Signal Box Photos

[Wickham Green too]

36 minutes ago, Tim V said:

I've never seen a Tyers' Machine in anything other than red ...... does the yellow imply that the token's would be interchangeable if they weren't colour-coded ??!?

[Tim V]

On the Talyllyn different colours are used for the different block sections - yellow Wharf-Pendre, red Pendre-Brynglas, blue Brynglas-Quarry as seen here at Brynglas. And no they are not interchangeable (!) but with only four configurations the new tokens in use Abergynolwyn-Nant are yellow and fit in the lowest section. However - there might be questions asked!

Edited May 14, 2021 by Tim V
Extra detail

[Poor Old Bruce]

Some Midland boxes from various parts:

 

Moorthorpe South, 9 Feb 1983. I've posted a picture of this box before but of the other end.

 

Washwood Heath Sidings No.2, 7 May 1983

 

Settle Junction, 1 Feb 1982

 

Wennington Jct, 1 Feb 1982

 

Ketton, 3 Feb 1982

[Michael Hodgson]

12 minutes ago, Poor Old Bruce said:

Some Midland boxes from various parts:

 

What a lot of Airfix kits !   Really shows how much signal boxes followed a house style.

[Not Jeremy]

On 12/05/2021 at 17:39, Tim V said:

Just rescanned these pictures of Frome North in 1975, showing its location on top of the embankment.

 

 

Great pictures Tim.

 

I don't know whether you knew him, but Gerald Quartley was signalman at Frome North in later years. An interesting man who was vastly knowledgable about lots of things, especially local industrial history, he sadly died in November last year albeit at the grand age of 88. He gave me a fabulous picture of a Bath tram which I hope to put into a book one day.... 

 

In the meantime I am currently building a shed which I am doing my best to make signal box-ish.

 

I will not be calling it "Lockdown Junction"(!)

 

Thanks to everyone for the continuing pictures and information, this is a really great thread.

 

Simon

Edited May 16, 2021 by Not Jeremy
Some Frome

[Poor Old Bruce]

More Airfix Midland kit bashes. All these are intermediate boxes between Melton Mowbray and Oakham and seen on 5 Jan 1982.

 

Langham Junction

 

with steps at the rear. I wonder why they did that? it must have confused the odd fireman going to carry out Rule 55.

 

Ashwell

 

Whissendine

 

 

Saxby Junction

[Poor Old Bruce]

Still more Midland boxes

 

Manton Junction, 3 Feb 1982

 

Luffenham Junction, also 3 Feb 1982

 

 

 

and Tapton Junction, Chesterfield, 4 Aug 1979

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Poor Old Bruce
Typo

[Welchester]

On 14/05/2021 at 09:18, bike2steam said:

I'm making a slightly modified version of this 'box for my new layout;-                   

 

On 14/05/2021 at 12:20, AY Mod said:

 

 

Although the building has been extended and restored it's still there - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.6268477,-2.046379,3a,75y,101.03h,92.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp_ete0dbWY4nNiXNzkAfrQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1

 

A well known spot on the Holly Bank / Hilton mineral line.

 

On 14/05/2021 at 12:21, bike2steam said:

Sorry, should've said. It's Bursnip Road crossing, Essington, near Bloxwich, on the colliery branch from the South Staffs, Cannock to Walsall mainline to Hilton Main colliery, Wolverhampton. The signal box was a combined building of signal box, and offices of the, long gone, Holly Bank colliery which was just across the road from the 'signal box'. I built a model of the Essington branch junction signal box for my last layout, which was only about half a mile from Bursnip Road 'box, for traffic onto the main-line. My step-dad was, at one time, a colliery engineer at Hilton Main.

 

The house is named 'The Old Signal Box'. I drive past it quite often.

[beast66606]

Wymondham
16/05/2021 (Sunday)
Wymondham South Jn signal box, closed 01/12/2012, area controlled from Cambridge, opened 1877, GER, 42 levers

[Wickham Green too]

Clapham Junction 'A' appeared way back on this thread, but there are other 'boxes in the area. too .... then a couple of other Southern ones  ......... and I've found a few Scottish cabins worth revisiting .......

 

Clapham Junction A ; L.S.W.R. ; 30/7/88

 

Clapham Junction B ; British Railways, 1952 ; 18/11/06

 

Clapham Junction B ; British Railways, 1952 ; 29/9/89

 

Victoria Area Signalling Centre ; British Railways ; 16/10/83

 

East Croydon ; British Railways, 1955 ; 19/11/05

 

Wareham ; L.S.W.R. ; 6/8/88

 

Balloch  ( the station was Balloch Central ) ; British Railways ; 26/8/88

 

Arrochar & Tarbet ; N.B.R. ; 26/8/88

 

Dalmally ; C.R. ; 26/8/88

Edited May 11, 2022 by Wickham Green too
Photos reinstated

[Oldddudders]

A minor detail, but neither Clapham Junction B, nor East Croydon, were Southern Railway boxes, being commissioned in 1952 and 1955, respectively. 

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, Wickham Green too said:

Clapham Junction 'A' appeared way back on this thread, but there are other 'boxes in the area. too .... then a couple of other Southern ones  ......... and I've found a few Scottish cabins worth revisiting .......

