I have no idea where to post this, and it may be of little itnerest to most users of this forum, but I have noticed a depressing number of clear discrepancies between TSW and correct railway practice at the time a route is set, and now I have encountered something that looks wrong, but I am not entirely sure whether it is. It is probably familiar to anyone who has played Northern Transpennine with BR Heavy Freight. Right by Ravensthorpe station is Thornhill LNW Junction, where the direct Leeds line separates from the original Calder Valley line to Wakefield. At the time the game is set, the Wakefield line is four track and the Leeds line is two track, splitting from the "slow" Wakefield lines on a sharp curve, which has a 45 mph speed limit in both directions. There is also a double track crossover allowing Leeds trains to access the "fast" lines. This crossover has a 20 mph speed limit. I cannot see why any train between Leeds and Huddersfield should use this crossoved unless the "slow" line is blocked at Mirfield, as it involves unnecessary crossing of other lines and the short bit of 20 mph means that it is slower overall. However, most non-passenger trains in BR Heavy Freight use this crossover and take the Calder Valley "fast" lines between Thornhill LNW Junction and Heaton Lodge Junction, where the Huddersfiled line turns off. In the down direction, towards Leeds, everything is straightforwad (although I suspect that technically the same problem exists as I am about to describe). Drivers presumably know they will be taking the Leeds line, so being routed over the crossover should come as no surprise. Of course, it does come as a surprise to TSW drivers who haven't learnt the route, because the 20 mph limit comes just a few yards after a 45 mph limit, so the HUD gives almost no warning, but you can hardly blame the game for that. It is the up direction that I am concerned about. As with the down direction, there is a short 45 mph before the 20 mph, but here there is an additional problem for, until the train reaches the junction signal at Ravensthorpe Station, the driver has no indication he will be taking the crossover at all. With a heavy freight train, it is one thing to slow down to 45 mph on a descending gradient of 1:143 (it eases to 1:220 about half a mile before the junction, and is level at the junction itself), but quite something else to slow to 20 mph. The first thing the driver knows he is taking the crossover is seeing the feathers on signal M114 at Ravensthope Station, just before the junction and less than 200 yards from the 20 mph limit. Signal M114 shows green, so of course the signal in rear, M103, also shows green. Here is a picture showing an up train taking the crossover. Signal M103 is a little to the left of the nearest pylon, and signal M114 is immediately on the other side of the footbridge at Ravensthorpe Station. The two signals are quarter of a mile (440 yards) apart. Since the early to mid twentieth century in Britain, junction signals where there is a significantly reduced speed on the diverging route, have had some means of cautioning trains in advance of taking the diverging route. Often this was simply by preventing the signalman from showing a clear aspect at the previous signal unless the main route was set. Later on, more elaborate approach control was introduced, where the junction signal could only be cleared when a train was within a certain distance (past the preceding signal), meaning that the driever sees the preceding signal showing caution. My question is, what would the situation have been here? 45 mph is already a relatively low speed, and there's 200 yards between signal M114 at Ravensthorpe and the 20 mph speed limit, plus the sighting distance. Would appraoch control have been used here?
I don't know the answer to your question about Approach Control, but the junction sure caught me out a few times, but now I'm (usually) ready for it. I suppose this is where route knowledge comes in; driver's learn the route and would know that there is a speed reduction in quick succession to the previous one and would anticipate it. I still use the speed sign HUD as I am not yet confident on knowing the route that well (its not as if I work for BR, I only drive for entertainment!), but I am becoming aware of where I need to be ready for such reductions. All adds to the fun, in my opinion.
Can't say what system was used although the area was resignalled completely (Mirfield area having the only instance of speed signalling in the UK since 1932!) and incorporated into Healey Mills Power Signal box in May 1970, quite whether approach control was fitted to this signal or manual approach control was used I cannot say (or anything for that matter) I do not know.
