Unusual use of cl.9 headcode

[Mike Stone]

A Freightliner has failed at Cropredy. Chiltern are using cl.9 for specials starting at Banbury or Leamington as a result.

[Peter Gibbons]

According to the Rule Book Module TS1 General Signalling Regulations, a Class 9 train is defined under Track Circuit Block, Absolute Block or Electric Token Block as follows:

Passenger (Class 373 or other passenger train if specially authorised) (Standard Bell Code 1-4)

or

Empty coaching stock (Class 373) (Standard Bell Code 1-4-1)

[LAMPMAN]

Class 9 Headcodes are used on a few routes West Coast Main LIne use class 9 and so does ATW on the Wales route for amended working

[RobMorel]

2018 will see all services bound from/to the Central London Thameslink Core (St Pancras Low Level - Blackfriars) described as class 9 also when in passenger use

[Mike Hodgson]

A Freightliner has failed at Cropredy. Chiltern are using cl.9 for specials starting at Banbury or Leamington as a result.

Do you know whether this is a purely temporary arrangement during the failure or a standing instruction?

[collexions]

2018 will see all services bound from/to the Central London Thameslink Core (St Pancras Low Level - Blackfriars) described as class 9 also when in passenger use

Was about to post the very same, good shout.

[Mike Stone]

I've never come across an ATW CL.9 - either planned or contingency.
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East London trains are already Cl.9 - perhaps Thameslink ought to be 8 and freight classes 7 and 8 combined?

[rower40]

The Network Rail Timetable Planning Rules define the usage of class 9 trains - there are regional variations.
Trains formed of class 373 stock feature highly, but only the Kent Rules refer to class 374. East London Line services are mentioned in the Planning Rules for the relevant regions/zones/territories/areas/whatever. Virgin Anglo-Scottish services via the West Midlands run as class 9 (in the London North Western rules), and the phrase "Other Passenger Services Where Specially Authorised" crops up in most of the Rules documents.

Interestingly, in London North Eastern, class 9 does not appear at all. The "White Rose" trains that used Eurostar stock from Kings Cross to York and Leeds a few years ago ran as 1X train descriptions, because there was a feature of Peterborough PSB's Train Describer which treated class 9 as Unfitted Freight, and (as I was told) caused the interlocking to hold many signals at red until the Eurostar train had cleared several block sections further along.

[Mad Mac]

Ah, Catch Point Restraint. Taken out of Motherwell SC many years ago.

[JRB]

Catch Point Restraint: yes we had to allow for those class 9 s on the WN/PE/CA TDs.

[Alan Roberts]

Catch Point Restraint: yes we had to allow for those class 9 s on the WN/PE/CA TDs.

We had some recently along the North Wales Coast for some of the Euston bound Virgin services running on a certain weekday and were described as 1-4 instead of the usual 4 on the block bell.
1R13 became 9R13
1R24 became 9R24
1A13 became 9A13

[Ashley Hill]

GWR are now using Class 9 headcodes for class 165/166 services in and out of South Wales. This is to aid signallers from routing them onto lines on which they are still prohibited.

[Mike Hodgson]

Interestingly, in London North Eastern, class 9 does not appear at all. The "White Rose" trains that used Eurostar stock from Kings Cross to York and Leeds a few years ago ran as 1X train descriptions, because there was a feature of Peterborough PSB's Train Describer which treated class 9 as Unfitted Freight, and (as I was told) caused the interlocking to hold many signals at red until the Eurostar train had cleared several block sections further along.

I thought that in the case of the White Rose trains, you actually wanted to hold a few signals as Danger, at least if diverted via the Hertford loop, because of what those units drew from the 25kV supply.

[kbarber]

Interestingly, in London North Eastern, class 9 does not appear at all. The "White Rose" trains that used Eurostar stock from Kings Cross to York and Leeds a few years ago ran as 1X train descriptions, because there was a feature of Peterborough PSB's Train Describer which treated class 9 as Unfitted Freight, and (as I was told) caused the interlocking to hold many signals at red until the Eurostar train had cleared several block sections further along.

I thought that in the case of the White Rose trains, you actually wanted to hold a few signals as Danger, at least if diverted via the Hertford loop, because of what those units drew from the 25kV supply.

Yes, but I don't think it was the right signals that got held.

IIRC, KX had catch point restraint on the up slow (not sure if it was ont he fast as well) between Hitchin & Stevenage; there may have been other locations and it was simply that one that was mentioned. (I don't recall exactly where I read that, but I suspect it was the Modern Railways report on the resignalling.) It was very specific, about holding signals on a steep(ish) up grade where, in days of old, following trains would have been protected by catch points, and I suspect it involved quite a bit of circuitry so was only provided where there was seen to be a real need. The gradients on the Hertford Loop wouldn't have created such a need, so it didn't exist round there.

[Mike Stone]

More class 9 services - in May as well as Thameslink, Liverpool-Newcastle services are also class 9.
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