Re: [NSW] Numbers on Signals

[David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au>]

Eddie Oliver wrote:

> "C. Dewick" wrote:
>
> >
> > The line from Erskineville to Bondi Junction is actually called the
> > Illararra Relief to Central (and signals are pre- or postfixed with 'IR'), and the
> > Eastern Suburbs Line between Central and Bondi Junction (and signals are
> > pre- or postfixed with 'ES'). I don't quite know the reason behind the two
> > sections of this line having different names - must be something to do with
> > historical design decisions.
>
> Historical design decisions with some logic: it was thought that it
> would be confusing for the up/down directions to change at Central on a
> continuous Eastern Suburbs line, i.e. it is clearer for an up Illawarra
> Relief to become a down Eastern Suburbs than for an up Eastern Suburbs
> suddenly to change into a down Eastern Suburbs.

On the subject of confusion, East of Cleveland Street, where exactly is the Down
suburban?

> I have often wondered why NSW never adopted the apparently logical
> British practice of labelling lines as "fast" or "slow", e.g. up slow.
> That would have been more logical than the peculiar "west main"/"west
> suburban" set-up through Parramatta, except that "S" would have been
> confusing for "slow" as well as "suburban". Surely they could have found
> some other word; almost anything would have been better than the
> hotchpotch that was chosen.

What would we have had between Sydney and Strathfield?

UF Up Fast
DF Down Fast
US Up Slow
DS Down Slow
UVS Up Very Slow
DVS Down Very Slow

:-)


--
David Johnson
trainman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/
------------------------------------
These comments are made in a private
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official view of State Rail.
C.O.W.S. Page 11.