
General

The power signalbox at Carlisle was opened in 1973 with an NX Panel, typical of the period. Now known as Carlisle Signalling Centre, the area controlled includes Carlisle (Citadel) station, all the lines in the immediate area, and a long section of the West Coast main line, 62 miles south to Carnforth, and north across the Scottish border. Multiple aspect colour-light signals are used, with full track-circuiting.

The area covered by this simulation stretches from just south of Carlisle to the Scottish Border on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), from Maryport on the route via the Cumbrian Coast (M&C), Wetheral on the Tyne Valley Line and Howe & Co Signal box on the Settle and Carlisle route. It also has the extensive freight yards at Kingmoor and all the goods lines and yards south of the station included within the operating area.

The simulation features the track and signalling as it has been since 1990 and provides a great improvement on the original PC-Rail Carlisle simulation released in 1996. 
(Note that timetables from the old simulation are NOT compatible with this version.)

Running Lines

Permissive working of trains of classes 1,2,3 and 5 is permitted on all platform lines. All platforms are signalled for bidirectional use. The Up and Down Newcastle line, between the station and London Road Junction is also bidirectional

Terminating and orginating points for non-passenger trains are Upperby Yard,  Currock Yard, London Road Sidings (also known as Petteril Bridge Yard), Collier Lane Sidings and Dentonholme Goods Yard.

Designated stopping places for through freight trains are Sidings A and B. The station platforms may also be used for short stops. Scheduled light engine movements may also use these locations. Scheduled stops for Class 5 (ECS) trains should be made in the station platforms.

Fringe Stations

Aspatria and Wigton Stations are located in the "fringe" of the simulation and are not displayed on the panel. They are included for train timing purposes due to the long 16 mile signal section between Wigton and Maryport. Note that trains may be held at Maryport or Wigton awaiting the section ahead to clear. There are no signals at Aspatria.

Operating Notes

o	Note that the scale used on the track diagram is not uniform.
o	A "non-station" timing point is indicated by a "T" on the display.
o	Train Ready To Start (TRS) is available at the following locations:
Carlisle Station
Dalston Oil Terminal
Up Passenger Loop (Kingmoor Jn)
Quintinshill Loops
Sig.482 (Up Avoiding)
Sig 465 (Dn Goods)
o	Route-setting between Signals: a route can only be set between main aspect or ground position signals with red-box labels. Distant Signal labels are shown in light text and are shown for display purposes only. 
o	Carlisle New Yard: trains within the Carlisle New Yard are controlled locally. Trains departing from all departure points will send a request to Carlisle PSB at departure time.
o	Kingmoor Maintenance Depot: trains are controlled locally and the same departure arrangement as Carlisle New Yard applies.
o	Routing departing trains from Carlisle P1 to Up Main (Southbound): set route 301-278 direct.
o	Up Thru Siding (Kingmoor): due to the type of signalling this line cannot be used by passenger trains in normal operation. 
o	Do not confuse the "Up Thru Siding" line with the "Thru Siding" located at Upperby.
o	Caldew Junction-Carlisle Station: the Down Main is bi-directional between these locations.
o	Dalston Ground Frames: the "A" buttons lock-out the ground-frames. They should be kept activated in normal operation unless shunting is in progress at the oil terminal.
o	Passing Loops: note that not all the passing loops have enough capacity for some of the longer freight trains. Routing a freight train via the Goods Lines, to the north of Caldew Junction, may be the only option to recess certain long freight trains if a service is running late. This may affect some of the longer Class 4 container and intermodal trains.
o	Kingmoor Passenger Loop: In the first instance a route should be set 483-463. However should the train be too long, the capacity of this location can be increased for longer trains by setting a route direct 483-453 (almost double).
o	Admiralty Sidings: this was a second link into the Longtown MOD depot. The track has since been lifted but the ground frame is still part of the interlocking. It is plain-lined on the Up Goods. The connection is displayed but the points will not move either by route setting or manually and the point number (811) is not displayed.
o	Upperby Yard: this is the location of a carriage maintenance and servicing depot. Trains entering service were often propelled into the station from Upperby Depot if they were bound for the south upon entering passenger service at Carlisle. The depot closed in 1994 and many of the buildings and sheds were gradually demolished over a period of the next 20 years, it was reopened in 2023 as a depot for the maintenance of privately owned locos and stock for a railway charter company.
o	Charter Trains: Carlisle is a popular destination or passing location for charter trains. Heritage steam and diesel trains as well as modern-day special trains are often seen at Carlisle. Steam locomotives that are involved with loco-changes may need to be turned at Carlisle to enable the loco, support coach or whole train to face the correct direction and this is done by routing the loco via the junctions to the south of Carlisle station, (Currock/Bog/London Road/Upperby Junctions). Instructions and routing will be contained within the timetable notes as it can vary depending on path availability. They will be either routed via the Up Thru Goods (UTG), or Bog Junction. How the loco is routed to get to and from the timing point is up to the discretion of the signaller as there are multiple ways of getting there and back on the various lines that form a triangle arrangement. Propelling of the loco and support coach or even the whole train is permitted.

