Fen End Pit's Blog

If in doubt I think you should do what you fancy and stick a very large Seagull (or other bird of your choice as not sure of historic distribution of species- but I am sure someone is!), on top of it so you can't see it anyway!

And it needs an ash tray (full!), and cigarette burns on the wonderful sofa! 

What no kettle or mugs for a brew, your signalman will be very lonely and un-popular.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Strathwood

That lovely interior needs lighting. 

The key tokens are the wrong shape! <G>

 

http://www.trainweb.org/singleline/stour_valley_line/stour_valley_line.htm

 

A superb bit of modelling. 

Clare box was abolished before the line closed. The tablet instrument was removed and taken to Haverhill. The tablet section was then Haverhill to Cavendish. The key token instruments were removed from service. The tablets were rather crudely altered as seen on Dave's website. 

 

I may have the actual tablet instrument from Clare tucked away under my model railway.

 

I have just provided key token working to a heritage line with two terminal and two intermediate instruments and an omnibus telephone line. All very reminiscent of the Haverhill North to Clare section with it's intermediate instruments at Stoke and Sturmer.

 

Thanks for all the comments.

 

Yes I definitely need to add some mugs and a white enamel tea flask.

Not sure about the fags, the household is non-smoking.

I think a sparrow hawk might be more likely than a seagull.

If you can spot that the tokens are the wrong shape then I think I've probably succeed in getting the level of detail right. The trouble is I'm now tempted to reprint it with the tokens of a rounded design!

 

One question  for LNERGE or anyone with signalling experience - what would have been on a shelf above the lever frame? I'm presuming that the tablet equipment meant that there wasn't a conventional block instrument in each direction so would there have been any 'boxes with bells on' or just maybe some indicators for the signals beyond view (On-wrong-off for the distant signals for example)

 

thanks

David

 

 

There was very little on the shelf at Long Melford..

 

 

It is possible it didn't have one with any indicators being on bits of wood attached near the windows. There needs to be a telephone too. This was sometimes mounted on a board. I can supply photos/dimensions.

 

I think there were six linewires on the poles in the more remote locations. I'm guessing at token line and return, omnibus telephone line one and two. This leaves two wires and these could have been control phone or a Cambridge - Colchester trunk. I've not seen conclusive evidence either way. If it is a control phone circuit there would be another phone of different dimensions to the first.

 

Another thing visible at Long Melford is a trolley token release instrument. The Clare/Haverhill Tyers No6 instrument i have has the contacts to operate with a trolley token release instrument. My research suggests there may not have been one at Clare but again i have nothing conclusive.

That is a smashing photo, thanks

I'll add the telephone on the back wall when I do the desk.

 

David

I look forward to seeing it. 12 inch to the foot taking up all my time at the moment but i haven't forgotten the Arlesey thing.