Advent Quiz ...

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The second one somewhere in France (Paris) or Belgium.  Can only guess by looking at the signals above the station canopy.

I'd suggest it's Toulouse Matabiau - and only partly because of the proportions of the name on the sign.

Spot on ... sorry, hadn't noticed your answer earlier in the flurry of activity that was going on around me this morning.

Picture taken in Spring 2015, when Lisa and I transferred during a 28-stage public-transport-throughout multi-continent trip, as have some of the other picture.   None of the remaining pictures that I'll be posting in this Advent quiz come from that trip, by the way.

I understand that the French sleepers have been decimated since we took our trip    .. this one was certainly very well patronised the night we were on board, and we owe a huge apology to our four cabin companions for their sleepless night and the nasty colds they probably picked up from us.

[grahame]

[Western Pathfinder]

Leaving BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) in the direction of BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)  on the approach to the junction for the line to Patchway & south Wales ?.

[JayMac]

Looks suspiciously like a W on the signal post.

So I'm going to suggest Heywood Road Junction, signalled toward Trowbridge on the East Loop line.

[grahame]

Leaving BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) in the direction of BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)  on the approach to the junction for the line to Patchway & south Wales ?.

Sorry - not in the Bristol area ...

Looks suspiciously like a W on the signal post.

So I'm going to suggest Heywood Road Junction, signalled toward Trowbridge on the East Loop line.

Very close indeed ... had to get a map out to check.  But, no - signal is not for/at Heywood Road Junction.

under Creative Commons license -  Geof Sheppard - Own work - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Geof_Sheppard - "A diagram showing the railway routes around Westbury in Wiltshire, England. Not to scale"

[rogerw]

It's signal W296 at Westbury East Loop Junction with the train signalled towards Hawkeridge Junction and Trowbridge

[grahame]

It's signal W296 at Westbury East Loop Junction with the train signalled towards Hawkeridge Junction and Trowbridge

Yes, that's correct. This picture was taken from the 17:06 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads train before it became a Paddington to Westbury train in May.   Passenger services over the Westbury East Curve are now limited to diverted and special services.

A number of suggestions have landed on my computer that train services between Pewsey and Trowbridge, Bath and Bristol are in need of improvement. There's some logic in this but the passenger flow is unlikely to be substantial, and a change at Westbury seems a practical way to promote this travel.

[JayMac]

It's signal W296 at Westbury East Loop Junction with the train signalled towards Hawkeridge Junction and Trowbridge

I was close indeed. One signal away!

[grahame]

I was close indeed. One signal away!

Indeed - as I said

Very close indeed ...

There are times that it doesn't pay to be too specific; I could have given you that if you had just said "Westbury".  You gave me a hard choice as to whether or not to give you "Heywood Road Junction", but in pantomime terms ... "it's behind you" and the camera was looking forward.

[SandTEngineer]

I was close indeed. One signal away!

Indeed - as I said

Very close indeed ...

There are times that it doesn't pay to be too specific; I could have given you that if you had just said "Westbury".  You gave me a hard choice as to whether or not to give you "Heywood Road Junction", but in pantomime terms ... "it's behind you" and the camera was looking forward.

In railway signalling terms that used be known as 'in rear of' but now known as 'on approach to'.

[grahame]

[old original]

Ivybridge..maybe

[grahame]

Ivybridge..maybe

Yes, Ivybridge it is.

Permanent trackside alerts to train drivers are far less common that road warnings to drivers. Of course, train drivers need route knowledge and prior trips in the cab before they can drive a route, whereas that's not required of road drivers for whom signage is omnipresent.   I'm taking an educated guess that this sign is an "end of leaf fall area" sign; it' not one I'm familiar with from my HighRailway Code and I'm not sure how permanent it is. I suppose that along with speed restrictions, the start an end of leaf fall areas aren't obvious from other visual clues quickly available to drivers as they pass, so an "it's here" reminder is in order.

[JayMac]

It's a 'Low Rail Adhesion Site' termination sign.

See: http://www.railsigns.uk/sect23page1/sect23page1.html

[SandTEngineer]

.....and originally they used to be covered up outside of the leaf fall season.