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Huyton & St Helens

Official Files

Title	Version	Released
Simulation (Payware)	3.8	10/02/2024
15/10/2009 WTT (Midnight and 0445 Start included)	1.0	03/02/2016
08/04/2015 WTT (Midnight, 0400 & 1400 starts included)	5.2	27/11/2021

Additional user-written timetables are available to download here here .

Introduction

Huyton & St Helens is a small simulation covering two boxes in two different eras. The Pre-2014 Era features Huyton & St Helens Central signal boxes, which control the two track Chat Moss lines from the fringe with Edge Hill via both St Helens Central and Rainhill to the fringe with Warrington PSB. Now, come 2014 Huyton box closes and is replaced by MROC (Manchester Rail Operating Centre) controlling the section between Edge Hill & Warrington PSB via Rainhill. The lever box at St Helens is yet to be replaced. The other significant change is that both routes gained overhead electrification (OHLE) seeing a change in rolling stock and service patterns.

Start-Up Options

Eras

Pre-2014

The area as it was from 2012-2014, following the closure of Prescott signal box, though the era can be used for timetables set before this.

2014

The main routes through the simulation have been electrified, and the first stage of Huyton remodelling has been completed, with a Slow line introduced in the Down direction between Huyton and Roby.

Features

Semaphore signalling

Semaphore signalling is in use at St Helens and, pre-2014, at Huyton.

Electrification

The line from Olive Mount Jn to St Helens Jn was electrified in March 2015, with the St Helens Central route following a couple of months later. For simulation purposes, the lines are not electrified in pre-2014 mode, and electrified in 2014 mode.

The following lines are not electrified in 2014 mode:

• Ravenhead Branch/Sidings, St Helens Down Sidings, Pilkington Sidings
• The crossover at St. Helens Central (it is intended to move the crossover when the signal box shuts, at which point it will wired)
• St. Helens DGL.

Panel Notes

Huyton (Pre-2014)

Huyton takes control of the two track line from Edge Hill and controls the junction at Huyton with a double track line heading towards St Helens Central and another double track line towards Rainhill. There is also the facility at Huyton to turn trains round using the crossover.

MROC (2014)

Huyton signal box closed on 5th July 2014, with Manchester Regional Operating Centre taking over the area. At the same time, an enhanced layout was commissioned, with the addition of the Down Slow between Huyton and Roby. Trains from St. Helens/Rainhill may still be reversed at Huyton using either the Down Chat Moss Slow or the Up Chat Moss.

St Helens Central

St Helens Central takes over from Huyton or MROC and controls the double track line through to the fringe with Warrington PSB at Bryn, near Wigan. It also controls access to numerous sidings and the Ravenhead Branch, although these have been out of use for many years.

Level Crossings

There is a single User Worked Crossing at Lea Green.

Multiplayer & Chaining

The simulation is ideal for a single player, though two can play in Multiplayer.

The simulation chains at the following locations:

Simulation	Location
Edge Hill	Olive Mount Jn
Warrington	St Helens Jn
Warrington	Ince Moss Jn

The simulation will chain in both eras, however there will be a minor display issue on Edge Hill in 2014 mode, reflecting the change to the fringe position on the Down line. See the Edge Hill manual for more details.

Provision exists for the simulation to chain at other fringes, should the corresponding simulation be developed in the future.

Acknowledgments

Simulation by: Noel Young

15/10/2009 WTT by: Paul Biddle (Officer Dibble)

Reference Section

Signal Number Plan

• Huyton Pre-2014 Signal Number Plan

• Huyton 2014 Signal Number Plan

These are Adobe Acrobat PDF files. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer you can get a free download of the latest version from the Adobe website . Use the built-in Find function (Ctrl+F) to locate signal numbers.

Signal Box Prefix Codes

Code	Box
HN	Huyton
LE	Edge Hill*
LL	Manchester ROC
SH	St Helens
WN	Warrington PSB*

*Fringe box, signals not controlled in this simulation.

Platform, Loop & Siding Lengths

Platform Lengths

Location	Platform	Length (m)	Notes
Broad Green	Up	109	124m Pre-2014
:::	Down	117m	132 Pre-2014
Eccleston Park	Up	91
:::	Down	93
Huyton	Up	145m	121 Pre-2014
:::	Down Slow	145	121m Pre-2014
:::	Down Fast	145	2014 Era ONLY
Lea Green	Up	107
:::	Down	107
Prescot	Up	109
:::	Down	109
Rainhill	Up	179
:::	Down	134
Roby	Up	116m	132 Pre-2014
:::	Down Slow	116	132m Pre-2014
:::	Down Fast	116	2014 Era ONLY
St Helens Central	Up	160
:::	Down	162
Thatto Heath	Up	86
:::	Down	86
Whiston	Up	107
:::	Down	107

Line Speeds

Up & Down Chat Moss Fast	90mph	2014 Era
Down Chat Moss Slow	70mph	2014 Era
Up Main	75mph	Pre-2014 Era
Down Main	75mph	Pre-2014 Era
Up St Helens	45mph increasing to 60 before Prescott, dropping to 30mph once past the Down Goods Loop, then back to 60mph once past Gerrards Bridge JN GF
Down St Helens	As above but reversed
Ravenhead Branch	10mph
Huyton Crossovers	45mph	2014 Era
Huyton Crossover	15mph	Pre-2014 Era
Huyton Jn (To/From St Helens)	25mph	Pre-2014 Era
St Helens crossovers & Sidings	15mph

Timetabling Details

These notes apply to those writing timetables for the simulation. They may be of interest but are not required if you are simply running the simulation.

Mandatory Timing Points

Trains must be timed at the following locations as a minimum

Via Rainhill

• Olive Mount Jn
• Huyton
• Rainhill
• St Helens Junction

Via St Helens Central

• Huyton
• St Helens Central
• Springs Branch Junction

Shunt locations

The sim has been designed to allow all feasible shunt movements with most shunt movements being shown in the timetable as the location followed by the signal number.

Splash Screens

Splash screens 1 - 3 copyright cmc_1987. Splashscreens 4 & 5 copyright Paul Dibble

Splash1	A Class 66 with a rake of coal hoppers heads west through St Helens Junction, probably bound for Liverpool Docks
Splash2
Splash3
Splash4	Huyton station, looking towards Roby.
Splash5	Huyton station, looking towards the junction with the Wigan line

Version History

Version History

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Last edited by Steamer on 13/02/2024 at 20:17