• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Remaining single lines with traditional token working.

Status
Not open for further replies.

superkev

Established Member
Joined
1 Mar 2015
Messages
2,682
Location
west yorkshire
Hi
With the demise of traditional tokens on the Harrogat York line by the 5th Dec I thought id start a separate thread to the Harrogate line one and the remaining semaphores thereads
Cant be many single lines left with signalmen and traditional token working.
K
 
Last edited:
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

MadMac

Member
Joined
13 Jun 2008
Messages
955
Location
Moorpark, CA
In Scotland, last “bastion” of this is from Girvan-Stranraer. Tablet sections from Girvan-Barrhill-Glenwhilly-Dunragit, and key token from Dunragit-Stranraer. The last section normally works on a “one in-one out” basis, but Stranraer box can be switched in to allow multiple trains there.

Theres also a key token section from Newton Junction (near Ayr) to Mauchline - train crew operate the instrument at Newton Junction themselves.
 

Merle Haggard

Established Member
Joined
20 Oct 2019
Messages
1,979
Location
Northampton
The last time I travelled on it (pre Covid), a section of the Preston-Ormskirk route had a section with signallers passing token to and from driver. A couple of years ago, I think that there was similar token operation around Tondu.
There are also sections where the driver collects a token from a lineside instrument released by signaller (???Key Token, mentioned above) . This was the case, I think I recall, North of Aylesbury for Calvert/Claydon trains, and possibly the bank holidays Quainton Road passenger shuttle.
 

Horizon22

Established Member
Associate Staff
Jobs & Careers
Joined
8 Sep 2019
Messages
7,443
Location
London
There's some token working Maidenhead - Marlow (Bourne End section) which is surprising considering how close to London it is.
 

John Webb

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
3,047
Location
St Albans
Middlesborough-Whitby line. Includes facilities at Grosmont to allow the NYMR access on and off the 'main line' for their extended trips to Whitby.
 

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
Off the top of my head, I think there are broadly three variations:

- The traditional set up with a staffed signal box at each end of the single-line section.
- A staffed signal box at one end of the section that supervises a token machine at the other end. This token machine allows ‘shut-in’ and is worked by train crew or station/yard staff.
- A signal box at one location that that supervises a series of sections along the line; the Central Wales Line and Middlesbrough-Whitby are (or were) examples of this.
 

richw

Veteran Member
Joined
10 Jun 2010
Messages
11,213
Location
Liskeard
Liskeard to looe between liskeard and Coombe junction.
Exeter to Barnstaple has a few sections.
 

MadMac

Member
Joined
13 Jun 2008
Messages
955
Location
Moorpark, CA
The last time I travelled on it (pre Covid), a section of the Preston-Ormskirk route had a section with signallers passing token to and from driver. A couple of years ago, I think that there was similar token operation around Tondu.
There are also sections where the driver collects a token from a lineside instrument released by signaller (???Key Token, mentioned above) . This was the case, I think I recall, North of Aylesbury for Calvert/Claydon trains, and possibly the bank holidays Quainton Road passenger shuttle.
The “official” name is, I believe, “No Signalman Key Token”. I think Matlock and (possibly) Windermere still work that way.
 

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
I think there are a plethora of different names for slight variations in the type of signalling and I am not up to date with them.

I believe there is (or was) No Signalman Key Token (NSKT), which was a signal box at one end of the section, and No Signalman Token (Remote) (NSTR), which was one signal box supervising a series of sections.

There are also plenty of oddities, such as Coombe Junction and Bourne End.
 

John Webb

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
3,047
Location
St Albans
Off the top of my head, I think there are broadly three variations:

- The traditional set up with a staffed signal box at each end of the single-line section.
- A staffed signal box at one end of the section that supervises a token machine at the other end. This token machine allows ‘shut-in’ and is worked by train crew or station/yard staff.
- A signal box at one location that that supervises a series of sections along the line; the Central Wales Line and Middlesbrough-Whitby are (or were) examples of this.
I can confirm that the Middlesbrough-Whitby line comes under your third classification. It is operated by the box at Nunthorpe with tokens issued on the "no signalman token remote" basis.
 