Platforms and Sidings
   
The capacities of platforms and sidings are listed below. Reduce by 1 for each loco on loco-hauled trains.       

o	Carlisle

	Platform	No. of Coaches 
	1	16 (Sigs 314-321)
	2	5
	3	15
	4	19
	5	8
	6	8
	7	7
	8	7

    	Siding	No. of Coaches 
	A	14	(*)
	B	  9	(*)
	C	 9	(*)
	No. 1	11
	No. 2	7
	No.3	6

o	High Wapping Sidings
	Siding W1	6	
	Siding W2	5	
	Siding W3	4	

o	Gretna Green
	Platform 1	6
	Platform 2	5

o	Dalston
	Platform 1	4
	Platform 2	4 	(Or loco + 6 freight vehicles)

o	Wetheral
	Platform 1	4
	Platform 2	4 

o	Up Passenger Loop (Kingmoor)
	To Sig 463	24 
	To Sig 453	42 

o	Up Thru Siding (Kingmoor)
	To Sig 455	34 

o	UpNE Shunt Neck	          14

o	Quintinshill Loops
	Up	28 
	Down	27

o	Upperby Goods Lines
	DGL	21
	DTG	21
	UTG	23

o	Wagon Repairs Ltd Siding	4

o	Dalston Oil Terminal
	Stabling Sdg	7  
	Unloading Sdg	7 	

Note - Long trains that exceed the length of the loops will need to be routed accordingly. (Usually via the Goods Lines).

Train Reporting Numbers (Headcodes)

Please refer to the relevant timetable for information regarding train-head-codes.


Routing is as specified in the Working Timetable. 


Overhead Electrification 

The following lines are fitted with 25kV OHLE:
(Any amendments to the OHLE will be contained in the timetable info notes)

o	Up Main
o	Down Main
o	Up Goods
o	Down Goods
o	Up Arrival
o	Up Avoiding
o	Up Passenger Loop
o	Up Through Siding
o	Carlisle New Yard
o	Quintinshill Loops
o	Carlisle Station (all lines except High Wapping Sdgs & Collier Lane Sdg)
o	North Eastern Shunt Neck (between station & siding)
o	Up Thru Goods/Dn Thru Goods/Dn Goods Loop (between Upperby Jn & Upperby Bridge Jn only, in both directions)
o	Upperby Yard 

The following lines are diesel-only routes:

o	Newcastle Lines
o	Midland Lines
o	Dumfries Lines
o	M&C Lines
o	Collier Lane Siding
o	Through Sdg (Upperby)
o	Upperby Warehouse Siding
o	Wagon Repair Siding
o	Oil Depot
o	London Road Yard
o	Dalston Oil Sidings
o	Currock Wagon Repairs
o	Currock Yard 
o	High Wapping Sidings
o	Kingmoor Maintenance Depot
o	Etterby Exchange Sidings
o	Longtown MOD Sidings

Level Crossings

On this simulation there are two level crossings:

o	Floriston on the WCML north of Carlisle
This activates when the route is set over the crossing and automatically resets after the passage of that train.
** indicates barrier closing location.
Closing time is 25 seconds.
An indicator on the panel will show a flashing aspect as the crossing is closing/opening and a steady light when closed to road traffic.
The signals will not release to a "proceed" aspect until the crossing is fully closed to road traffic.
(In real-life this crossing is monitored by CCTV from Carlisle PSB)

o	Low Moor Level Crossing, located north of Dalston
This is a miniature Red/Green crossing that serves a handful of buildings of various descriptions and a Water Treatment Works.
The crossing is activated by the passage of a train.
There is no indication on the panel.

Dalston Oil Train Shunting Arrangements

Dalston Ground Frames are electronically locked from Carlisle PSB but the actual movement of the points/switches is done locally using the three ground frames. For the purposes of this simulation the ground frames are operated from the Carlisle panel and the semi-auto function ("A" button on the panel) enables this.

