Just to give you an idea of how many trains we may see, say between the hours of midnight and six on Britain’s railways. Here is a location line up crudely pasted from a Border City…
4S79 22.38 22.40 CARLISLE ARR 23.30 52 LATE
5N97 00.12 DUMFRIES ETD 23.40 4S67 00.41 00.44 PRESTON PASS 00.40 93 LATE 4S03 01.20 01.22 CARLISLE ARR 00.50 30 EARLY 6X77 01.27 01.29 CARLISLE ARR 00.59 28 EARLY 1M11 01.38 01.41 BEATOKSUM PASS 00.56 1 LATE 6E96 01.55 01.57 CARLISLEY ARR 00.35 13 LATE
6E96 01.56 01.58 FALKLNDUY 23.06 CANCELLED 4S49 PASS 02.03 PENRITH PASS 00.56 49 EARLY 4S75 PASS 02.07 K STEPHEN PASS 00.58 18 EARLY 1S25 02.10 02.12 PRESTON DEP 00.45 1 EARLY 4S88 PASS 02.21 PRESTON PASS 00.43 19 EARLY
4S75 PASS 02.07 K STEPHEN PASS 00.58 18 EARLY 1S25 02.10 02.12 PRESTON DEP 00.45 1 EARLY 4S88 PASS 02.21 PRESTON PASS 00.43 19 EARLY 1M16 02.44 02.46 EDINBURGH ARR 00.56 5 EARLY 4S39 02.51 02.53 CULGAITH PA
High cogload! I’m not sure what FAO stands for. Maybe it’s the British version of “nanner-nanner”? Either way, I’m jealous. Are these all trains on one line, in that time period?
FAO - For the Attention of. Nice abbreviation to use on occasions. Actually, I am wondering if this should be dumped in the British Railways thread as opposed to here. Ah well.
Those are the trains passing through one point and that point is basically a two track railway (well north of the station anyway). It is not where I work incidentally, quieter than usual tonight/this morning (it is 01:33 here) due to the engineering department having a play. If you look at www.salisburyasc.co.uk - you will see my ahem - place of work. Click on the “family” bit, scroll down and very carefully, open your eyes and yours truly has a mugshot.
Just an illustration - and as it is night time the majority of the freight is early running - the signallers are very avancular at night! [:D]
[(-D] It took me this long to realize that it’s the middle of the night there! I had been to that website before, when there was a post on the British thread. I had thought that I had figured out which one was you. But, now I’m wondering about Aunty John…[:O]
The longest freights allowed are just under 800m long due to loop lengths and the like. The hardest thing about my job…hmmmm…on occasions you are trying to fit the proverbial quart into the pint pot.
Passenger traffic dominates and trying to fit the Pway, the signal and telegraph department and Uncle Tom Cobbleigh an All who all want their tuppence worth of the railway. Unlike dispatchers in the US, we do not deal with crewing issues (unless told from above) these are handled by the relative railways “control” but everything else lands on the plate. Failures of all kinds and trying to thread 10 trains per hour (averaged out over say a 12hr day) through a limited layout can get quite entertaining - especially if there are late running passenger trains and connections have to be made!