charters on non passenger rated lines

What precedures have to be carried out in order that a charter can travel on lines not normally cleared for passenger use?

Either freight lines, or some preserved lines's mainline links (ELR had one recently didn't they, the setup at castleton isn't passenger standard AFAIK? )

 

I guess that it will vary from line to line but a robust method of working must be in place and, where possible the fundamentals of passenger lines must be observed; ie facing points that can't be locked must be clipped and scotched. Don't know if it is a formal 'rule' but HMRI would generally agree to non passenger lines being used up to 6 times a year. More than that and they required them to be upgraded. The same applied to closed stations, which were sometimes used for excursions when such things were common.

 

The Clitheroe - Hellifield line is used more than 6 times a year, and not just by charters, diversions aswell.

 

Clitheroe - Hellifield is a passenger line. Just because a line doesn't have any booked passenger moves, does not mean that it isn't signalled/laid out to full passenger standards.

 

Firstly, the arrangements must be published in advance.

After that, the three most important things to bear in mind when running passenger trains over goods lines are firstly to make sure that any hand-worked points (or those without FPLs) are secured by clip and scotch, secondly to secure any vehicles on adjacent lines that might come into conflict with the passenger train, and thirdly to ensure that you have an adequate overlap (clearing point) beyond any signals as those on goods lines are often of lesser distance than those on passenger lines.

As regards to the arrangements, the extent of these will depend on the location. For somewhere that has a good standard of signalling where charters might traverse quite frequently, this could be one page long. For somewhere more complex / unusual this could extend to several pages.

 

It is a full passenger line, and has timetables services with the Dalesman in summer. Operated by Absolute block between Horocksford Junction and Hellifield.
Thats one of the problems with the whole route from Blackburn, there are only 2 block sections!

 

Is the 6 year rule the same / similar reason that would allow the NNR connect to NR on an occasional basis via the proposed new crossing?

 

I think this is how they want it to be worked as it then counts as a tramway/light rail and does not require the same infrastructure that a full-spec rail link requires.

Cheers,

Dom Greenop
DMR