BRIDLINGTON

Layout

This simulation is based on the layout at Bridlington in the early 1950's, which is largely unchanged from that of 1912. 


Opening Screen

This is the view from the north end of Platform 5 and shows a freight train departing Platform 1 at about the date of this simulation.

The photograph is shown courtesy of Colin Ryder.


Running Lines

The 1912 layout originally provided four running lines from Bessingby Junction to Bridlington station. Bessingby Junction was abolished in 1925, but two of the former running lines continue in use as additional carriage sidings. A section of four-track railway continues in use at the Bridlington end. These lines are known as Down Main, Up Main, Down Excursion and Up Excursion. To the North is a two-track railway towards Scarborough: these lines are known as the Down Main and Up Main.


Crossings

The layout is crossed by the following roads from south to north:

* Bessingby Road overbridge (to the north of Signal 65). The bridge is not shown on the diagram.

* Station Road overbridge (to the south of Platforms 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8). Platforms 1, 2 and 3 extend under the bridge. Signals 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 32, 19 and 26 are sited to the south of the bridge. The bridge is not shown on the diagram.

* Station Approach level crossing. Access to the Goods Yard (but not the Warehouse) is by means of an ungated crossing controlled by a flagman. Speed is limited to 5 m.p.h. over this section. This is not shown on the diagram.

* Quay Road level crossing. This is a main road connecting Bridlington Old Town to Bridlington Quay. The gated level crossing, controlled by Bridlington Quay signal box, is very busy with motor and pedestrian traffic on the one hand and railway traffic on the Up Scarborough and Down Scarborough on the other. The simulation assumes forty seconds to close the gates against the road traffic and forty seconds to open them again. 

* Oliver's Lane level crossing. This crosses the Up Main, the Down Main and the Gas Works line. This is a minor road or path. The crossing is assumed to be "as required" and is is not shown or modelled in this simulation.

* Sewerby Gates (32m 25c). This is at the northern periphery and is not shown or modelled in this simulation.


Topology

From the southern periphery to Quay Road crossing, the layout can be assumed to be level. There is a 1:80 gradient from Quay Road towards Flamborough, Bempton and Speeton. Banking locomotives may be required for exceptionally heavy trains. [Gradients are not explicitly modelled in this simulation.]

The lines from the southern periphery to Bessingby Road are straight. Going northwards, there is a tight right-hand curve between Bessingby Road Bridge and Station Road Bridge: the two overbridges are approximately at right angles to each other. There is a left-hand curve through the station on Platforms 4, 5 and 6, although Platforms 1 & 2 are straight. All lines curve further to the left towards Quay Road Crossing. The layout thereafter is straight up towards Sewerby. These curves explain the low speed limits (15 and 20 m.p.h.) on most of this layout and restrictions assumed as to propelling movements (see below).

Lengths of platforms and sidings are given in chains (22 yards).  1 chain = 1 loco/coach or 3 wagons.

Platforms

Bridlington station was completely remodelled in 1912 to provide eight platforms:

Platform 1: Down (9 chains)
Platform 2: Down (9 chains)
Platform 3: Up Bay (3 chains)
Platform 4: Up (7 chains)
Platform 5: Up (7 chains)
Platform 6: Up Bay (5 chains)
Platform 7: Excursion Platform (10 chains)
Platform 8: Excursion Platform (11 chains)

Trains from the South may be routed into any platform, but are usually routed into Platforms 1, 2, 6, 7 or 8. Platform 3 was too short to see regular use after 1950 when the line from Driffield to Malton was closed to local traffic. Trains from the North may only be routed into Platforms 4 or 5. Trains may depart from all platforms to the South and from Platforms 1, 2, 4 & 5 to the North. Although the signals at the South end of Platforms 1 & 2 are subsidiary, passenger train departures from these are made when operationally necessary. Movements into Platforms 3, 4, 5 and 6 from the South are via the Down Excursion and the Up Main. Trains from the South into Platforms 1 & 2 may be routed either via the Down Main or the Down Excursion. 

Platforms 1, 2, 4 & 5 can handle longer trains than shown above, but trains longer than 8 coaches destined for Platform 2 will foul the crossover and block access to Platform 1 unless they are routed via the Down Excursion. When routing trains from the South in Platforms 4 or 5, additional platform length is available to the North of the passenger footbridge, where the platform signals are located. To use this, set route to next signal beyond.


Signalling

The simulation includes signal boxes at Bridlington South (125 levers at 30m 58c), Quay Crossing (usually informally known as Bridlington Quay) (42 levers at 31m 06c) and Bridlington Ground Frame (6 levers at 30m 72c) controlling access to the Goods Yard and Warehouse. The site of Bessingby Junction is at 30m 08c and represents the approximate southern boundary of the excursion sidings shown in the simulation. The section to the south is controlled by the signal box at Carnaby station; to the north beyond Sewerby Gates lies the section controlled by the signal box at Flamborough station. 

This simulation uses a standard colour light convention and diagrammatic route-setting throughout, even though in practice areas of the layout, such as the extremities of the carriage sidings and the goods yard, are unsignalled.


