Edington Junction

[RailWest]

One of the exhibits at the recent RailWells exhibition was a nice 7mm-scale model of a (shortened version of) Edington Junction.

 

Now, one of the problems with researching that location is the relative paucity of any photographs of it, let alone in the days before the closure of the Bridgwater branch. One result is that, so far, I have failed to find any photographs at all showing any of the three 'Home' signals (ie on the lines from Shapwick, from Bridgwater and from Highbridge). Also apparently absent from any photographic coverage are any of the ground signals, of which there were 7 in total.

 

Can anyone help please?

[Blandford1969]

Lovely box, I bet the rest was nice too. Sadly I have not seen any of those signals either.

[phil_sutters]

One of the exhibits at the recent RailWells exhibition was a nice 7mm-scale model of a (shortened version of) Edington Junction.

 

Now, one of the problems with researching that location is the relative paucity of any photographs of it, let alone in the days before the closure of the Bridgwater branch. One result is that, so far, I have failed to find any photographs at all showing any of the three 'Home' signals (ie on the lines from Shapwick, from Bridgwater and from Highbridge). Also apparently absent from any photographic coverage are any of the ground signals, of which there were 7 in total.

 

Can anyone help please?

Mac Hawkins' The S&D then and now has two old and two modern(ish) photos of Edington Junction. The signals near to the box can be seen clearly, together with one of the elusive (standard disc) ground signals, in a view of the west end of the station. The other photo has a view through the station to the east, with the signal just beyond the station house, with a shunting arm. There is a very faint view of a signal arm further down the track on the other side.

Kevin Robertson's Somerset & Avon Railways in old photos has a couple of photos of the signal box - inside & out and a busy photo of people on the platform awaiting a train west, but no signals.

Dad's photos of the S&D are all from the '60s onwards.

Later --- could this be one of your missing signals ?!    http://www.burtlevillage.co.uk/village/history/  You need to scroll to the bottom.

Edited August 19, 2016 by phil_sutters

[RailWest]

>>>Mac Hawkins' The S&D then and now has two old and two modern(ish) photos of Edington Junction. The signals near to the box can be seen clearly, together with one of the elusive (standard disc) ground signals.....

Ah, thanks, I'd forgotten about that one. Actually, there are two of the ground-signals in view there......

Later --- could this be one of your missing signals ?!    http://www.burtlevil...illage/history/  

Well, it all depends exactly where the picture was taken - one part of the Levels under water looks much like another to me! But IF it was perhaps taken from the road by the station looking east, then yes it would be the Up Home. At least it enlarges well enough to show it as a lattice post.

[RailWest]

Moving on a bit.....

 

The Bridgwater branch closed to passengers on 1-Dec-1952 and then to goods on 4-Oct-1954.  However, apart from the actual removal of the branch, Edington Junction appears to have remained virtually unchanged until the signal-box was closed on 4-Feb-1956, at which time the station was reduced just to a single platform on the main running line and one siding. but.....

 

1. Exactly when was the station renamed ‘Edington Burtle’?  I have a note (source unknown) that the signal-box was renamed on 9-June-53, and one might assume that was concurrent with the station renaming, but is that date correct?

 

2. After the Bridgwater branch was lifted, how was access to the sidings managed? Were they now shunted by a reverse movement through the Bay, or was a short section of the branch retained as a headshunt with access still off the main line via points 21?

 

I don’t recall seeing any plans, notes or photos anywhere covering the 1952-56 period :-(

[Blandford1969]

sorry not got any info on that period

[Joseph_Pestell]

 

Moving on a bit.....

 

The Bridgwater branch closed to passengers on 1-Dec-1952 and then to goods on 4-Oct-1954.  However, apart from the actual removal of the branch, Edington Junction appears to have remained virtually unchanged until the signal-box was closed on 4-Feb-1956, at which time the station was reduced just to a single platform on the main running line and one siding. but.....

 

1. Exactly when was the station renamed ‘Edington Burtle’?  I have a note (source unknown) that the signal-box was renamed on 9-June-53, and one might assume that was concurrent with the station renaming, but is that date correct?

 

2. After the Bridgwater branch was lifted, how was access to the sidings managed? Were they now shunted by a reverse movement through the Bay, or was a short section of the branch retained as a headshunt with access still off the main line via points 21?

