Token instruments on heritage railways

I was wondering today, obviously all but a few short miles of heritage railway in this country is single track, and I would imagine that most of it, or at least a goodly percentage of it, is controlled by Electric Train Token Block, with the remainder utilising staff and ticket, or OES - does anywhere other than the SVR have Acceptance Lever operation?

So what types of instrument remain in use, and where? Tyers tokens are probably the most common, but where can Tablet instruments be found? Do any railways still use Electric Staffs, or Miniature Staffs?

 

KESR uses Tyers No 6 Tablet (TN - RN) and Tyers No 9 Token (RN - WM & WM - NM) and a Train staff locked in a Heppers instrument for the (NM - BM) OTW section. (The "Long Section Staff" used for RN - NM when WM is switched out has one end formed to work in the No 9 intruments each end, and the other locks into a Heppers in WM box when switched in.)

 

At Peak we have a section which is no12`,s with one end as no signaller operation,

degraded method being to unlock the old staff key and put that into use,locking the token out of use,much better having a physical permission/method of unlocking the gf than a paper one,also allows removes seperate need for a pilotman,as siggie can carry on controlling the system.

 

The Swanage Railway uses Tyers No 6 for the 'long section' between Corfe Castle and Swanage (the short sections being EKT when Harmans Cross is switched in). These instruments are in fact the original instruments removed when that section was converted to OES in later BR days - their new owner has returned them to the railway!

 

Festiniog & Welsh Highland railway have Webb - Thompson and miniature train staff styles in use....

 

The ELR uses a Staff (OTW/OES) for the Broadfield section (Bury South - Hopwood GF) It unlocks the Heywood West GF and the Hopwood GF (Boundary with NR) in conjunction with a NR staff.

EKT operation (OTW/OES) is used for the Irwell Vale section (Ramsbottom - Rawtenstall) Under normal circumstances, the section is right up to the buffer stops and includes the runround loop. Hence OTW/OES working, though we can lock a loco in the bay or establish station limits at Rawtenstall on special occasions.

The Summerseat Section (Bury South - Ramsbottom) is a DLTC section. (Direction Lever/Track Circuit) I believe this is the same as Acceptance Lever working, but is the LMS/LMR(BR) term for it. I have also heard that the Irwell Vale section will adopt this method of working once Rawtenstall West is fully signalled.

Phil

 

I'm unsure what it is but I feel there is a difference between Direction Lever and Acceptance Lever working. Do we have an S&T expert here?

 

On the GW, with Acceptance Lever working your lever unlocks his starting signal and locks yours, whereas with Direction Lever working your lever unlocks your starting signal and locks his direction lever - so with AL the man in advance pulls the lever, with the other the man in rear pulls the lever.

At least, that's what's in place KR-BS and BS-BN (backroad) on the SVR respectively, but I have heard that our direction lever working is somewhat unusual, even unique.

Acceptance Lever makes more sense as it requires obvious activity on the part of the signalman at the receiving end - like releasing a token or giving a 'line clear' on the block instrument. With SVR direction lever, you need a block instrument as well, so that the signalman in advance can give a release. The backroad also has unusual regulations - it operates under ETT working 'so far as is possible in the absence of a token'! Which suggests that it is indeed anomalous. Therefore, I imagine that LMR 'direction lever' working is the same as WR 'acceptance lever'.

The oddity really arises at Bewdley South in that you have three different sets of regulations in the different directions - AL to Kiddy, DL to North on the back road and AB on the main - which in turn leads to bell signals getting really weird: 5-2 has three different meanings dependent on which way it comes from!