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LNERGE, thanks for posting that, I'll save it at home, so that when this place goes in 8 years I'll still be able to look at the board, how it was before they messed it up!

 

 

Andy G

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Sad to see in passing today that the forrest of semaphores around castleton east jn are no longer in existance :'( as work on the "Rochdale resignaling scheme progresses only one close to the box still visible from the road

Sutch is progress

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After over a months delay (where does the time go?) we resume our look at GE area signal boxes by continuing from March towards Peterborough.

 

Black Drove at 88m 20¾ch on 22 November 1969 with a down dmu passing. The box was opened in 1886 (BOT inspection in July that year) and closed on 13 January 1971

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Industrialogical Associates/G L Pring

 

The first box at Three Horse Shoes was opened in 1881 (BOT inspection 7 April). It was on the down side but its mileage is unknown.

The second box opened at the end of 1901 (BOT inspection 21 December) and it was on the down side at 91m 07½ch. Here it is on 6 September 1969 with a down express passing

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Industrialogical Associates/G L Pring

 

Whittlesea box on the down side at 94m 57½ch was opened in 1887 (order placed for interlocking 15 March). Here it is on 6 September 1969.

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Industrialogical Associates/G L Pring

 

Pingle box opened in March 1899 (BOT inspection 23 March) on the down side at 96m 32½ch in connection with the provision of a siding for the Saxon Brick Company. It closed on 14 March 1976 and is seen here on 6 September 1969

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Industrialogical Associates/G L Pring

 

The first Kings Dyke box was on the down side at 96m 75ch. It was in use by 1893 and was closed in September 1898 when the second structure opened on the other side of the line and on the Peterborough side of the level crossing (BOT inspection 26 September)

I don't have a decent image of this box, but there are plenty to be found on the internet, eg: http://ukrailways1970tilltoday.me.uk/KingsDykesignalboxBR.html

 

The complexities of Peterborough will be tackled in the next episode - I've got to go and continue sprucing up the Ruschbahn ready for its first Operating Day of the year on Thursday...

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Black Drove at 88m 20¾ch on 22 November 1969 with a down dmu passing. The box was opened in 1886 (BOT inspection in July that year) and closed on 13 January 1971

 

At Black Bank ?

 

Brilliant stuff.

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The first box we encounter approaching Peterborough is South Bank at 98m 70½ch on the up side. It was opened in 1874 (BOT Report dated 27 August) and closed on 12 May 1935. Photographs are scarce, these being the only two I have seen, dated 22 October 1911

 

View from signal on up side towards Peterborough

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View from brake van in siding looking towards March

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Both courtesy Mike Brooks collection

 

Next is Standground box on the up side at 99m 24ch. It was opened at the same time as South Bank but a closure date has proved elusive - it is noted as 'abolished' in a list of signal boxes dated 9 January 1926

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Courtesy Mike Brooks collection

 

Then we come to Middle Bank box at 99m 40ch on the up side, the same dates as South Bank apply. This is an elevated view east from down side of line, looking towards the box and sidings

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Courtesy Mike Brooks collection

 

The first Bridge box was opened in 1893 (BOT inspection 19 June) and closed on 15 June 1900. Its brief existence fell between two OS survey dates so its location and mileage are unknown (by me). The second Bridge box opened on 15 October 1900 and closed on 12 May 1935 and was at 99m 60¼ch on the down side. Its ground level nature suggests that it was a shunting frame only

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Courtesy Mike Brooks collection

 

A box named Peterborough Yard was in existence by August 1871 on the up side at an unknown mileage. No photographs are known and it closed on 15 October 1900

 

The first Peterborough Turntable box on the up side at 99m 69ch opened on 15 October 1900 and was closed by the LNER, apparently in 1927. Here it is on 15 October 1911 in an elevated view west from the up side of line towards the station and locomotive depot

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Courtesy Mike Brooks collection

 

The second Peterborough Turntable box was at 99m 66¼ch on the up side and closed on 10 June 1973

Here it is on 6 September 1969, looking east

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Industrialogical Associates/G L Pring

 

Peterborough Station box opened in 1900 (reported as ready 28 September 1900, BOT inspection report dated 4 February 1901) and was closed in 1927 (MOT abolition inspection 3 March). The only view I know if it is in the distance of this elevated view west from near Turntable box on 15 October 1911

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Courtesy Mike Brooks collection

 

Peterborough East box, elevated over No.1 platform line at 100m 10½ch, was brought into use on 17 April 1932 and closed on 10 June 1973

Here we have a view looking north east on 6 September 1969

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Industrialogical Associates/G L Pring

 

An early non interlocked box named Peterborough Junction is mentioned in Eastern Counties Railway minutes dated 4 August 1858 but its position and fate are unknown

 

Fletton Road box was in existence by 1893 and was renewed on the same site (up side at 100m 16½ch) in November 1900. It was demolished on 17 April 1932 to allow the construction of the new bridge to replace the level crossing. I don't have any photographs of it, but parts of the box and level crossing can be seen here: http://www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/blog/?cat=11&paged=16

 

And so we come to the end of Great Eastern territory, trips to other parts will follow!

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Can I ask why South Bank shut so early, there appears to be a healthy set of sidings there ? - was it's area taken over by another box ? or did the sidings fall into disuse ? or ?

