Signals - Present-Day Semaphore, Lights and Repeaters

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I think we need a photo thread on present-day (or in use over the last 10 years or so) signals.

 

In part this is inspired by a comment on the EMU thread, mentioning the likely demise of the semaphore signals at Bognor and Littlehampton, but there are plenty of others on borrowed time throughout the network (I am hearing Cornwall may also be losing some or all their semaphores over the near or so). The thread is not just limited to semaphores either - the world's your oyster!

 

P.S. Not wishing to offend anyone, but can this not be filled with other people's images culled from Flickr (I don't have an issue with own pictures being linked from there)?

 

I'll kick off with a few snaps from the other day...

 

Bognor - 1st May 2023

 

 

Littlehampton

 

I did have a look, but could not find anything resembling a photo thread on signals.

[eastglosmog]

A great idea.  Here are a few from around Worcester Shrub Hill Station, taken on 26th April:

On the goods loop round the rear of the station.

 

Short arm at end of Platform 2 and a few others.

 

At end of bay platform 3.

 

Signals for the junction for the Hereford line, just at the north end of Shrub Hill station, with fixed distants and another signal in front with a route indicator.

[Michael Hodgson]

24 minutes ago, eastglosmog said:

A great idea.  Here are a few from around Worcester Shrub Hill Station, taken on 26th April:

On the goods loop round the rear of the station.

 

Short arm at end of Platform 2 and a few others.

 

 

That style is worthy of comment.  More important than the length of the arm is its centre pivot.  Not the most widely used type, but favoured by the GWR for use in confined spaces, and less likely to bop passengers on the head if it happens to be installed on a platfrom.

 

Many of the other signals shown have tubular guard rails for the safety of anybody going up the ladder, which dates the photo to relatively recent times.  The single loop at the top being traditional and used for most of the life of these signals.

[Wickham Green too]

I think the Ashford end of Hastings still has semaphores : - 

 

19/8/22

 

... though the St.Leonards end has been LED 'searchlights' for a while :-

11/9/21

Edited May 5, 2023 by Wickham Green too

[Michael Hodgson]

 

Square disc signal, Cobh 2008.  This is the engine release point at the stop blocks, with signal used for running round (not needed by the unit if course).  Note the point detection behind the signal.  The rod disappearing into the background would operate a trap in the run-round road to protect a train in the platform from a rogue loco.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Michael Hodgson

[Michael Hodgson]

 

Historic signals and a miniature Electric Train Staff instrument on public display on a platform at Drogheda

Edited May 5, 2023 by Michael Hodgson

[Michael Hodgson]

 

Four aspect colour light signal with four feathers and call-on at Gloucester on the line from South Wales, reading to the platforms and through roads.

 

This type of feather shares the centre bulb with a row of four more bubs for each of the four routes; some other designs of feather would have completely separate rows of 5 bulbs.

[Michael Hodgson]

Signals no longer in use usually have a white cross nailed over them, but removing the arm and lamp is another approach ... Gainsborough Lea Road, shortly after the signal box burned down and had to be abolished.  The distant arm was for the next box.

[Michael Hodgson]

Lattice post bracket signal, stayed by another lattice post, Aviemore 2014.

Base of the posts painted grey but straining post base painted black!  Double counterweights (one for each arm).  Blue GSM Radio alias plate.  TPWS grid, SIgnal Post Tele[hone (SPT),  Loc to contain relays for the electrical gubbins.

[Michael Hodgson]

Wrawby Junction, alas no more.

If the forest of signal arms as seen from the box window in the first post is confusing, the next photo should clarify

 

[Michael Hodgson]

Elfan safety advice ...

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

A great idea.  Here are a few from around Worcester Shrub Hill Station, taken on 26th April:

On the goods loop round the rear of the station.

 

 

 

Brand new West Midlands class 196 trying to get into the picture

Contrasting new & old.

[Rivercider]

Here are a couple of the signals at St Erth, taken in February this year.

 

 

St Erth 19/2/2023

 

St Erth with set 150261 arriving from St Ives  19/2/2023

 

cheers

 

[eastglosmog]

7 hours ago, melmerby said:

Brand new West Midlands class 196 trying to get into the picture

Contrasting new & old.

See p32 of the DMU thread for a better view!

 

[uax6]

8 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Elfan safety advice ...

 

Ah the old 'don't squish your doughnuts' poster, which is only accurate for the Midland/LMS raised frames, not for the frames in the rest of the railways boxes.... Why? Pristine Condition were only taken to the Midland box at Melton Mowbray and presumed they were looking at the only type of frame there was....

Looks like ours here has finally been binned...

 

Andy G

[uax6]

11 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

 ... though the St.Leonards end has been LED 'searchlights' for a while :-

11/9/21

 

Not Searchlights at all, these are Single Aperture Heads. Searchlights have very sophisticated internal optical arrangements, with an electromagnetic operated vane, that carries the aspect roundal. 

 

Heres some videos of the 'normal' three aspect DC Westinghouse mech from my signal. The operation of which just needed a voltage of 6v to make the vane move. I wired it to a normal controller and swung it by changing the direction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQiL-mcvQtk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Qf424IiGU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jEvnfGelG0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_89clrWEZuw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tie-TPqEEk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aVlLdDbBIY

 

Then of course you got AC operated mechanisms (these were provided in DC electrified areas to prevent interference). These had a permanent 110v AC on the mechanism (I used a normal 110v site transformer to provide this) and then you swing the vane with another low voltage AC supply, in this case I used the aux supply off a Hornby controller. Again reversing this lower voltage supply swung the vane over the other direction (you can see me changing the wires over in the reflection from the lens):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZP4UNGvrjM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMrCkOG8cLw

 

Notice how you will get a flash of red as the signal steps up, perfectly normal with these beasts!

