Tallest Signal

[iands]

Hi All,

 

I note in another topic/thread earlier this year (Wright writes...) a discussion about signals on layouts and their "proportional" scale height, which led to some comments about some actual signals being 60 foot or 70 foot tall.

 

I've just been looking through the January 1957 copy of The Railway Magazine (looking for information about a different topic) when I noticed an article in the Notes and News section titled "Last of Dalston's High Signals", where it mentions that "... the 84 ft.-6 in. lattice iron posts carrying the down home signals have been taken away and colour-lights now reign in place of semaphores. They are said to have been the highest signal posts in London, and certainly there can have been few higher anywhere."

 

I have no intention of modelling such a signal, but curiosity has got the better of me and purely out of interest, were these the tallest signals in the UK, or does anyone know of a taller one?

 

Regards, Ian.

[TheSignalEngineer]

I don't know of any taller than Dalston, the biggest I climbed when I was a young trainee in the 1960s was around 60 feet. I believe my Grandfather had some 70-footers on his district when he was a Lineman.

[jonny777]

I do know that Heckington (Lincs) up distant and outer home were on very tall posts when I lived there in the 1960s, but I have no idea how high they were. 

 

I wish I had taken photos back then. So much has been lost, seemingly without a record of their existence. 

[iands]

TheSignalEngineer and Jonny777,

 

Many thanks for your responses. I climbed a few semaphore signals as a trainee in the 70's, but the tallest was about 40ft from memory, less than half the height of the Dalston ones! By then of course a lot of re-signalling schemes had taken place and most signals by then were colour-lights.

 

Regards, Ian.

[iands]

Further to my original post earlier this afternoon, flicking through the March (1957) edition of The Railway Magazine there is a photo of said signals. Wow! do they look tall, and from what I can see there are no 'resting platforms' on the ladders - so a very long climb (and descent) with tools, lamps, etc., in one go! Wonder if all three were scheduled to be maintained on the same day, or whether the maintenance was spread across different days or weeks? If they were all maintained on the same day, the poor sod that had to climb them all would be ready for a cuppa when he'd finished.

 

Regards, Ian.

[johnb]

Would been an 'interesting' experience on a windy day too!!

John

[chris p bacon]

We've a picture of a Great Northern signal which was 90' tall, I'll see if I can locate it and post it (no pun intended)

[jonny777]

The only photo of the Heckington outer home is in the background of this photo. 

 

 

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/G60984/heckington-looking-east-with-a-typical-gnr-signal-box-and-somersault-G60984.jpg

 

Admittedly, it doesn't look 60ft high. 

[Steamysandy]

Ballencrieff ups between Drem and Longniddry on the down line was protected by two lofty masts being a lower quadrant distant and home.The siding closed about 1960 at which time the signals were removed.As to height ,I think they'd be in the 60 or 70 foot category

[chris p bacon]

We've a picture of a Great Northern signal which was 90' tall, I'll see if I can locate it and post it (no pun intended)

 

It seems I've mis-remembered, it was actually an 85 feet tall telegraph pole that carried wires above the River Whitham at Lincoln. The clearance was required for ships masts.

 

 

With not a harness in sight I'm guessing that they've not done their health and safety training. 

[iands]

It seems I've mis-remembered, it was actually an 85 feet tall telegraph pole that carried wires above the River Whitham at Lincoln. The clearance was required for ships masts.

 

IMG_20171108_0001.jpg

 

With not a harness in sight I'm guessing that they've not done their health and safety training. 

 

Thanks Chris, a very interesting photo. Reminds me of the two one-hundred foot masts on either bank at Goole swing bridge with a catenary to support cabling. The catenary requires "regulating" twice a year to ensure maximum clearance for shipping.

 

Regards, Ian.