Signal Box Photos

[Poor Old Bruce]

Scarborough, North Eastern Railway in 1978

 

 

and in 1984

 

Woodhead, 1979

 

Kearsley Junction, Lancashire and Yorkshire, 9 Sept 1981

 

Bolton West, L&Y, 9 Sept 1981

 

Bolton East, L&Y, 9 Sept 1981

 

and Burnden Junction, Bolton, 9 Sept 1981

 

[Rugd1022]

On the Rugby - Market Harborough line again....

 

 

 

Newton Road SB, just south of Bescot where the M6 - M5 flyover passes over the line....

 

 

 

 

 

[corneliuslundie]

Latest list on last page.

Jonathan

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by corneliuslundie

[Poor Old Bruce]

Sounds good to me Jonathan. For those which have been moved and re-named, as well as your designations above, how  about a column for the original site e.g. Butterley would have a note that it was originally at Ais Gill or a picture of Ais Gill would have a note that it is now preserved at Butterley. Consall on the Churnet valley Railway would have a note that the top was from Clifton by Ashbourne, mounted on a new base.

 

On second thoughts, a 'Notes' or 'Remarks' column might be sufficient but I could still see a value in some 'standard' comments as in your list.

 

I'll try to include what information I know in my postings.

[62613]

I think your post covered it; just use the numbering as shown for the categories, with a 'remarks' column and an explanatory note somewhere in the document.

[Wickham Green too]

I think we only need to worry about 'boxes which have changed name - with a cross reference* - other details can fit in the existing column 'F'.

 

* Lydney Junction (SW) [ Ex Heysham Port ]  /  Heysham Port [ see Lydney Junction (SW) ]

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

Updated list.

It was suggested that we mark in some way the boxes on preserved railways, especially when they have been moved.

As far as I can see there are about eight categories of preserved boxes:

1                    Those which remain were they were before preservation and are in the same use, eg Highley, SVR

2                    Those which remain in original condition, but have been moved to a completely new site, but before removal, eg Barmouth South

3                    Those which remain in original condition, but have been moved to a completely new site, but after removal, such as some on the Llangollen Railway

4                    Those which remain in original condition on the same railway but have been moved by the preservation company, such as I believe the one at Sheringham station

5                    Those which have been preserved in a non-railway use or away from a railway, such as Penmaenpool and Tintern

6                    Those which have been preserved on a railway site but not in use as a signal box, such as Llandrindod, St Albans (not on this thread)

7                    Those which have been greatly altered and have a new function, such as Erwood

8                    Those which are new but to a traditional design, eg Kidderminster, SVR.

Any thoughts about how we designate these categories, and are there any more? I am thinking about an extra column with a letter code, and then a second entry for each one which has changed identity underits original name with a crossreference.

Jonathan

Signalboxes.xls 215 kB · 3 downloads

You are somewhat at risk of duplicating what the SRS are doing.  They have a publication called "Signalling Atlas & Signal Box Directory" which is re-issued as a revised edition from time to time, updated information being supplied by SRS members as things change or new info comes to light.  This only includes boxes which still survive however.

 

If you want to categorise boxes, I would suggest you include a category for those which open to the public from time to time to demonstrate signalling procedures, such as Exeter West, Romsey, St Albans South & Cromer Yard. 

 

The SRS researchers have found that the history is remarkably complex to document.  Many boxes which have moved have sometimes done so more than once - for example Soham (famously "demolished" by an exploding ammo train a couple of days before D-Day) which was off-railway at Prickwillow for some years and is now at the Mid-Norfolk (and its frame survives in private hands at another location).  Moves are not just post-closure, sometimes the railway companies re-used redundant boxes on another site.  Lever frames were replaced, extended, re-locked , shortened, etc over the life of a box to meet changing operational requirements, and many boxes also had structural changes for similar reasons.

[Mike_Walker]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

You are somewhat at risk of duplicating what the SRS are doing.  They have a publication called "Signalling Atlas & Signal Box Directory" which is re-issued as a revised edition from time to time, updated information being supplied by SRS members as things change or new info comes to light.  This only includes boxes which still survive however.

 

If you want to categorise boxes, I would suggest you include a category for those which open to the public from time to time to demonstrate signalling procedures, such as Exeter West, Romsey, St Albans South & Cromer Yard. 

 

The SRS researchers have found that the history is remarkably complex to document.  Many boxes which have moved have sometimes done so more than once - for example Soham (famously "demolished" by an exploding ammo train a couple of days before D-Day) which was off-railway at Prickwillow for some years and is now at the Mid-Norfolk (and its frame survives in private hands at another location).  Moves are not just post-closure, sometimes the railway companies re-used redundant boxes on another site.  Lever frames were replaced, extended, re-locked , shortened, etc over the life of a box to meet changing operational requirements, and many boxes also had structural changes for similar reasons.

