This is the original forum of the Bristol Railway Archive that existed between 2003 and 2013. I finally rescued it after it seemed unrecoverable after a large crash. I have made it available for viewing. It is locked, all posts to the new version please!
Use this forum to talk about the railways in and around Bristol, or for any off-topic stuff you want to share. Also request photos and information that you are missing.
A sign can be viewed (from the safety of the footpath) that says something like 'commencement of token section' and another further back that says 'commencement of staff section'. I've found this piece on Wikipedia:
So is the basic principle that the driver must actually obtain a physical object called a token from a cabinet/box before proceeding down a single track line? It seems obvious to me that this is a safety measure as no token means do not proceed (the line is in use!). Is it that simple?
So does the sign that says staff section refer to the driver or a staff (object)?
Both are physical objects handed to and from the signalman on single track sections of line.
The WSR has just completed the ending of staff and token working. This has been replaced with a system called electric token working.
The Tytherington branch worked on the "No Signalman Key Token" principle. Trains bound for the quarry would stand at the stop board
at the end of the short double track section. The guard would then close the ground frame and obtain a token from the machine located in a hut
next to the main line, by asking Bristol panel for a token release.
The token would then be handed to the driver and the train could then proceed to the quarry. On arrrival at the quarry the token remained with the driver until enough wagons had been loaded to enable the loco to run round. Once the train was in clear of the single line, the token would be placed in the machine at the quarry end of the single line, freeing up the line for another train to use it.
In the mid 80's there were two trains booked to the quarry in the afternoons, an hour or so apart. To speed up the operation, the first train would place the token in the machine at the quarry as soon as it arrived to allow the second train to proceed. This was highly illegal but, with a tacit understanding between crews, it got the job done quicker.
Andy
Great bit of info there. Clears up a few more questions about how the system worked on that line. Thanks Mitch (Andy)!
A few years back when I worked on the Great Western Business Park (I now work on Stover Trading Estate) I was working overtime and had the back doors to the office open when I heard a screechy brake sound & diesel hum. So I ran down North Road to the bridge and managed to catch the quarry train passing over *very* slowly before coming to a halt. I watched as the driver got out and walked about on top of that triple arch bridge. He disappeared for a while then came back to move the train on. The time must have been about 1900/1930h.
I had spotted the train before that occasion when driving home one evening after overtime (again ). It was at the Latteridge crossing on a dark winters evening and I could see that the train had a really bright front lamp.
Yeah, this line holds a bit of fascination for me; it's got history, is close to home yet I bet most folk in Thornbury don't realise it's there! BTW love the new pic.
Just glad to share some memories....
Another aspect of the Thornbury branch was the ban on using the level crossing at the Iron Acton by-pass during the rush hour. This was a condition laid down when the branch was re-opened for the quarry traffic.
I can't remember the exact times that we were not allowed to lower the barriers, but if we missed the deadline we would brew a can of tea and have a picnic on the grass beside the road.
I recall one afternoon when we just missed our slot. There were some plum trees beside the line and they were loaded with ripe plums. I picked four carrier bags full and offered some to the driver and his mate. They declined my offer, so I took them back to Bath Road where the foreman was a bloke who made his own wine. "Want some plums to make some wine, Keith?". "I'll need at least four pounds of them". I deposited the four carrier bags in his office with the promise that I'd have a couple of bottles
when it was ready. In due course a couple of bottles came my way with the warning that it was strong stuff, so be careful. Have you ever been so drunk that you are lying on the floor and still have to hold on?
In due course I returned to work to a lecture because I'd ignored the advice. Happy days.......
Andy
Mitch wrote:
I can't remember the exact times that we were not allowed to lower the barriers, but if we missed the deadline we would brew a can of tea and have a picnic on the grass beside the road.
I can help with that one
GR Region Sectional Appendix December 2003. Page 4.110 and 4.111.
1. Hours of operation
Movements over Iron Acton By-pass level crossing are prohibited between 0745 and 0830. also between 1700 and 1800 hours.
Mitch wrote:There were some plum trees beside the line and they were loaded with ripe plums. I picked four carrier bags full and offered some to the driver and his mate. They declined my offer, so I took them back to Bath Road where the foreman was a bloke who made his own wine. "Want some plums to make some wine, Keith?". "I'll need at least four pounds of them". I deposited the four carrier bags in his office with the promise that I'd have a couple of bottles
when it was ready. In due course a couple of bottles came my way with the warning that it was strong stuff, so be careful. Have you ever been so drunk that you are lying on the floor and still have to hold on?
In due course I returned to work to a lecture because I'd ignored the advice. Happy days.......
Branch line wine -It just gets better!!!
Oh and I just love the Iron Acton crossing shown [here] and [here]. In a world full of health and safety rules it seems so rock 'n' roll.
This was obviously back when common sense prevailed and road users were relied upon to adhere to the highway code concerning level crossings. Nowadays there would be risk assessments and the crossing would probably be closed because it is deemed unsafe.
Changing the subject slightly, I have a photo or two of pairs of 37's at Tytherington. I'll send them to the site owner and see if he can incorporate them into this thread.
Cheers,
Andy
Sorry Andy, I've only just seen this! Sorry for the delay folks, mother in law was visiting so I made myself scarce Spent the day taking 175 photos of bridges between Wickwar and Gloucester!
Here's the photo, I'll add it to the quarry page when I get a chance later this week.
Excuse my lack of knowledge but I'm curious about 'Tokens'. At this point on the single track Tytherington Quarry (Thornbury) line:
), so the token (or staff) itself is a big key to be placed in signaling equipment.
). It was at the 
Spent the day taking 175 photos of bridges between Wickwar and Gloucester!
