Integrating Modern Depot Protection with Legacy Infrastructure
FirstClass Safety & Control worked with Spencer Group to extend and upgrade the Depot Protection System at c2c’s East Ham Depot, combining modern safety technology with existing legacy infrastructure.
The project included extending depot protection to the new Road 12 while upgrading existing protection and interlocking arrangements on Roads 6, 10 and 11.
The Requirement
The existing Depot Protection System at East Ham was more than 35 years old, with legacy software that could no longer be modified to accommodate the depot’s changing requirements.
The addition of Road 12 therefore presented a particular challenge: introduce modern protection technology while maintaining integration with the existing system operating across Roads 1–11.
The project also provided an opportunity to enhance protection and interlocking within existing areas of the depot.
The FirstClass Solution
A new electronic supervisory mimic was installed in the supervisors’ room, replacing the existing LED display which did not have sufficient capacity to incorporate Road 12.
The new Road 12 system incorporated an externally mounted derailer, inbound and outbound signal aspects, a treadle switch, overhead warning beacons and sounders, and overhead line equipment isolation interlocking.
Integration & Technical Capability
Rather than requiring wholesale replacement of the existing Depot Protection System, FirstClass designed the new solution around the depot’s legacy infrastructure.
The Road 12 system was integrated with the existing legacy protection covering Roads 1–11, demonstrating the ability to extend and modernise an established depot environment progressively.
FirstClass also upgraded existing infrastructure elsewhere within the depot. This included new access gantry gate and emergency access gate interlocking and under-platform status indication beacons on Road 6, together with new key exchange systems on Roads 10 and 11 and integration with the pedestal crane, bogie drop and high-level access gantry.
The Outcome
The East Ham project enabled c2c to extend depot protection to a new maintenance road while retaining and integrating with its existing infrastructure.
The project demonstrates a key strength of the FirstClass approach: the ability to upgrade, extend and integrate Depot Protection Systems around the operational and technical requirements of an existing depot, rather than requiring the wholesale replacement approach promoted by other suppliers.