The normal situation is for the Ground Frames G1, G2 & ODGF to be in "Auto-mode" so that the main aspect signals protecting Dalston Station allow main-line running between Carlisle and Wigton. However, during shunting operations the "Auto" function at all three ground frames must be deselected to allow access to the sidings. When shunting is complete the "auto" function must be reinstated. 

The sidings can accommodate a maximum of 6 x 100 ton Oil Tanks plus one loco. The train may have arrived at Carlisle NY (or other locations) with a larger consist but will have been split into several portions due to the limited capacity at Dalston.

All shunting  is done by the train loco that arrives with the inbound train. The same loco that brought the loaded tanks will take the waiting empty tanks back to Carlisle New Yard or scheduled destination. (A second person accompanies the train with the driver from Carlisle Yard and acts as the ground-frame-operator/uncoupler/coupler).
 
Shunting at Dalston is quite complex and involves leaving vehicles on the main-line at Dalston P2 (Dn M&C) whilst the train loco is used for shunting the loaded tanks from the DSS to the DUS. The following procedure should be followed:

The simulation's "Shunt to" function MUST be used for shunting, except as indicated by #:

o	The loco + maximum 6 loaded tanks is routed from its origin to the Up M&C
o	The whole train "shunts-to" D3
o	Train propels into Siding DSS 
o	Loco uncouples from all the loaded tanks
o	Loco only shunts to DUS Siding and couples to stock (empty tanks) 
o	# Set route D3 - D4 for loco + empty tanks to propel to D4 (Dalston platform 2). Do NOT use "Shunt to" for this move or a "Stop missed" message will be generated.
o	Uncouple all 6 empty tanks
o	Loco only shunts to DSS siding and couples to loaded tanks
o	Loco and loaded tanks shunt to DUS via D3
o	Loco uncouples, proceeds to Dalston platform 2 (Dn M&C) and couples to the Carlisle end of the empty tanks
o	Loco + 6 empty tanks depart for destination.

Dalston: Additional notes

o	The Siding DUS (Dalston Unloading Siding) is the only unloading/discharge siding and a train will only "terminate" once it has been stabled here.
o	Siding DSS (Dalston Stabling Siding) is for temporarily stabling arriving trains only - there are no unloading facilities on the DSS siding and loaded tanks must be transferred to the DUS before the "empty tanks" train departs.
o	Oil Trains cannot be stabled on the Up M&C at Dalston P1 during shunting operations.
o	Shunting at Dalston may need to be paused to avoid delay to passing services on the M&C lines. Where required this will be indicated in the train notes but during any late running it will be at the signallers discretion. To enable this, the oil train or light loco needs to be "locked in" the siding and the "Auto" function must be temporarily reinstated to allow passage of the through train. 
o	Note that it is permissible for stock to be stabled without a loco on Dalston P2 whilst a service passes through on P1.
o	Note that trains approaching on the Dn M&C will appear on the "Next Train" indicator earlier than normal due to the large signal-section between Maryport and Wigton (16 miles).
o	Timings for shunting at Dalston are generally very slack to allow for the complex movements in the area.
o	There are no shunting signals for freight trains in and out of the Oil Terminal - labels D1, D2, D3, D4, D5 are provided to allow shunting movements.
o	All three ground frames ("GF" on the sim) must be reset AND locked manually by the signaller for services on the M&C lines after the Oil train has departed for Carlisle.
o	Headcodes for the light loco movements are generally 0###, where "###" is the last three digits of the train due to be shunted.

Opening Picture

The startup picture shows an Edinburgh-Manchester Airport Trans-Pennine Class 397 at Carlisle platform 4. (Photo by the author)


Acknowledgement
  
Thanks to all those who have helped with testing this simulation.


Differences from the original version

The coverage area has been extended to the Scottish border to include Gretna Junction, Gretna Green Station and Quintinshill passing loops.
The route via the Cumbrian Coast (M&C lines) has been extended to Maryport and Wetheral is also now included on the Tyne Valley Lines.

The route between Bog Junction/Forks Junction (at Sig 419) and Caldew Junction has been closed since 1984 when a Liverpool to Scotland freightliner train divided approaching Carlisle. The runaway-rear portion was diverted on to the goods avoiding line and subsequently derailed as it passed over the River Caldew with several of the vehicles coming to rest in the river. There was so much damage to the Dentonholme Viaduct that the through route was never reopened and all services that should have used the avoiding line were routed through the station instead. The tracks were subsequently lifted between Bog and Caldew Junctions. Forks Junction on the M&C Goods was abolished. The route is now a walking and cycle path.



Updated 12.02.24