I feel you are possibly mis-understanding the purpose of this list which is primarily to act as an index to the photos on this excellent thread whereas the SRS list is a record of surviving signal boxes.  The references are purely for information and allowing the tracking of "wandering" 'Boxes.

[Poor Old Bruce]

Some North Staffordshire Railway boxes, (well, boxes on the NSR line) between Crewe and Derby from 1979.

 

North Stafford Sidings, not far from Crewe South Junction

 

Kidsgrove Central, a BR(LMR) design

 

Bradwell Sidings, between Kidsgrove and Longport

 

Stallington (Blythe Bridge)

 

Tutbury Yard

 

Tutbury Crossing, pre double glazing

 

and Clifton by Ashbourne in 1981. There's a much better colour photo available if you Google 'Clifton (Mayfield) railway station'. The top of this one is now at Consall on the Churnet Valley Railway on a new base

[Wickham Green too]

Another elderly selection : mostly monochrome but oddly the earliest is in colour. That one's from my old Agfa Rapid camera - anyone remember them ??

 

Orpington ; BR ; 1966 ?

 

Abercynon ; G.W.R.; 25/3/72

 

Brighton ; .L.B.S.C.R. ; 30/4/72

 

Llanfair Caereinon ; preservation era new-build ; 3/9/72

 

Meldon Quarry ; L.S.W.R. ; 27/8/73

 

Broad Street ; N.L.R. ? ; 2/3/74

 

Shalford ; BR ; 28/3/74

 

Winchester Junction ; L.S.W.R. ; 25/4/76

 

Wilton ; L.S.W.R. ; 23/2/80

 

Rannoch ( again ) ; North British ; 6/10/83 ( again )

Edited March 25, 2021 by Wickham Green too

[Poor Old Bruce]

Hockley Crossing, Uttoxeter in 1979. North Staffordshire Railway, now re-homed to Blythe Bridge, Caverswall Road on the Foxfield Railway (see my pics on P29).

 

and on 12 Jan 1980

 

 

 

 

[4069]

Llanfair Caereinion isn't GWR: the original W&LLR had no signal box at Llanfair. A new box was built by the preservationists in 1967, and renewed in a more convincing Dutton style in 2002.

Edited March 25, 2021 by 4069

[Poor Old Bruce]

Still on the North Stafford, the next box along from Hockley Crossing, towards Uttoxeter station. was Pinfold Crossing. Now replaced by a BR(LMR) design.

 

1979

 

and 12 Jan 1980

 

 

The last box on this line before Derby PSB is Egginton Junction

 

Going in the opposite direction is Cresswell, seen in 1979

 

For a complete contrast, Crewe Coal Yard in 1980

 

[Tim V]

OK, so it's a ground frame (not a BP) - but interesting nonetheless, Quintrell Down in 1978, Roskear Junction 1997, and Truro first in 1976, then in 2012.

[Mike_Walker]

Bristol PSB, largest of the WR power boxes in its time and still with us - just.  Opened in 1970 it is a classic example of the WR style of "Turn-push NX Panel"  built around an Integra frame with domino tiles supplied by Henry Williams of Darlington.  Routes are set by turning the switch at the entrance signal and pressing a button at the exit - hence the name.

 

 

The exterior view.  For those who don't know, it stands outside the old terminal part of Temple Meads and this view looks east.

 

 

Bristol Panel had two panels. The main one controlled from Box Tunnel (at the right hand end) through Bath and Temple Meads down to just short of Cogload Junction.  A second smaller panel was mounted at right angles at the right of the main panel (just visible above) and covered the Badminton line from Chipping Sodbury through Bristol Parkway/Stoke Gifford and as far as Pilning plus the Gloucester line to Charfield an Filton Bank down towards BTM.  This picture shows the west end of the main panel with the Weston-Super-Mare loop just visible.

All the Reading assembled WR panels were originally configured like this with the controls on the lower part of the panel and the track layout repeated above with the train describers which were originally electro-mechanical devices - noisy and prone to sticking.  These were replaced by LED displays as seen here and later still in most PSBs the train describer functions were replaced by VDU screens and the upper panels plated over.  Only Bristol and Cardiff retained their LED train describers.

 

 

Here we have the "heart" of the panel  Bristol Temple Meads station.

 

 

Here we have the left hand or west end of the Stoke Gifford panel with from top to bottom, the Tunnel lines to South Wales, the lines to St. Andrews Junction and the Filton lines down to BTM at the bottom. Bristol Parkway is to the right of the shot.

 

 

The other end of the Stoke Gifford Panel with the South Wales Main Line at the bottom and the Gloucester line above connecting at Westerleigh Junction.

 

The only part of Bristol Panel still in use is the west end of the main panel from Flax Bourton.  As an aside, much of the train describer equipment from the Stoke Gifford panel was recovered by the Swindon Panel Society for reuse in back dating Swindon panel at Didcot.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Mike_Walker
Spelling correction!

