Hunts Cross 3
Hunts Cross Signal Box.
NX panel.
Tuesday 26th January 2015.
My contract as Barnetby 5 GPR terminated on the 31st December 2015 when my secondment ended and as of 1st January 2016 I took up the role of Runcorn General Purpose Relief signaller, Grade 5.
I started for real on Monday 4th January when I reported to Chester at 09.00. Two hours later I was sat in Hunts Cross signal box learning the job.
I passed it out on Wednesday 20th January and this was my first solo shift in the box since passing out.
A grade 5, it handles a lot of trains. Shifts up here are 12 hours and thus on a day turn you will signal in the region of 190 trains. An NX panel housed in effectively the end of the relay room. An architectural masterpiece the box is not !
Once inside however it's a nice job. effectively you are signalling the intersection of two flows of traffic.
The panel covers from just East of Liverpool Central (controlled by Sandhills IECC) to Warrington Central (controlled by the box of the same name).
At Hunts Cross West Junction the flow of trains from Lime Street to Manchester Piccadily / Oxford Road cross the Merseyrail services, here the box also works to Allerton Junction.
Looking at the panel, Liverpool Central is top left and the Merseyrail line runs across the top of the panel to Liverpool South Parkway (Low Level) seen top right.
Bottom left is the continuation of the DC lines from Central and the double junction to Allerton Junction and Liverpool South Parkway (High Level) can be seen. Bottom centre of the panel is Hunts Cross station where the third rail terminates and the Southport trains turn back. Beyond Hunts Cross the Up and Down Cheshire continues on to Sankey & Penketh and Warrington Central.
The box has a window which gives a nice view of the bottom half of the trains to and from Manchester and some pallisade fencing :(
It is however a nice panel to work, it feels robust with good solid entrance and exit buttons. There is a lot of regulating to be done, the shot of the screen shows a typical 40 mins, 16 trains an hour across the junction sees a fair chunk of regulating as trains don't need to lose much time to produce a conflict.
The traffic between Lime Street and Manchester each hour comprises one East Midlands Trains Lime Street - Norwich, one Trans Pennine Express Liverpool - Scarborough and two Northern Liverpool - Manchester services.
To the left of the panel is the train describer, in front of the panel is the telephone concentrator and GSMR. The computer and TRUST screen are on the desk opposite the panel.
All Photos taken on Tuesday 26th January 2016.
Hunts Cross 3
Hunts Cross Signal Box.
NX panel.
Tuesday 26th January 2015.
My contract as Barnetby 5 GPR terminated on the 31st December 2015 when my secondment ended and as of 1st January 2016 I took up the role of Runcorn General Purpose Relief signaller, Grade 5.
I started for real on Monday 4th January when I reported to Chester at 09.00. Two hours later I was sat in Hunts Cross signal box learning the job.
I passed it out on Wednesday 20th January and this was my first solo shift in the box since passing out.
A grade 5, it handles a lot of trains. Shifts up here are 12 hours and thus on a day turn you will signal in the region of 190 trains. An NX panel housed in effectively the end of the relay room. An architectural masterpiece the box is not !
Once inside however it's a nice job. effectively you are signalling the intersection of two flows of traffic.
The panel covers from just East of Liverpool Central (controlled by Sandhills IECC) to Warrington Central (controlled by the box of the same name).
At Hunts Cross West Junction the flow of trains from Lime Street to Manchester Piccadily / Oxford Road cross the Merseyrail services, here the box also works to Allerton Junction.
Looking at the panel, Liverpool Central is top left and the Merseyrail line runs across the top of the panel to Liverpool South Parkway (Low Level) seen top right.
Bottom left is the continuation of the DC lines from Central and the double junction to Allerton Junction and Liverpool South Parkway (High Level) can be seen. Bottom centre of the panel is Hunts Cross station where the third rail terminates and the Southport trains turn back. Beyond Hunts Cross the Up and Down Cheshire continues on to Sankey & Penketh and Warrington Central.
The box has a window which gives a nice view of the bottom half of the trains to and from Manchester and some pallisade fencing :(
It is however a nice panel to work, it feels robust with good solid entrance and exit buttons. There is a lot of regulating to be done, the shot of the screen shows a typical 40 mins, 16 trains an hour across the junction sees a fair chunk of regulating as trains don't need to lose much time to produce a conflict.
The traffic between Lime Street and Manchester each hour comprises one East Midlands Trains Lime Street - Norwich, one Trans Pennine Express Liverpool - Scarborough and two Northern Liverpool - Manchester services.
To the left of the panel is the train describer, in front of the panel is the telephone concentrator and GSMR. The computer and TRUST screen are on the desk opposite the panel.
All Photos taken on Tuesday 26th January 2016.