To the north of P9 is a suburban platform complex (coded SN) used exclusively by the regular interval diesel multiple unit service to Slough and Reading.
There is a parcels platform to the South of the station approaches (effectively an extension of P1) which on a Saturday morning is occupied by unloading stock worked up from the South West overnight.
There are two locomotive hold positions: Hold East (HE), a single locomotive headshunt with access to and from P6-P9, and Hold West (HW), a set of storage lines beyond Ranelagh Bridge with capacity for three locomotives.
The approach trackwork consists of three arrival lines;
UM (Up Main) Used by all mainline service arrivals. Once you receive
notification that the next arrival is passing Old Oak Common,
the working should be directed to a convenient empty mainline
platform
UR (Up Relief) Suburban DMU's are due at 13, 19, 43 and 49 minutes past the
hour, and on notification of approach should be directed to the
SN platforms.
UC (Up Carriage) Empty Coaching Stock (ECS), light engine (LE) and empty HST's
from Old Oak Common arrive on the Up Carriage line. Details
are given when a working has arrived at Westbourne Park and is
awaiting your instructions (Note that unlike main and relief
line arrivals there is no penalty for delaying this traffic).
ECS and HST's can only be directed to an empty platform. LE's
normally go direct to a waiting train, but can use an empty
platform as part of a shunt movement to HE or HW
Arrivals are set up on predetermined routes through the layout, with a northern arrivals ladder running diagonally from HW and UC across to P9, and various southern ladders giving access to P1-P5. There is a special suburban ladder linking the relief lines and the SN platforms.
On arrival in a platform there will be a delay before stock becomes available for further use, and in the case of loco-hauled trains a departure engine cannot be attached until the arriving locomotive is de-coupled.
There are also three departure lines, routes to which generally involve designated departure ladders close to the platform ends;
DM (Down Main) To be used for as many mainline departures as possible, although
if you are pushed trains may also be despatched on the down
Relief line.
DR (Down Relief) Used by all suburban DMU departures (scheduled at 01, 05, 31
and 35 minutes past each hour, but obviously dependent on the
corresponding incoming working having arrived). The line may
also be used to ECS/LE movements from the platforms to Old Oak
Common, particularly to remove stock from P1-P5.
D2 (Down Relief 2) The preferred route for ECS/LE movements to Old Oak Common
from P6-P9
On the first you are informed of pending arrivals and all movements over the approach trackwork, whilst on the second there is a scrolling list of mainline departures and details are given of the occupancy of the platforms and locomotive hold positions.
Informaton about suburban traffic is given at the bottom of the first display, with arrival data given priority (next suburban departure information being available in the SN platform detail on the second screen).
Movements are initiated on the first screen by pressing the SPACE BAR, and in response to prompts setting a route by entering the appropriate abbreviations of the input and exit points on the simplified trackplan. The three general rules are :-
1) Once a route is set it will remain set until the movement occurs, and if a locomotive is put on a train it must depart with that train
2) Routes for arrivals from the UM or UR lines can only be set once you have been informed that the train concerned is passing Old Oak Common. Failure to set a route within about three minutes will result in the arrival being held at Westbourne Park signals.
3) Routes for public departures can be set up to five minutes beforehand, but the movement will not occur until the advertised time.
Routes set up are indicated in red on the mimic trackplan, with segments reverting to yellow as the movement progresses. Invalid routes, or routes which conflict with those already set, are donated by a buzzer and appropriate warning caption.
To aid the setting of routes the first screen contains coded information from the second about the occupancy of the platforms and the status of departure workings. The former is indicated by a coloured square after the platform label (red donating that no further traffic can be added, yellow that a departure locomotive is required and a blank that the platform is empty and available for use), whilst the latter is given by the platform designation after the departure time (a straight platform number indicating that a train needs no further attention before despatch at the appropriate time, a platform number in brackets indicating that a train is in but not yet ready, and no platform number indicating that the stock for the working is not yet in).
Only Class 31's are allowed to take ECS out to Old Oak, but mainline locomotives (Class 47 or 50) are often utilized to work ECS into Paddington, and it is only after release that these locos proceed to their departure workings via the hold positions.
Mainline locomotives on public arrivals should be assumed to be available for return departure workings unless you are notified to the contrary in a special message in the platform display (in which case the locomotive concerned should be dispatched LE to Old Oak depot for fuel/attention on either the DR or D2 lines).
The more powerful Class 50's should if possible be allocated preferentially to West of England loco-hauled trains.
Class 31's are restricted to ECS duties, and cannot be allocated to public departure workings.
At the end of your turn of duty you will be given a rating of your performance on a scale from outstanding to disastrous. GOOD LUCK!
0725 (H) Weston S. Mare 1018 Paignton 0745 (H) Penzance 1035 (H) Weston S. Mare 0800 (H) Swansea 1045 (H) Penzance 0835 (H) Weston S. Mare 1050 Oxford 0845 (H) Penzance 1100 (H) Swansea 0850 Oxford 1105 (H) Weston S. Mare 0900 (H) Swansea 1110 Paignton 0905 (H) Bristol 1130 Newbury Race Special 0910 Paignton 1135 (H) Bristol 0920 Fishguard 1140 Newbury Race Special 0935 (H) Weston S. Mare 1145 (H) Penzance 0940 Penzance 1150 Oxford 0945 Newquay 1200 (H) Swansea 0950 Oxford 1205 (H) Weston S. Mare 1000 (H) Swansea 1240 Penzance 1005 (H) Bristol 1255 Oxford 1010 Pembroke 1300 (H) SwanseaSuburban departures: 01, 05, 31 and 35 minutes past each hour
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