 

I don’t recall seeing any plans, notes or photos anywhere covering the 1952-56 period :-(

 

Judge & Potts (OPC) is ambiguous. Mentions the June 1953 date that you have (closure of branch to goods) but suggests in text that the station was renamed when branch closed to passengers.

[RailWest]

Joseph_Pestell, on 02 Oct 2016 - 10:25, said:Joseph_Pestell, on 02 Oct 2016 - 10:25, said:

Judge & Potts (OPC) is ambiguous. Mentions the June 1953 date that you have (closure of branch to goods) but suggests in text that the station was renamed when branch closed to passengers.

 

I would disagree :-)

>>>....Mentions the June 1953 date that you have (closure of branch to goods).... no, it quotes 13 July 64 for the latter ( which is completely wrong by about 10 years!)

>>>... suggests in text that the station was renamed when branch closed to passengers.....no, it states 'after' not 'when', which does not necessarily mean immediately after.

 

I'm told now that CR Clinker's 'bible' on stations lists 8 June 1963 for the station name change. Apparently that was a Monday, so would make more sense than 9th ( a Tuesday).

 

I am advised also now that the WTT for "8 June 1953 and until further notice" still lists the station as Edington Junction, whereas the edition for 14 June 1954 & UFN quotes Edington Burtle. There is also a reference to Edington Junction in the Special Traffic Arrangements for the Bank Holiday on 3rd Aug 1953. Notwithstanding that, I'm inclined to go with the Clinker date, as I can envisage a situation where the branch passenger services ceased during the currency of a 1952/52 WTT, a change of name was decided upon and planned to start from the next WTT edition, but the decision did not catch up with those responsible for the WTTs and STAs until after they had gone to the printers. Such things are not unknown....

 

What puzzles me more about J&P is the claim in their text that the signal box, down loop and platform had been out of regular use since the withdrawal of the branch passenger service. That would have involved various signalling alterations, for which I doubt that the WR would have coughed-up the money.

Edited October 3, 2016 by RailWest

[RailWest]

The more that I study the history of Edington Junction, the more that I find apparent anomalies! I have not had chance yet to go back to all the primary sources, so there is a reliance on secondary sources which may not be entirely accurate.

 

So, in an attempt to get some clarity, an updated list of the main queries:-

 

1. The SCR opened on 28-Aug 1854. Atthill and others say that 'Edington Road' was a later addition in 1856, but Quick states 28-Aug-1854 citing B&ER/GWR timetable information.

 

2. Bradshaw apparently quotes the station name as simply 'Edington' in/by 1864. References to the location are very scarce in surviving S&DJR documents - it was still 'Edington Road' in the Officers Minutes in July 1876, but had changed to 'Edington' by Nov 1876.

 

3. The station became 'Edington Junction' on 21-July-1890. Sometime after passenger services on the Bridgwater branch ceased on 1-Dec-1952 the station was renamed 'Edington Burtle'. Some sources quote 9-June-1953 (a Tuesday), but Clinker states 8-June-1953 (a Monday). However apparently a BR(S) Appendix quotes 30-Nov-1952.

　

4. ETT working was changed to EKT on the sections between Evercreech Jcn and Glastonbury in April 1952. No dates are known for the changes between Glastonbury and Highbridge (which would have included Edington Junction), but 1952/3 seems likely. Did the change to EKT take place before or after the signal-box had been renamed to Edington Burtle?

　

5. Goods services continued to Bridgwater North until 4-Oct-1954 (still ETT working to a SB at Bridgwater North). What changes, if any, took place to the signalling and layout at Edington Junction/Burtle during that time?

　

6. The line to Bridgwater North was closed on 4-Oct-1954 and apparently track lifting started in 1955. What happened at Edington Burtle to maintain access to the goods sidings on the Up side?

　

7. In 1956 the Down platform, Down loop and all sidings except one were taken out of use, and the signal-box was closed and replaced by two GFs. Most sources quote 4-Feb-1956, but an undated official notice has been annotated "work completed 22/7/56". Is the Feb date wrong, or was the work staged in some way?

　

　

[RailWest]

Meanwhile....

 

For those who may be interested, my first attempt at some updated notes on the signalling can be found here http://tinyurl.com/j8l3ugq .

[RailWest]

Time to wake up this topic again !

 

Some questions have arisen about the operations at Edington Junction, specifically in respect of Down trains arriving from Bridgwater.