Carriage Sidings

The following carriage sidings are available:

Excursion Siding No. 1: 19 chains *
Excursion Siding No. 2: 17 chains
Carriage Siding No. 1: 17 chains
Carriage Siding No. 2: 18 chains *
Carriage Siding No. 3: 10 chains
Carriage Siding No. 4: 10 chains

* these can accommodate two eight-coach trains with their locos.
Note that there is no access to Excursion Siding No. 1 unless Carriage Siding No. 1 is empty.


Bridlington Loco Shed (53D)

Three-road shed to house up to three locomotives each within the shed and three locomotives outside. There is additional standage for one locomotive on a fourth road outside and for further two on a blind road off the turntable.

South Turntable (55'): this simulation requires locomotives to be turned where needed. Water columns are available adjacent to the turntable on two roads. Although these are reversible, the road nearer to the shed should usually be used for trains going towards the turntable and the other should be used for trains for trains leaving the turntable. Fuel and ash are not explicitly modelled in this simulation.

Freight Facilities

(a) South end, controlled by Bridligton South

Three coal drops and a through Down Siding on the Down side
Up Siding on the Up side adjacent to the Loco Shed

Coal Drops Nos. 1 & 2 have 5 chains over the drops.
Coal Drop No. 3 has 5 chains over the drops and a further 3 chains standage.
The Up Siding extends under the Station Road Bridge and is 14 chains in length. It is also available for locomotive standage.

(b) North end, controlled by Bridlington Quay

Dock Sidings (Nos. 1 & 2: (3 chains))
North Turntable (42'). This is the turntable which served the pre-1912 loco shed. It is to be removed soon after the date of this simulation, but is assumed still to be available.
Gas Works Sidings. There are three private sidings serving the Gas Works, shown as a yard in this simulation. Note that no route is provided in the simulation from the Gas Works back to Bridlington. Local freights serving the Gas Works must continue northwards to run round. Spare locos should not be ordered from the Gas Works, as they will be lost to the simulation.
[Contemporary observation suggests that backing moves were made over the level crossing, but these cannot be modelled in this simulation.]

(c) Goods Yard, controlled by ground frame unlocked by Bridlington Quay

Warehouse (4 chains)
Two Cattle Dock Sidings (4 chains)
Four Goods Sidings.  (Nos. 1 = 5 chains; 2&3 = 4 chains; 4 = 6 chains.)(Goods Siding No. 1 has a five-ton crane.)
Harbour Siding (5 chains)

Note that the Goods Sidings are tightly curved and afford relatively little standage without impeding each other. The Harbour Siding is also short, being the stub within the Goods Yard of the former Bridlington Harbour Branch, out of use and lifted by 1918 (see below for further information).


Special Working Instructions

Propelled movements are timetabled and permitted into and out of the station for trains of four or fewer carriages (12 wagons).
Lines of sight are obscured by the tight curves and the two overbridges, so propelled movements are not permitted into or out of the station for longer trains. Provision is made in the working timetable for pilot locomotives to haul longer trains into and out of the station.


Bridlington 2015

The layout on the southern side had not been significantly remodelled between the date of the simulation and 1st September, 2014, but on that day the northern-end track in Platforms 7 & 8 was removed to make way for a new car park. On 30th November, 2015, the Up Excursion, carriage sidings and exursion platforms were finally disconnected, following years of disuse and neglect. The Down Excursion remains as part of the route into Platform 6. The line towards Scarborough has been singled.

The remainder of the facilities have been changed as follows:

Bridlington South Signal Box: one frame removed, but the box is still in use.
Bridlington Quay Signal Box: became gradually redundant; abolished and demolished after fire in 1998.
Excursion Sidings: taken up, but land still in railway ownership
Coal Drops: now houses
Loco Shed: now B & Q
Goods Yard: now Tesco's
Warehouse: still standing; recently occupied by bed and mattress shop, now vacant
Dock Sidings: now public garden
Gas Works: sidings closed 1966; houses recently built on sidings site, one gas holder remains.
Platform 1: a stub remains south of Station Road Bridge, the rest is now houses
Platform 2: houses
Platform 3: a church
Platform 4: now a Down platform, accessible directly from the Down Main
Platforms 5 & 6: unchanged; canopy from Platform 1 entrance erected outside entrance
Platforms 7 & 8: buildings demolished, most track removed

The 1912 station buildings and original 1912 licensed buffet remain and are well worth a visit.

Bridlington Harbour Branch

This opened in 1851 and terminated for most of its life opposite the harbour in what is now a park. Regular harbour traffic had ceased by 1866, but the branch was retained and may have been used for the construction of Railway Crescent and Pembroke Terrace in the 1890's. It was temporarily extended around 1894 on to the South Cliff and used for the construction of the sea wall and Bridlington Spa, which was completed in 1896. The track was lifted on the entire branch in 1917 and Railway Crescent was renamed Windsor Crescent soon thereafter. There is a story that the crossing gates on Hilderthorpe Road were retained for some time after the track was lifted and were ritually closed once a year against the road traffic to enforce the railway's right of way. A section of track survived in the car park of The Windsor public house until quite recently. The alignment is now the back gardens of the houses between Windsor Crescent and Nelson Street. 

Richard Ablett, 1st December, 2015.