Area Signalling Centre

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Area Signalling Centre (ASC) is a British term used to describe a modern signal box that controls a large area. Alternative names include Signalling Centre (SC), Signalling Control Centre (SCC) and Power Signal Box (PSB). A typical Signalling Centre may have replaced several dozen small traditional signal boxes.

[edit] Examples

Wimbledon ASC, based in South West London, at Wimbledon. This ASC was built and opened partially in 1991 and now controls portions of railway line between London Waterloo Station, to Surbiton railway station, and London Waterloo to Barnes. The creation of Wimbledon ASC meant the closure in succession of the following signal boxes: Waterloo, Queenstown Road, West London Junction, Clapham Junction "A" box, (Windsor and Main Lines), Raynes Park, New Malden, Motspur Park, Epsom, Leatherhead, Wimbledon Park, Point Pleasant Junction, East Putney and Barnes.

The ASC had originally four panels: Panel 1: Waterloo Main & Local to Clapham Junction. Panel 2: Waterloo Windsor lines and Waterloo International to Clapham Junction (Windsor). Panel 3: Clapham Junction (Main) to New Malden, including LT lines Wimbledon to East Putney. Panel 4: Raynes Park Junction to Chessington, Motspur Park Junction to Leatherhead Junction. Panel 5 was added in 1999. Clapham Junction (Windsor) to Barnes.

Old signal box details are in the following web site, www.wbsframe.mste.co.uk[1] Waterloo, Queenstown Road, West London Junction, Clapham Junction "A" box also Victoria main line old signal boxes Victoria, Battersea Park, Clapham Junction B, Streatham Junction, etc..

The signalling centre with the largest control area in Europe is Edinburgh,^{[citation needed]} opened in stages between 1976 and 1981 with seven panels, and recently renewed; now with eight "workstations" using the "Integrated Electronic Control Centre" (IECC) method of working, which incorporates automatic route setting to assist the already busy signalling staff. Extending in all directions from Edinburgh Waverley station, the signalling centre currently controls 250 miles of route (470 track miles) to Linlithgow (West Lothian)/Cupar (Fife)/Bathgate (West Lothian)/Berwick Upon Tweed (English border)/Longannet (Fife)/North Berwick (East Lothian)/Cobbinshaw (West Lothian)/Fauldhouse (Lanarkshire)/Hilton Junction (Perthshire). (This area also includes the famous Forth Bridge.) Edinburgh signalling centre, which replaced no fewer than 67 old-style signal boxes (which took the work of around 170 signallers each 24 hours to operate) is now worked by just 10 operators per shift. This control area is set to expand, with the opening of the new Bathgate-Airdrie line (2009) being incorporated onto the new workstations, along with the "Waverley Route" to Galashiels,^{[citation needed]} if approved by the Scottish Parliament.