Mill
2016 - Eastleigh (Panel 1), Farncombe, Guildford, Salisbury
2017 - Basingstoke, Eastleigh (Panel 2 & 3), Woking, Feltham (Panel 3 & 4)
2018 - Wimbledon (Panel 4 & 5), Feltham (Panel 1 & 2)
2019 to 2024 - Brockenhurst, Clapham Yard, Wimbledon (Panel 1, 2 & 3)
2024 onwards - Bournemouth, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Marchwood, Wokingham, School Road (Fawley)

Paul

[ellendune]

Thanks,

Where's Ley?

Do you know when are they going to transfer Swindon B - presumably this is just recontrol so will it need a blockade?

[paul7575]

Ley is just a gated crossing box about a mile west of Gloucester towards Lydney.  Those one word names cover anything from signalling centres with a wide area of coverage to signalling backwaters...

No idea about the details of Swindon I'm afraid, but I guess if it's some sort of 'modern' electronic panel it may well just be a recontrol.

Paul

[eightf48544]

It took on Slough IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) over Xmas...............You haven't noticed then?.......

Haven't travelled since takeover am travelling 7 Feb so will report.