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FRIDAY 24TH MARCH 2006

Today was the last day of week one and it was another half day. I arrived an hour later than normal at 10am (as instructed to I must add!) as our signal box visit was due for around 11am, although due to a missing guard on a service blocking my train's path into the station I arrived eight minutes later than the timetable says. My first encounter with the unfortunate reality for some passengers.

I met up with Matthew and we awaited a man to take us accross the tracks to the signal box which is sandwiched between the four track main line and the Reading lines. We only had to cross one track, however just as we got there a long Freightliner container train crossed our path. It's a funny feeling being just feet away from such a long and heavy freight train on ground level! We spent a reasonable amount of time in the signal box watching how it works. It is two story and is due to move in a few months time (at the time of writing) into a new building alongside the bay (platform 5) as the current one is still working with 1960s technology! We watched a Mercedes car jump the lights on the level crossing near Bramley on the CCTV, as well as a contractor walk accross the wooden triangular planks from the road. We saw a wide variety of traction from EMUs and DMUs to freight trains and light locos (all 66s!). When we left we had to acknowledge the departing London 2012 'Turbo' (165136) which was late departing as it had to wait for a Class 170 and a container train to cross it's path first. We arrived back in the guard manager's office and were told we could go home. I looked at the clock and I was very lucky to have one minute until my train home rather than waiting in the rain for the next one. Yet more luck was that the guard manager's office was on the same platform as it

Overall it was a short but enjoyable day. An image of the box is in the photograph gallery.

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