 

 

These modern single aperture things have none of that, just an array of LED's.

 

Andy G

Edited May 6, 2023 by uax6

[Northmoor]

16 hours ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

I think we need a photo thread on present-day (or in use over the last 10 years or so) signals.

 

In part this is inspired by a comment on the EMU thread, mentioning the likely demise of the semaphore signals at Bognor and Littlehampton, but there are plenty of others on borrowed time throughout the network (I am hearing Cornwall may also be losing some or all their semaphores over the near or so). The thread is not just limited to semaphores either - the world's your oyster!

 

P.S. Not wishing to offend anyone, but can this not be filled with other people's images culled from Flickr (I don't have an issue with own pictures being linked from there)?

 

I'll kick off with a few snaps from the other day...

 

Bognor - 1st May 2023

 

 

Littlehampton

 

I did have a look, but could not find anything resembling a photo thread on signals.

Great idea (and I agree about Flickr links too) for a thread; semaphores are a disappearing symbol and colour lights without LEDs are becoming rare too.

[Wickham Green too]

Prezactly why I said 'searchlights' rather than searchlights ........... to most of us amateurs they look the same ! 🙄

 

Anyway, in earlier years : - 

11/9/94

 

or : -

2/6/85

[Rivercider]

There is a collection of semaphores still remaining at the west end of Truro,

 

 

The west end of Truro station. the Falmouth bay platform is on the left. 7/11/2022

 

cheers

[Rugd1022]

I made a point of taking loads of photos whilst working trains under semaphores and the older MAS colour lights etc, I'll start with Worcester and Droitwich Spa...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

More from Worcester...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eastglosmog]

Seen at Shildon in October 2018:

 

More modern multi aspect  junction signal with feather, Didcot middle junction December 2014:

Edited May 6, 2023 by eastglosmog
Added another photo

[Mike_Walker]

SH77 at Worcester Shrub Hill is, TTBOMK, the last remaining GWR mechanical indicator on the national network.  It has two indications, lever 77 is to the Down Main and displays B'HAM whilst lever 76 is to the Down Branch shown a H'FORD.

 

SH78 indicates the same with the left doll (lever 75) being for the Down Branch and the right (lever 78) for the Down Main.  The fixed distants are for Henwick and Tunnel Junction 'boxes respectively.  The middle arm (26) is for movements into Worcester Depot hence it is a short,3', arm rather than the regular 4' ones.  There is no access to the depot from the Up Main on which SH77 is situated.

 

There may be examples of GWR mechanical indicators on heritage lines, the is certainly one under a backing arm at Bewdley on the SVR.

 

Mention was made of the centre-pivot signals at Worcester.  Shrewsbury has a pair too but they are somewhat different being, in effect the usual design mounted upside down.  When we were surveying the area ahead of starting Wrexham & Shropshire, the local NR ops manager proudly told how one of the arms had been remade by the local S&T staff after the original rotted - they are wooden.

 

 

Shrewsbury has a wonderful mix of semaphores, both upper and lower quadrant, and colour lights.  This gantry, worked from Crewe Junction 'box (a LNWR example) at the north end of the station mixes colourlights with a GWR arm on what looks like an LMS post.

 

 

CJ13, the home approaching the station from the Crewe direction used to be a LMS U/Q arm on a LNWR post until it too suffered from rot.  It's replacement is this superbly over-engineered specimen.  Whereas the old one was in the 6' beyond the bridge, this has a gantry structure which looks capable of supporting the QE2 whilst the arms are GWR lower quadrant - well, Shrewsbury is now in NR's West & Wales region.  Look closely and you'll see the arms are actually supported by two 4" posts fishplated together; presumably it was thought the traditional single post is insufficient today.

 

 

And talking of over engineered signals how about T26 at Truro which appeared in the background further up the thread.   Here it is in close up.  It was installed when the Falmouth branch was upgraded and allows trains to depart in the Down direction from the Up platform but I've never seen the like anywhere else.  At least it makes cleaning the arm and lenses easy and safe, you'd really have to work hard to fall off that!

 

 

One of my favourite semaphores was the infamous KJ63 SPAD trap at Kidderminster Junction before the resignalling.  It's neither of the two clearly visible in the photo below.  Look carefully and you will see a third arm just visible between the footbridge and the 'box.  The problem was that when in the 'On' or danger position it was completely invisible!  One is reminded of the instruction in an early GWR rule book which mentioned a ball signal at Reading: if the ball was not visible drivers were not to pass it.

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Mike_Walker
Spelling correction!

[Northmoor]

I believe the Truro semaphores are due to be replaced soon?  As for Shrewsbury, does it still have at the South end of the platforms, the MAS heads which were installed in the late 80s but never actually activated?

[Mike_Walker]

I think Truro is included in the Cornish resignalling project (but not St Erth or Penzance) which is I believe scheduled for the Christmas/New Year break this winter.

 

Yes, those colour lights are still at Shrewsbury and are in use as they control the exit from the bays or are we talking about different signals?  A new signal installed at the Up end of the Down platform a few years ago is a semaphore - LQ too!

 

 

The signal for the other bay is out of shot to the right.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Mike_Walker