 

The signalling required Down Branch passenger trains to run into the Down Loop. One can assume thereafter that, once all the passengers had got off,  the engine ran-round its train and shunted the empty stock back into the Bay platform. But exactly what process was used, and did it vary according to circumstances?

 

1. Did the run-round and shunting take place immediately after the train was empty, or might it have had to shunt back into the Down siding first in order to clear the Down Loop for a Down train arriving from Highbridge, and then come back out again later once the Down Loop was clear again?

 

2. The engine could run out towards Shapwick under authority of the ‘Shunt By’ arm 5PUSH and then return along the Up Loop. Did it then run onto the Branch or towards Highbridge in order to shunt back into the Down Loop? As both the Up Starting signals were locked by the tablet, did the signalman authorise the movement by hand-signal?

 

3. Once the engine was on the Highbridge end of the stock then did it go (a) out onto the Highbridge line and then back into the Bay via the Up Loop or (b) out onto the Bridgwater line and then back into the Bay via the goods-yard connection? Again, as there was no signalling for wrong-direction moves out of the Down Loop, did the signalman give hand-signals again?

 

4. Were there any occasions when, having run-round the train, the engine then propelled it out towards Shapwick and came back via the Up Loop for any reason?

 

Chris

[bécasse]

One thing that I can comment usefully on is that "work completed 22/7/56" note. It almost certainly indicates that the redundant assets were fully recovered by that date. If there wasn't an urgent need for them elsewhere, recovery of the assets months later wouldn't be that unusual for a remote location like this particularly as the Suez crisis of that year would have ruled out a special trip by a road vehicle.

[Malc2085]

On 04/08/2020 at 16:16, RailWest said:

the signalling required Down Branch passenger trains to run into the Down Loop. One can assume thereafter that, once all the passengers had got off,  the engine ran-round its train and shunted the empty stock back into the Bay platform. But exactly what process was used, and did it vary according to circumstances?

 

Most of the points raised about Passenger trains coming from Bridgwater to Edington Junction are covered in the recent book "Percy Parsons 50 years on The Railway" (Kingfisher Productions 2019),  writing about the time that he was Porter Grade II at Edington and Relief  (Page 16).    He joined the S & D in 1937 and then on the Western Region at Highbridge when the S & D closed, retiring in 1981 at Bridgwater.    

[RailWest]

Time to 'wake up' this topic again :-)

 

This photo came to light recently (courtesy of Derek Phillips) showing Edington Junction in a view taken from the Highbridge end looking east through the station towards the level-crossing . Of particular interest to me on the LH side in the foreground is the rear of shunt signal 11PUSH, which is clearly of the Stevens 'flap' type but with an elongated 'pillar'.

 

No doubt this design was used to give better sighting for a driver stuck on an engine far away at the east end of a long train in the platform, but I have not previously seen one like that. Unfortunately unless a ground-signal was 'elevated' on quite a tall post (eg probably more than the 2'-odd used for one at Bridgwater North), then such things were not specifically drawn as elevated on signal-box diagrams, so they only come to light if/when a photo turns up.

 

Given the white stripes on the canopy stanchions, then clearly post-WWII. However visible in the foreground is part of FPL 24, which appears to have been removed somewhere about 1948/49 and also at the same time the ground signal was moved from outside the Down loop into the 6-foot (and maybe replaced by the later SR half-disc type?).

Edited July 30, 2023 by RailWest

[Blandford1969]

Wow is all you can say to that view. Such a rarley photographed location and to see such a nice view is amazing. Thanks for sharing it

[bécasse]

A Stephens "flap" signal would almost certainly have been replaced (by a Westinghouse "half-disc") rather than moved at any time from about 1931/2 onward. Most of the few that survived into the BR era seem to have done so because they were little used and hadn't worn sufficiently to justify replacement. However, the WR seem to have taken a much more parsimonious attitude when it came to replacement, so a requirement to move the signal during the period DE Exeter came under WR control from Reading would perhaps have made the retention and resiting of the Stephens signal more likely.

[RailWest]

Prompted by the emergence of that photo, I've done a few updates to my 'signals' web-page . Mostly about ground signals and such topics as those used as repeaters and the various methods used to 'elevate' some. To a large extent such variations do not appear in official records, so they only come to light when a suitable photograph turns up at random somewhere.....so keep posting any you find please :-)

www.trainweb.org/railwest/railco/sdjr/signals.html

[KeithMacdonald]

Looks like Edington Junction could make a nice compact layout?