 

Excellent stuff guys - the photos of South and Middle Bank are excellent, so much to see in them

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Can I ask why South Bank shut so early, there appears to be a healthy set of sidings there ? - was it's area taken over by another box ? or did the sidings fall into disuse ? or ?

 

Excellent stuff guys - the photos of South and Middle Bank are excellent, so much to see in them

 

I am afraid I can't answer the question for certain. I am not satisfied that the whole story about the run down of the ex GE yards at Peterborough (and the rationalisation of the signalling) has yet come to light. There are numerous discrepancies between (unsourced) dates given by the SRS and dates annotated on contemporary documents. All that can be said with certainty is that the sidings at Stan(d)ground became largely redundant as a marshalling yard after the full opening of Whitemoor in early 1931.

 

The whole area is on my (long) list for future research, but there is the usual dearth of photographs between those taken before WW1 and those from the early 1960’s, and the latter are usually of the sort where a chuffer hides the interesting details  :resent:

 

Plenty more of the 1911 photos available - here is a view of the main yard from near Fletton Road box on 21 October with a LNWR van about to be turned in the foreground, having been pulled out of that company's goods shed on the other side of the line  :offtopic:

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Some pictures from the Ruabon- Barmouth line, all taken 5/10/75.

Dolgellau

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Bontnewydd

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Drys-y-Nant

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All now destroyed, with the exception of Llancuwhllyn, on the Bala Lake Railway

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A couple of pictures of Bewdley, taken with permission, 28/03/76. Note the spectacle glass has not yet been replaced.

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And 46521 moving around.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Some snaps of Appleford 27/06/76, then a Gate post. It was an incredibly hot day, the poor signalman kept wiping his face with that cloth you can see on his lap. After all these years, I can't remember his name.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Gone a bit quiet on this thread so here's a few old scanned pics. Apologies for the poor quality, they were scanned a few years ago and I'm sure modern technology could improve them! I don't think I've posted them here before but I'm quite sure someone will tell me if I have...

 

Wilpshire Box on the Blackburn - Hellifield line. I think the box had just closed (1980?)

 

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Bullfield West Box, just outside Bolton on the Preston line. One of my boxes when I was on relief. It was built in the mid 1950's after a collision just outside knocked the old one for 6! It still had L&Y block instruments when I worked there and a signalman who liked pigeons. The management tried to discourage Tommy from keeping the odd stray pigeon in the box but one was flapping about in there whilst I was training there. An inspector called round to see how I was getting on and Tommy quickly caught the pigeon and after looking round frantically for somewhere to hide it, stuffed it in a cupboard until the inspector had gone! Fortunately it remained quiet in the cupboard and seemed none the worse when let out afterwards..

 

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Burnden Jc at Bolton. was at the south end of the triangle where the Bury line joined up. 80 lever frame and a grade higher than my normal relief job but still got in there occasionally

 

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Brindle Heath sidings (locally known as Duchy sidings) , Salford, next door to Agecroft. A one turn box (0600-1400) towards the end of it's life but we had to be there at 0515 for the Topley Pike stone train!. No running water or toilet so the agreement was we could switch out and nip over to Brindle Heath Junction for a PNB whenever necessary. Early mornings there in winter were...interesting.. until the coal fire warmed the place up a little bit. many a time I had to work the frame with my motorbike gloves on to stop my hands freezing to the levers for the first hour.or so. Remember once, it had snowed, thawed slightly and then frozen hard. When I switched in, I put all the levers back to danger and not a single signal moved outside. I had to go out and free off the near ones and Agecroft did my inner and outer distants on the Up! Fun....

 

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Kearsley Junction on the Bolton Manchester Line. This used to control the junction to the NCB line to Linnyshaw Moss and the connection down to the power station which was worked by a couple of little overhead powered electric locos.

I did manage a pic of the locos when I was still a kid and visiting the box but both the NCB branch and the power station line had gone by the time I worked there.

 

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Jon F.

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  • 1 month later...

Done a bit of scanning today and I thought the following may be of interest.

 

Rock Ferry 11/9/1994(two days after closure).

 

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The box had a 60 lever frame originally and this was replaced in May 1985 by a panel (2nd hand from Greenbank, I was told) and a new 10 lever frame for the goods lines; BR only paying to upgrade the passenger running lines signalling.

In preparation for the Merseyrail IECC resignalling the control was transferred to the panel in the middle of the picture. The intention was that this should remain in the relay room as an emergency panel in case control from Merseyrail IECC should be lost.

The diagram that was behind the new panel had already been moved to the relay room at the foot of the box stairs. Despite me and two other signalmen, who transferred to Merseyrail IECC, knowing how to work the panel we were told only Supervisors would work it. To date it hasn't been needed to be used.

 

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Two views of the front of the box

 

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and a view of the rear.

 

Birkenhead Central also 11/9/1994.

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An ex Mersey Railway box supplied for the opening of the line in 1886 by the Railway Signal Company. It originally had a 25 lever frame which was extended to 28 (A + 1-27), later reduced to 27 levers which it had at closure.

 

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A view of the carriage shed and station. I had the distinction, a few weeks later, of being the Signaller on duty to set the first route on the Wirral panel of the Merseyrail IECC. The move being one of these units off the carriage shed towards Hooton.

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