Signal Box communication

[Julia]

Back in the good 'ole days of steam (ok, the early 60's). How did signal boxes communicate with one another? Was there a phone call asking if they could send a specific train on to the next station? Or some form of telegraph to simply signal that they want to send a train?

 

J

[ess1uk]

or if the block bell is playing up then a phone call to the next box, as seen at Norton to Evesham the other day

[RJS1977]

Julia

 

Most communications were by telegraph bell - full list here:

 

http://www.signalbox.org/block/bells.shtml

 

The signalman would signal "call attention", then on getting the same repeated back to him would send "is line clear for....?" which again would be repeated back. He would then set the signals and as teh train passed, he'd send "train entering section", which would be acknowledged. Finally the receiving signalman would send "train out of section" to inform the sending signalman that the train had reached him, which the sending signalman would send back.

 

Telephones were generally only used for conference calls or more complicated discussions, or latterly for a driver to speak to the signalman if stopped for an abnormally long time at a signal out of sight of the 'box.

[RJS1977]

Bell Codes - as still used

 

Don't ask me what they are though, always reminded me of a very slow playing of a xylophone when I was box lurking

 

 

 

There is a link.......

 

http://www.davros.or.../bellcodes.html

 

Some were simple mnemonics - for example "Obstruction danger" was six rings (six letters in danger) and "Stop and examine train" was 7 for the 7 letters in examine.

 

The rest were grouped according to category (i.e. importance/speed) of train, whereby the first number of rings before the pause was the category of train and in later years corresponded to the first digit of the headcode.

[beast66606]

4 was a class 1

3-1 was a class 2

3-2 was a class 8

 

[beast66606]

The signalman would signal "call attention", then on getting the same repeated back to him would send "is line clear for....?" which again would be repeated back. He would then set the signals and as teh train passed, he'd send "train entering section", which would be acknowledged. Finally the receiving signalman would send "train out of section" to inform the sending signalman that the train had reached him, which the sending signalman would send back.

 

This is the "official" way however there were also plenty of local variations, normally called "slack working", "Birkenhead Block" existed on the Wirral for example, no call attention, repeat ILC ?, no acknowledging TES and no repeating TOS, usually designed to minimise the amount of times a signalman had to attend the block instruments.

 

Train approach was also used where cabins were closely spaced.

 

Telephones were generally only used for conference calls or more complicated discussions, or latterly for a driver to speak to the signalman if stopped for an abnormally long time at a signal out of sight of the 'box.

 

The Omnibus, or "bus" circuit was also used by signalmen (generic in those days) to chat to their mates, some would spend hours on the phones but of course they weren't private, each box had it's own unique code, Port Sunlight was one long and 3 short iirc, Bromborough was one long and 2 short.

 

The SPT (signal post telephones) were different to this.

[Edwin_m]

As well as the bell and telephone there is a "block telegraph" consisting of a moving needle in both boxes controlled by the signalman in the box at the exit end of the section (plus one for the other direction controlled by the other signalman).

 

The basic process is as follows, for the example of a train going from box A to box B.

 

The block instrument has three positions. The default position is "line blocked", which doesn't mean that the line is actually blocked, just that no trains are present or expected.

 

When he is able to accept a train offered by A, B acknowledges the "is line clear" bell code and puts the block instrument to "line clear" so A can clear the signals for the train to go from A to B. On receiving "train entering section" from A, B places place the instrument to "train on line". Having seen the train leave the section, including the tail lamp to confirm it is complete, B sends "train out of section" and returns the instrument to "line blocked".

 

There are numerous variations but this is the basic principle of absolute block, which was pretty much universal on UK railways at the start of the 20th century and still exists on quite a few secondary routes. The instrument reminds the signalman what the situation is on the section between the two boxes, so he does not have to rely on memory or on writing things down (they usually do this as well - the train register). It can also be used for various forms of electrical locking, the simplest being to prevent A clearing his signals to send a train towards B unless the instrument is showing "line clear".

[Julia]

Fantastic, thank you all for the very prompt responses. Plenty of info for me to be going on with.

 

J

[flyingsignalman]

If you wanted your mate on the 'bus phone (without letting everyone on the circuit knowing) you give a couple of "flat ones" on the block. These were done by holding the tapper down so the striker stuck to the bell in the next box; very useful when you'd dropped a b*****k, so to speak.

 

To alert your mates that officialdom was walking up to your box and you wanted them to behave ("work Straight" we called it) we used to give 2-2-2 on the Joint lines or 2-2 on the Wirral lines.

[The Stationmaster]

Being 'officialdom' could at times be very amusing - catching out the one at the next 'box who hadn't sussed or caught on that you had arrived. But the good bit was when you could arrive at a 'box with virtually no knowledge that you were on the way - the Signalmen then used far more subtle ways of letting their mates know 'someone is about' - flat ringing was usually obvious but altering their belling speed or saying 'put that one on for us please guv'nor' would immediately alert the Signalman receiving that bellcode that some was around. and of course on the Western you could always let the 'box in rear know when knocking out by sending 'Call Attention' before giving 'Train Out of Section' - but sometimes that could get quite amusing as the man at the next 'box immediately pegged up 'Line Clear' when he got the one bell.

