Reversable signalling Maidenhead

[scarpa]

A visit to Maidenhead station which is at the present time undergoing extensive track re modelling for Crossrail, revealed at the London end of the station the signal at the end of up main platform, T570, is fitted with a position 4 route indicator. Likewise signals on the adjacent lines up relief and branch platform have position 5 route indicators as well. The routes lead to the down main. Does the reversible signalling extend to Slough West and has it been commissioned? Will the main lines Paddington to Reading all have reversible signalling installed? What appears a loss but could have been a useful signal move, is no signal has been provided along the down main reading towards the down main wrong direction, a handy signal to start trains back towards London or shunt moves or protection for the junction.

[Mike Stone]

No, it is only a turnback facility for trains to reverse back towards Reading on the down main at fixed red T564. Quite what the financial rationale is escapes me unless the plan dates from pre-GW electrification, and they wanted a facility to turn back if Crossrail got the wiresdown?
Another odd facility is a limit of shunt facility on the new up Acton Relief (dive-under) to allow movements between Acton Wells and Paddington.

[S&TEngineer]

You can see the new arrangements at Maidenhead here: http://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/slough and at Acton here: http://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/d3_1

[Mike Stone]

It occurs to me that the los at Acton might be to permit IEPs to be turned by coming off North Pole via the West London line (anyone know when the connection was recommissioned) and Acton Wells. I would have thought a west end connection out of the depot advisable as although there are two connections at the Paddington end they could both be blocked by a major fault/derailment

[scarpa]

As diesel traction will still be required on the Bourne End branch operating from Maidenhead is it TFL dictating that the diesel trains for the branch only use the main lines for access and departure back to Reading diesel depot?

[Mike Stone]

I know initialy there was some nonsense about Crossrail having exclusive use of the slows/reliefs but that was quickly dismissed as non-sensical.
;
However I don't see that TfL services will use p.5 - they can't access it from the turnback and at that stage they werren't going to Reading.

[scarpa]

Platform 5 has had OHL catenary installed and access to the 4 sidings exist.

[rower40]

Another odd facility is a limit of shunt facility on the new up Acton Relief (dive-under) to allow movements between Acton Wells and Paddington.

There always was a Limit-of-Shunt on the Up Relief (down direction), west of Acton Main Line platform 4. It (SN6139) was decommissioned at Easter 2015, and a new one SN6137 commissioned at Christmas 2016. As stated, it's for trains to come from Acton Wells, then reverse behind the junction signal to go towards Old Oak or Paddington. Routes to the new signal require the points reverse, so that the train could go onto the very eastern end of the dive-under. But most trains doing this move will be tampers/locos etc, so will not need to go as far as the points.

The down-dir shunt signal (T6293) on the Up Relief at Maidenhead was decommissioned at Christmas 2016. It was used for shunts from platform 4 to 5 and vice versa, some of which were timetabled. (e.g. last train on a Sunday off Bourne End, returning ECS to Reading depot.) Now that platform 5 has access to/from the Twyford direction, this isn't needed any more. But the fixed red on the Down Main can perform the same function.

[Mike Stone]

Surely though not provided on the off-chance an ECS couldn't go back from 5 to the down relief?