SECTIONAL APPENDIX - EVERCREECH JUNCTION
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General                                     
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The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway - almost always referred to as "the S&D" - connected Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth on the south coast. It was never a high speed line: its winter business was carrying freight and local passenger traffic over the Mendips, but in the summer season the S&D came into its own, carrying a heavy service of Saturday holiday trains from northern towns to Bournemouth.

The S&D Joint Railway was jointly operated by the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) and later by the LMS and the Southern Railway.

The junction itself was to the north of the station, where there were also marshalling yards. To the south of the station a level crossing carried the main A371 road across the line.

The station was closed along with the whole line as part of the Beeching cuts, on 6th March 1966. It always commanded a considerable loyalty from railway enthusiasts, and when it closed it was widely mourned.

This simulation is based on layout as at 1950. (G.A.Pryer diagrams)

Signalling
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For the purposes of this simulation, two signal boxes are combined: Evercreech Junction Station and Evercreech Junction North.

The adjacent boxes, with distances from Evercreech Junction Station, are:

Evercreech New    1.5 mls (North)
Cole              2.7 mls (South
West Pennard      5.4 mls (Branch)

Absolute Block working was in use on the double track main line, while the single line (Branch) used the Electric Train Tablet (ETT) system, although during the British Railways era some ETT sections were equipped with the alternative Electric Key Token system. 

An example of an usual type of signal is No.24, a "Backing" signal for "wrong road" movements over running lines.

Local Instructions
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Trains booked to stop at Evercreech Junction station are exempt from the requirements of Rule 39(a), i.e. signals may be cleared for trains stopping at the Station without the need for trains to be brought quite or nearly to a stand at each signal.

Platform Lines and Sidings
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Permissive working of trains of classes 1,2,3 and 5 is permitted on both platform lines.

The lengths of the Up and Down platforms corresponds to 5 coaches and/or locos. However, longer trains may stop with the rear portion projecting beyond the end of the platform. 

In the case of the Up platform, the crossing gates may be opened for road traffic as soon as the train has passed clear of the gates. Trains with length longer than 7 will stop with the rear portion blocking the gates.

Freight trains scheduled to stop at Evercreech Junction may do so in the through station platforms.

Light engines and Empty Coaching Stock trains which are scheduled to terminate at Evercreech Junction may do so in the station platforms or alternatively in the Centre Siding (clear of the crossovers).

Train Reporting Numbers
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First Character (Train Class):

      1      Express Passenger  
      2      Ordinary Passenger       	
      3      Parcels  (Max. 90 mph+)  	
      4      Freight (Max. 65 mph+)      
      5      Empty Coaching Stock     	
      6      Freight (Max. 50-60 mph)    
      7      Freight (Max. 40-45 mph)    
      8      Freight (Max. 35 mph) 		
      9      Unfitted Freight  			
      0      Light Engine             	

Second Character (Destination):
    
     C      Shepton Mallet
     D      Evercreech
     F      Moorewood
     G      Bath Green Park
     H      Highbridge Line
     M      London Midland Region
     O      Southern Region
     T      Templecombe
     W      Wincanton    
     Z      Local Movements    

Light locos and empty coaching stock proceeding to/from a booked working may carry the headcode 0 or 5, followed by the last 3 characters of the train concerned.

Speed Restrictions
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Main lines                 60 m.p.h.
Branch (single track)      60 m.p.h.
North Junction to Branch   40 m.p.h.
Sidings                    15 m.p.h.
Other points/crossovers    15 m.p.h.

Variations from the Original
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The gates were worked by a wheel with lever 63 locking them in either Normal or Reverse position. In the simulation lever 63 is used to directly open/close the gates.

Due to software limitations, banking locos are not permitted.

Acknowledgements
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Thanks to Russ Ashmore for writing the standard timetable and his support throughout the development, to Alan Sugden, Peter Mould, John Haslam and Peter Dean for their extensive testing of the simulation. Also thanks for additional information contributed by Rob Roeterdink, Geoff Foster and others.

