Hi All. My signal box holds the release for the ground frame at Kennett Redland road stone siding. when I started my shift today I was told on handover there was a stone train which had been shut in the siding at Kennett earlier in the day.
Usually we will see on TRUST if we are expecting one. My colleague this morning would have taken a call from the shunter who would be operating the ground frame to say he was on site and to confirm the time the release for it is expected to be operated to let the stone train in as well as confirming the head code. Once we have this information we will let the interfacing box who pass the train onto us that we have ground staff on site. Once the train passes the protecting signal for the siding it will be maintained at danger with a reminder appliance. We will offer the release once the train is clear of the track circuit which includes the siding (if the track circuit is occupied we won’t be able to grant the release) my indication will change from Normal to Flashing released. Released will then go solid once the shunter accepts the release from the ground frame. The train then propels (the loco at the front pushes the train backwards) into the siding. Once it is safely away, the shunter will call and the indication for the release will flash normal. I flick my switch back to normal and the indication goes solid. I can then confirm that I have correct indication to the shunter and the protecting signal can be cleared for the next train. The time the release is granted and returned to normal are recorded in the train register book.
Now as I say, it was already away when I started my shift. Scheduled departure time from the siding was 16:20 however the shunter called out at 15:12 saying they were ready to go. I could keep him in path And to time but sometimes it pays to look At what else is going on. There was a bit of late running elsewhere which would have an impact so I identified a gap, cleared my plan with Train running control and got him out 20 minutes early. Same steps to grant the release as before but as well as having the protecting signal at danger I need to ensure the line is clear up to and including the overlap (a distance of 183M beyond the signal) of the next stop signal track circuits can tell me this. I then need to interpose the new head code into the train describer so it shows on the maps and updates Trust correctly. And the train is off on a 15-20 minute journey to the goods loop just outside my box. The signalling system brings the train in nice and slowly to enter the loop as the signal leading onto it is approach controlled. (I can pull the lever but the signal won’t clear until the system detects the train close to the signal itself). During this time the shunter is driving by road to the access gate to the goods loop.
On arrival the driver will usually detach the loco and pop a tail lamp on what will now become the back of the train. The driver calls out and when I have a gap I signal the moves to run the loco around the goods loop using the running line (the general rule of thumb for this is 10 clear minutes before a train approaches the signal before the protecting signal of the goods loop) once back attached the driver and shunter between them do the checks and tests required (I am aware of the brake continuity test, others will have more knowledge of this process than me) once this is done, either the shunter or driver will call me to tell me they are ready. I will let them know when I plan to let them go and ask them to obey the signal out of the siding…..
Today it was immediate as due to a cancelled intermodal it was effectively in path early.
Once I clear the signal the train propels out of the goods loop and alongside the station platform with the shunter as the eyes of the move, once completed I set the crossover and clear a ground position light signal. Once the front of the train is over the crossover I clear the rest of the signals and off the train pops back in the direction from which it came. (And onward to Mountsorrel IIRC) (another point, the loco runs with the head code 0S00 during the runaround to indicate that it is a shunt move)
I apologise if this is difficult to follow, I literally rattled it off quickly when I got home…..otherwise I would forget to do it