Is anyone able to enlighten me as to why the clocks on the Docklands
Light Railway departure boards at all the stations I saw today were
about 6 minutes fast? Are they using a GPS NTP server? Too much snow
on the antenna? How are clocks synchronised on the real railway?

The online versions of the DLR PID's are here (the time appears to be
closer to the truth online):

http://www.dlrdaisy.co.uk/daisy/pop/pop05pid.htm
http://www.dlrdaisy.co.uk/daisy/caw/caw05pid.htm

substitute "pop" or "caw" (Poplar/Canary Wharf) for the station of
your choice and 05 for the day of the month.
or click on the map he http://goo.gl/w1oqm for today's live boards.

at 13:10:49 on Sun, 5 Feb 2012, 222103 remarked:
How are clocks synchronised on the real railway?

The original digital ones were synched to "Rugby" (now located at
Anthorn in Cumbria).

Analogue ones are increasing synchronised to the "correct twice a day"
source, popularly known as "stopped".
--
Roland Perry

"222103" wrote

on the antenna? How are clocks synchronised on the real railway?

In the early 1960s the Didcot railway telephonist would connect via the
omnibus circuit to all teh signalboxes between there and Swindon just before
1100 each morning - and at 1100 would call out 'Time Time Time'. The
signalmen would then adjust there clocks (and, AIUI, had to record this in
the Train Register. Subsequently the signalmen would liaise with station
staff to regulate station clocks.

From the early days of the Irish Mail the train's guard was handed a watch
at Euston each evening - to enable the Queen's (or King's) time to be taken
to Dublin

Peter

"Peter Masson" wrote

From the early days of the Irish Mail the train's guard was handed a watch
at Euston each evening - to enable the Queen's (or King's) time to be
taken to Dublin

http://www.holyhead.com/irishmailtrain/index.html

Peter

On 05/02/2012 21:10, 222103 wrote:
Is anyone able to enlighten me as to why the clocks on the Docklands
Light Railway departure boards at all the stations I saw today were
about 6 minutes fast? Are they using a GPS NTP server? Too much snow
on the antenna? How are clocks synchronised on the real railway?

The online versions of the DLR PID's are here (the time appears to be
closer to the truth online):

http://www.dlrdaisy.co.uk/daisy/pop/pop05pid.htm
http://www.dlrdaisy.co.uk/daisy/caw/caw05pid.htm

substitute "pop" or "caw" (Poplar/Canary Wharf) for the station of
your choice and 05 for the day of the month.
or click on the map he http://goo.gl/w1oqm for today's live boards.

Back in NSE days, all the platform clocks appeared perfectly
synchronised (well, those I could see within the the station, at least).
Now, the digital clocks appear can appear seconds out between each
other - and between any NSE clocks that still work. It's a shame, it's
a simple thing, but gives the impression of a sloppy and poorly managed
system (in its broadest sense).

I wonder what the source of the authoritative time for the UK Railway
actually is, now?

On 07/02/2012 18:32, Peter Masson wrote:


"222103" wrote

on the antenna? How are clocks synchronised on the real railway?

In the early 1960s the Didcot railway telephonist would connect via
the omnibus circuit to all teh signalboxes between there and Swindon
just before 1100 each morning - and at 1100 would call out 'Time Time
Time'. The signalmen would then adjust there clocks (and, AIUI, had to
record this in the Train Register. Subsequently the signalmen would
liaise with station staff to regulate station clocks.

Ah, you've read Adrian Vaughan as well. This procedure is described in
his "Signalman's Morning" book IIRC.


....

--
- Yokel -

Yokel posts via a spam-trap account which is not read.

On 2012\02\07 19:41, Star Fury wrote:

I wonder what the source of the authoritative time for the UK Railway
actually is, now?

At least one railway company gave its staff Eurochron radio controlled
watches which got their signal from Mainflingen, Germany.

On 7/2/12 12:20, in article , "Roland Perry"
wrote:

at 13:10:49 on Sun, 5 Feb 2012, 222103 remarked:
How are clocks synchronised on the real railway?

The original digital ones were synched to "Rugby" (now located at
Anthorn in Cumbria).

Analogue ones are increasing synchronised to the "correct twice a day"
source, popularly known as "stopped".

The second picture on this page:

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/s...o/index2.shtml

Shows a tuning coil at Rugby, which I think was the one for the time signal.
Low frequencies tend to require large coils, but I've never seen anything
like this.

Star Fury wrote:
Back in NSE days, all the platform clocks appeared perfectly
synchronised (well, those I could see within the the station, at least).
Now, the digital clocks appear can appear seconds out between each
other - and between any NSE clocks that still work. It's a shame, it's
a simple thing, but gives the impression of a sloppy and poorly managed
system (in its broadest sense).


That would not be a false impression.

In message , at 20:44:11 on Tue, 7
Feb 2012, Stephen Furley remarked:
The second picture on this page:

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/s...o/index2.shtml

Shows a tuning coil at Rugby, which I think was the one for the time signal.
Low frequencies tend to require large coils, but I've never seen anything
like this.

It seems to say that was for the 16KHz submarine transmissions, but MSF
is on 60KHz. (Or is the former a typo?)
--
Roland Perry