[Mike_Walker]

 

Exeter Panel, like Westbury, was supplied by Westinghouse and therefore differs considerably from the traditional WR ones. However, the interlocking is still based on the Reading designed E10k pattern.

 

 

The panel comprises a large wall mounted panel showing the entire controlled area with the train describers.  In front of them are desks at which the signallers sit.  Again "London" is at the right hand end and it controls from Coagload Junction (inclusive) to just west of Totnes plus the Torbay branch excluding Paignton which has its own mini-panel at the station.

 

 

The desk covering Exeter St Davids.  Route setting is "push-push" like other BR regions.  The knobs above are various manual controls, mainly for individual points, and above them the telephone answer buttons for the STPs.  When an incoming call is made they light up.

 

 

The corresponding part of the main panel.  Note that the signal box icon shows the correct orientation of the panel within the building, at right angles to the tracks outside but east-west geographically, the railway runs basically north-south through Exeter.

 

 

A unique feature of Exeter Panel is this computer display which monitors the cliffs around Dawlish and Teignmouth.  If any movement is detected by sensors buried in the cliffs alarms sound.

 

 

 

 

Ever wondered what "downstairs" is like in a Panel Box?  Here are just a few of the relays at Exeter.  A mixture of miniature relays controlling critical functions and PO type ones for non-critical functions.  And this isn't all, there are remote relay interlockings working in conjunction with the main panel building for example at Totnes and Newton Abbot.

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Mike_Walker
Additional details added.

[lmsforever]

On 23/03/2021 at 10:46, Rugd1022 said:

On the Rugby - Market Harborough line again....

 

 

 

Newton Road SB, just south of Bescot where the M6 - M5 flyover passes over the line....

 

 

You would have thought that the plastic base would have been removed at Lilbourne that odel figure does need attention!

 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

3 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

Bristol PSB, largest of the WR power boxes in its time and still with us - just.  Opened in 1970 it is a classic example of the WR style of "Turn-push NX Panel"  built around an Integra frame with domino tiles supplied by Henry Williams of Darlington.  Routes are set by turning the switch at the entrance signal and pressing a button at the exit - hence the name.

I assume the 4-character displays are a more modern addition. I think in 1970 CRT displays would have been used? I first saw displays like this at Victoria (Clapham Junction) in the early '80s. 

[Mike_Walker]

56 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I assume the 4-character displays are a more modern addition. I think in 1970 CRT displays would have been used? I first saw displays like this at Victoria (Clapham Junction) in the early '80s. 

The early WR panels had "Sodeco" electro-mechanical indicators which comprised of four illuminated rotating drums.  These were prone to sticking and were replaced by the LED displays when they became available.

 

The Swindon Panel Society has been fortunate to acquire several of these Sodeco displays and plan to use them on the Badminton section of the panel with LEDs on the main line west of Swindon whilst the east end will remain with VDUs thereby demonstrating the evolution of train describers.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Mike_Walker
Updated text

[rodent279]

20 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

The early WR panels had electro-mechanical indicators which comprised of four illuminated rotating drums.  These were prone to sticking and were replaced by the LED displays when they became available.

 

The Swindon Panel Society has been fortunate to acquire several of these electro-mechanical displays and plan to use them on the Badminton section of the panel with LEDs on the main line west of Swindon whilst the east end will remain with VDUs thereby demonstrating the evolution of train describers.

Were they LED 7-segment displays in the train describers, or were they actually filament type 7-segment displays? And did they ever use Nixie tubes?

Edited March 26, 2021 by rodent279

[Mike_Walker]

35 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

Were they LED 7-segment displays in the train describers, or were they actually filament type 7-segment displays? And did they ever use Nixie tubes?

Dot matrix LED displays as can be seen in the Bristol images above.  CRT TDs were not used on the WR although they were elsewhere.

[Davexoc]

6 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

The only part of Bristol Panel still in use is the west end of the main panel from Flax Bourton.  As an aside, much of the train describer equipment from the Stoke Gifford panel was recovered by the Swindon Panel Society for reuse in back dating Swindon panel at Didcot.

 

Having been into the Swindon panel at Didcot, I must recommend it to anyone who fancies playing trains. Went last year just after lockdown ended with a 5-yo grandson who loved the whole experience. Might just go to support them again this year...

[Poor Old Bruce]

Chester for today, in 1980. Mostly of LNWR origin I think

 

No.1    The concensus suggests that I have blundered here and that this box is actually at Hooton - Sorry Folks. Second edit - make that Hooton South. Thanks to all.

 

No.2

 

Could this/these be No.3?

 

 

No.3A

 

 

No.4

 

 

 

Nos.5 and 6 to follow.

Edited March 31, 2021 by Poor Old Bruce
Add comment that No.1 is actually Hooton. Second edit to make it Hooton South.

[Edmund Kinder]

Appleby North 2002

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Edmund Kinder

[Edmund Kinder]

Long Meg Sidings 2002

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Edmund Kinder