Bromley-by-Bow Signal failure today

I have moved this to the more appropriate SSR Group area....

The signal that failed was FBX901, the signal half way up the hill after departing Bow Road eastbound.

The Hammersmith & City line was suspended between Barking & Moorgate whilst the District ran through with delays. Some District trains were reversed back westbound at Mansion House but we did block black all morning to Whitechapel, eventually passing FBX901 some 25 minutes later.

Stations were putting out minor delays for the District - whether or not a 25 minute delay is considered minor is really another subject matter in its own right - what the BBC or the TfL website did is for them to answer.

We were losing 25 minutes between Whitechapel and Bromley-by-Bow - I would say it was absolutely impracticable!!

By cutting the H&C trains short they were able to maintain a "good" service on the rest of their line. It also meant less trains trying to pass through the failure area. If 'they' had tried to run the H&C service through there too the blocking back would have reached Aldgate East and would then almost certainly back on to the Circle & Metropolitan services....

Since the station is now just 2 platforms due to the Crossrail work the bay platform for H&C was taken out some time ago.

You can still reverse trains in both directions using the crossovers at each end of the train.

It isn't? I wonder if they've told the signalmen at Whitechapel that.

Well if it is being staffed 24/7, why are us drivers being lied to?

Why would the 'A' lights be lit at about 1520, if the box isn't switched out?

I went through there at 1519½ on my way to ring at Bow Church and the 'A' light was on at EN 36:



OK, that's the co-actor, but all the other ENs had the 'A' lights up.

Hang on a mo - if the King is reversed then the points are locked; therefore AIUI the box can be left unstaffed.

That is certainly my understanding having looked at dog charts for B, K, and N frames, plus sundry bookwirings.

With the King reversed, the TD circuitry would be switched through (and I can't immediately think if anywhere on the system that had intervention for TD description that was actually built. Finsbury Park No 7 would have had intervention if trains reversed off the bottom end handworked crossover at Finsbury Park High Level).

I don't understand what you mean by 'doesn't switch out like NR' - if it places the 'box into a condition where there is no need for any lever to be operated then surely it has switched out? I'm well aware of the differences between UndergrounD 'TCB' and NR-style TCB or description working.

Or, because Whitechapel is such a bastardised system compared to what has been before, are you saying that the 'box is permanently manned, but the king lever remains reverse until points are actually needed. Seems very odd, if you ask me. Are the TD facilities either side mutually incompatible and need someone there to pass the descriptions through?

Were did this information come from, If it was the case that the cabin was unstaffed, the RMT union would be on the case.

If you recall it was a signalman who carried the flame on the D stock, I have known him many years and he is still at Whitechapel signal cabin.

The box could be unstaffed at some point, strike, sickness etc, for some reason when the area was modernized some one thought we now have lots of spare leavers lets put in king leavers and "A" signs!

Whitechapel cabin is still staffed 24/7 as you say its in Auto mode but they still book trains and if need be take the site out of auto and intervene. The signal failure at Bromley was due to the vegatation gang cutting through 2 cables not by vandals.