Victoria line signals faster than ever!!

Lots more block marker boards installed between stations now, obviously to increase overall line capacity, u can now get 7 trains on the southbound between vauxhall and brixton. Any delay means trains will be starting and stopping constantly, or stick to stick as we say. To run more trains you need to speed them up not slow them down!

Both. There are way more bmb's than there were headway posts and especially more since the weekend and the final assess replacement. All bmbs are basically just reference points weve been told, not even signals, altho a t/op would still apply a procedure at them, which as far as im concerned makes them signals anyway! To us in the control room there is very little difference between an auto and a semi bmb, because unlike conventional signal cabins or other lines we do not control have any control over the semi automatic block marker boards as u would normally control a semi automatic signal.

With regards to the oddities u mention, i havent the faintest idea why they are numbered off like that, all over engineered if u ask me, makes it more confusing for t/ops and us, and increases the chances of confusion when we mention id plates of signals or bmbs in radio communication. As far as 62 and63 rd becoing fully bidi, that supposed to happen in the not to distant furute as far as i know

No not in the already re-signalled sections, just more in the recently assest replaced area.

Given the distance between VHY1271 and VFP1225 I've have expected a sequence of VFP1225 > 1225C > 1225B/1 > 1225B/2 > VHY 1271.



Yes; that convention seems clear..



How so? It just seems to be a cumulative series? Take for example the NB approach to Seven Sisters:

• VSS1176 [junction home]
  
• 5034 points NORMAL
  • 1176B, 1176C, 1176D, 1176E, 1176F/1, 1176F/2
  
  
• 5034 points REVERSE
  • 5033 points reverse, 1176J, 1176K, 1176L/1, 1176L/2

All in a continuing alphabetic series. Granted the last BMB in the direction of travel is split into /1 and /2 in the majority of cases, which I presume is a matter of code generation relating to the exit speed/location affecting a following train after either a platform stop or a halt at a controlled signal. Also, I suppose akin to the old Vic. system of getting the spots progressively closer together - so there might be some form of distance restriction constraint.



You've misunderstood me: 1474 B/1 and 1474 B/2 are not suffixed 'A', they are suffixed 'B/1' and 'B/2': in fact are not 1474 B/1 and 1474 B/2 controlled BMBs, so shouldn't have a suffix 'A' denoting 'automatic', unless you've got a different convention to my notes? I was referring to 1165A; which although a controlled BMB, is the only BMB on the Vic. that ends in an 'A' to the best of my knowledge. Welcome to correction, naturally.


The oddity of BMBs in rear of junction homes not in platforms (1074B in rear of VWC1028; 1224E/2 in rear of VSS1176; 1165A in rear of VSS1169; 1725B/2 in rear of VBN1771) : which I meant to mention explicitly in the post, but was busy typng away and having a conversation with angelislington at the same time - so apologies is that there are in effect two consecutive controlled locations in direction of travel. The Warren St. example that you cite is peculiar to my eyes, because there are a lot more controlled BMBs than I wouild expect, unless this is a quirk of having the crossover, because I note that there is a similar selection of controlled BMBs at Highbury and around 5140/5141 crossover at Victoria. Is this an echo of the old system, where full speed overlaps actually started before the signal? Using the same Warren St. example as you, the full speed overlap for VG 1 started some 650' in rear of VG 1 itself.

Oops - my fault there: more haste less speed. Of course you wouldn't get that order!



Would you list each type, please?



I was saving that peculiarity up! That is a very odd quirk of the numbering system, there. I can see why you'd say that given that there's only 1624B/2 between A1624 at Pimlico and VVC1578 at Victoria - it did cross my mind that the convention was that the final BMB between two controlled locations was always numbernumbernumbernumberletter/2 which follows in the case of the BMB between Pimlico and Victoria, but not in the case of 1525B between Green Park and Victoria SB - although in that particular case I wonder if the floodgate has an effect. Likewise, in the case of 1574A/2; I wonder if it is something to do with the Limit of Shunt board? AFAIAA it's the only occasion that there's a BMB that is also a Limit of Shunt? In fact, untiil/when VSS1166 is commissioned fully I note that each Limit of Shunt location on the Vic. is slightly different! I'm sure Dell would approve, as he tried to get one of everything at least somewhere on the network! [1]

There are also the two BMBs with RS visuals at Seven Sisters: I think that these are the only BMBs so fitted on the system - can't recall any on the Central??



That makes eminent sense, thanks.



[1] LOS at signal: Seven Sisters; between 3 aspect/BMB: VHY1273 & 1274C/1 at Highbury; between 2 aspect and BMB: 1424B & VWS1419 at Warren St.; and between 3 aspect/2 aspect: VGPF1528 & VVC1569. Plus the LOS at BMB 1574A/2. Nothing is ever straightforward!

Block marker boards are not even signals believe it or not! i was under the impression that they are but according to the signals guys they are actually only reference points! Despite the fact that drivers "apply a rule" at signals not at reference point! very confusing, and the way the signal plates are numbered are very over engineered and far too long and confusing, especially on our diagrams they clog the whole thing up

Could some of the peculiarities in the numbering be a relic of the idea to maximise trackwork flexibility near the begining of the project (subsequently watered down rather much)? Utter speculation.