 

Clapham Junction A ; L.S.W.R. ; 30/7/88

 

 

It caused a little disruption when that bridge collapsed.... 

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=1085

[The Stationmaster]

On 16/05/2021 at 09:35, Not Jeremy said:

 

Great pictures Tim.

 

I don't know whether you knew him, but Gerald Quartley was signalman at Frome North in later years. An interesting man who was vastly knowledgable about lots of things, especially local industrial history, he sadly died in November last year albeit at the grand age of 88. He gave me a fabulous picture of a Bath tram which I hope to put into a book one day.... 

 

Simon

 

Simon,

 

Thanks for that information about Gerald as I did wonder what had happened as I had not heard from him or being able to contact him for some time.  Various nice and knowledgeable chap who was a past member of my staff who subsequently became a good friend.

[Poor Old Bruce]

As Wickham Green too has posted some pics around Clapham Junction, here are some of mine from there as well. Trouble is it's foreign territory to me, being south of the Thames, so guidance on what's what would be appreciated as I can't find my Quails or Priors at the mo. The only box with any discernable ID was "B". All photos taken on 18 Nov 1987.

 

This one is down as "From Platform 1 looking towards Waterloo and looks like WG's Clapham Junction A

 

This one is described in my notes as "Between Clapham Junction and Queenstown Road. Obviously different to the above.

WG and Oldudders tell us that this is West London Junction

 

 

 

Clapham Junction B

 

This last one is described as "At the country end of Platforms 3 & 4"

Again thanks to WG and Oldudderes who tell us this is Clapham Junction C

 

 

 

Any identification help would be appreciated. TIA

Edited May 19, 2021 by Poor Old Bruce
To add correct names.

[Wickham Green too]

I think the one over the tracks was 'West London Junction' and t'other 'Clapham Junction C'.

[Oldddudders]

I concur with WGToo about the nomenclature.

 

In your second and third pics, the train you are riding is on the Up Brighton Fast, approaching, and then having passed, Pouparts Junction.  Most trains did what yours did, turning right and then climbing to cross the ex-LSWR lines, to head across Grosvenor Bridge to Victoria. Had your train gone straight on it would have passed by Stewarts Lane Depot, Battersea Yard and South Lambeth Depot, the latter formerly GWR and much overlooked by Battersea Power Station in those days. 

 

Farmer Poupart, after whom the junction was named, had orchards alongside the line, and his fruit apparently made very fine jam. Hard to imagine, these days!

[Wickham Green too]

3 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

...... Farmer Poupart, after whom the junction was named, had orchards alongside the line,  ............

Was it he who kept porkers in the vicinity of 'B' box, I wonder ?

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, Wickham Green too said:

Was it he who kept porkers in the vicinity of 'B' box, I wonder ?

I don't know, but in my Control days the signalman on my shift at Clapham B tended to be Lou, who was a peppery old sod. Of course he was a SW employee, but working a box where he could see loads of SW trains - but only signalled Central ones!

 

A stickler for things being done just right, it clearly gave him great pleasure to tell Balham to stop the down Brighton Belle, as it had just gone past in its lovely new livery - without a tail-lamp. Unfortunately he'd failed to note in the Section C items a new instruction that because the Belle had now got batteries it could rely upon red roller-blinds and no longer needed a lamp.....

 

Incidentally I should have added earlier that Clapham B closed in late 1980 under the Victoria Area Resignalling Scheme, while East Croydon closed in mid-1984 under Brighton Line Resignalling Scheme. 

[Poor Old Bruce]

While we are in that area, I've got these two pics from Battersea on the same day, 18 Nov 1987. I rely on our learned friends to put me right if I've got things wrong as Queenstown Road box seems to be off the end of the platform of Queens Road station and I've no idea now where Queens Road box was. I am convinced that they are two different boxes and not just two views of the same box.

 

Queenstown Road, LSWR. Formerly Queens Road East, closed in 1936

 

and Queens Road, also LSWR. Formerly Queens Road West

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Poor Old Bruce
Comments in italics added thanks to 4069's post, three posts down.

[Tim V]

Bewdley South 1976, only just into use.

 

[Oldddudders]

I am unable to truly answer POB's question, but do wonder if Queenstown Road box looked after Windsor Lines and Queens Road the Main Lines? Of course, what had been Queens Road station was subsequently renamed Queenstown Road...

[4069]

The box you have labelled Queenstown Road is the former Queens Road East box, which closed in 1936, though it remained standing well into the 21st century, used as offices. The larger structure, the former Queens Road West box, became just Queens Road in 1936, and lasted as a signal box until May 1990 when the new panel at Wimbledon took over the area and it was demolished. The box was to the west of Queens Road (later Queenstown Road) station, and stood between the Main Local and Main Through lines. The picture is taken from a train on the Central section main line.

 

https://www.wbsframe.mste.co.uk/public/Queens_Road_Battersea.html 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by 4069

[Wickham Green too]

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

........ what had been Queens Road station was subsequently renamed Queenstown Road...

...... though only an idiot would have confused Battersea with Peckham !

[Poor Old Bruce]

These were taken 18 March 1982

 

Bollo Lane Junction, LSWR

 

Camden Road Junction, North London Railway

 

Gospel Oak No.1

[LNERGE]