HST43257

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2020
Messages
1,393
Location
York
What‘s the York to Harrogate line receiving instead of Traditional Tokens?
 

craigybagel

Established Member
Joined
25 Oct 2012
Messages
5,061
Is the Blaenau Ffestiniog line operated on the No Signalman Key Token system?

Conwy Valley Line uses the traditional method where the crew pick up a token from the box at Llanrwst North

There is still a token machine inside the station building at Blaneau, supervised remotely by Llanwrst. It is rarely used, with the driver normally returning to Llanwrst with the same token they were issued with on the way down.

It is also token worked between Llanwrst and Llandudno Junction - the token machine at the Junction is inside the chargemans office and not the signal box.
 

Crossover

Established Member
Joined
4 Jun 2009
Messages
9,246
Location
Yorkshire
St Erth to St Ives branch is (was when I last visited at least) operated with a token/staff from the box

A couple of sections on the line from Par to Newquay (I have a photo of the one of the tokens after the driver gave me it briefly to take a photo)
 

robvulpes

Member
Joined
11 Jan 2007
Messages
148
Sellafield to St Bees. Not sure about St Bees to Whitehaven.
Yes - St Bees to Whitehaven too. At Whitehaven, the token is collected by train crew from/returned to a remote (from the signal box) machine in a cabinet on the through platform at the tunnel end.
 

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
There is a difference between many of the dead-end lines without shut-in facilities and other lines. The former will only have a single train staff, which is handed to the driver as authority to enter the single-line: when not in use the staff may just hang on a nail in a signal box or office. This is the only authority to enter the single-line and so ensures there is One Train Working; the General Appendix would warn against entering a single-line without a token: the warning started with ‘A driver will render himself liable to dismissal...’, the only place where dismissal was so clearly stated.

Where there are tokens/tablets/staffs (*), they must be put through an instrument by the signalman or under his instructions.

Taking the Blaenau Ffestiniog line as an example, and working from a mixture of guesswork and memory, the situation would be that a member of staff at Llandudno Junction would ring the signalman at Llanrwst and ask for permission to remove the token. The signalman would give a release, the token would be removed and handed to the driver. On arrival at Llanrwst the driver would hand the token to the signalman and receive one that the signalman had removed from the Llanrwst-Blaenau machine without any need to cooperate with anyone else. If there are shut-in facilities at Blaenau (there may not be any longer), then after using the token to operate the ground-frames and with the train safely in the siding, the traincrew will contact the signalman at Llanrwst and ask for permission to put the token into the instrument at Blaenau. This granted, the token is put into the machine and the signalman is free to send another train up to Blaenau.

To get out of the siding the traincrew have to wait until there is no train south of Llanrwst, contact the signalman and get a release allowing them to remove a token. At Llanrwst this is handed to the signalman, who hands the driver a token for the section to Llandudno that he has drawn out. At Llandudno the token is placed in the instrument and the signalman at Llanrwst informed.

* - Mostly key tokens nowadays: I am not sure if there are any electric tablet or staff sections still in use.

Hoping my memory is not at fault.
 
Last edited:

SteveM70

Established Member
Joined
11 Jul 2018
Messages
3,800
There is a difference between many of the dead-end lines without shut-in facilities and other lines. The former will only have a single train staff, which is handed to the driver as authority to enter the single-line: when not in use the staff may just hang on a nail in a signal box or office. This is the only authority to enter the single-line and so ensures there is One Train Working; the General Appendix would warn against entering a single-line without a token: the warning started with ‘A driver will render himself liable to dismissal...’, the only place where dismissal was so clearly stated.

Sorry if this is a daft question, but I’m not railway staff. I understand what you’re saying at face value, but presumably this is applicable only in “normal” circumstances? What happens for example if the train in the single line section fails? Is there some sort of “management override” that would allow a second train in to recover the failure?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top