 

All the good old days.

 

And the omniibus 'phone circuits were marvellous things because apart from selective ringing you could speak very quickly to lots of 'boxes in an emergency by - quite often - just picking up the 'phone, interrupting the various conversations, and telling everyone to listen; you can't do that with a direct line dial 'phone.

[Debs.]

This is the "official" way however there were also plenty of local variations, normally called "slack working", "Birkenhead Block" existed on the Wirral for example, no call attention, repeat ILC ?, no acknowledging TES and no repeating TOS, usually designed to minimise the amount of times a signalman had to attend the block instruments.

 

Train approach was also used where cabins were closely spaced.

 

 

 

The Omnibus, or "bus" circuit was also used by signalmen (generic in those days) to chat to their mates, some would spend hours on the phones but of course they weren't private, each box had it's own unique code, Port Sunlight was one long and 3 short iirc, Bromborough was one long and 2 short.

 

The SPT (signal post telephones) were different to this.

 

Oh, the gossip that was overheard.........and discussed!

[TheSignalEngineer]

At the boxes on the Camp Hill line if you heard 'Call Attention' you knew that someone official or an unknown official-looking person had been spotted.

[beast66606]

The other bit of inter box communication were train describers, not the modern 4 digit ones but the glorious clock like ones with descriptions such as "G.W.R Goods" or "L.N.W.R Loco" (from Chester)

[Eggesford box]

Or as one manager said about not giving call attention before knocking out "Forgot, I think this is a regular thing, it only ever happens at the first box I visit"!

[beast66606]

My mate (not Flyingsignalman!) got caught working slack, "WHAT WAS YOUR EXCUSE ?" came the angry enquiry from the traffic manager who was at Hooton when my mate knocked one straight out, "It's a well trained cat on the block shelf" my mate replied "I can get him to send all the bells but the b***er won't use call attention" - he got off with it, but with a stern warning (and a good laugh).

[TheSignalEngineer]

The other bit of inter box communication were train describers, not the modern 4 digit ones but the glorious clock like ones with descriptions such as "G.W.R Goods" or "L.N.W.R Loco" (from Chester)

Remember working those at Proof House in the late 1950s

[Debs.]

Block instruments often featured internal hand-tappers to transmit the bell codes to adjoining signal boxes; on my L & Y instrument, the tapper button is in the centre of the semi-rotary commutator switch, which is itself used to transmit the "Train on Line" or "Line Clear" indication for the block section concerned.

Each Rly. company (or S & T Contractor) used their own style of block-signalling equipment; some with internal bells; some with separate bell boxes and some with internal or external tappers......It was said that old hands could recognise the 'hand' of a familiar colleague on duty in a neighbouring `box, just by hearing their bell-codes.

 

 

 

 

[beast66606]

I've got the LNWR variation of that, LYR needles but in an LNWR Fletchers case, supposedly from the Blackburn area where the LNWR met the LYR, keeps the needles moving the same way on a patch.

[micknich2003]

Many years ago, I recall the local "DI" walking into my signal box, his first remark, as I put the phone down, was, "Have I been Blocked on Michael". He was a true Gent, he always knocked on the door, turned his back and waited to be invited in. He only practised what he preced, signal boxes are private, it says so on the door. Mick.

[The Stationmaster]

My mate (not Flyingsignalman!) got caught working slack, "WHAT WAS YOUR EXCUSE ?" came the angry enquiry from the traffic manager who was at Hooton when my mate knocked one straight out, "It's a well trained cat on the block shelf" my mate replied "I can get him to send all the bells but the b***er won't use call attention" - he got off with it, but with a stern warning (and a good laugh).

Not the way to do it in my view (the 'traffic manager' that is). If it happened when I was in a 'box and the Signalman there knocked out without a Call Attention (which it never did as it happened) I'd have given him a rollocking for bare-faced cheek.

 

It did of course sometimes happen that the bloke in advance didn't know I had arrived in which case he (and anyone who was listening in) would get a call on the 'bus circuit asking him why he wasn't keeping pace with my movements and who had let him down by not letting him know i was about? We will however draw a discreet vale over what took place when I was working a 'box and trying to keep block & block trains on the move with as little time wasting as possible.

[Jon Fitness]

Not the way to do it in my view (the 'traffic manager' that is). If it happened when I was in a 'box and the Signalman there knocked out without a Call Attention (which it never did as it happened) I'd have given him a rollocking for bare-faced cheek.

 

It did of course sometimes happen that the bloke in advance didn't know I had arrived in which case he (and anyone who was listening in) would get a call on the 'bus circuit asking him why he wasn't keeping pace with my movements and who had let him down by not letting him know i was about? We will however draw a discreet vale over what took place when I was working a 'box and trying to keep block & block trains on the move with as little time wasting as possible.

 

Haha! When ever anyone (managerial) walked in my box without me having time to contact the next box, I'd just pick up the phone and say "was it you that was after Mr *****.....no? Well he's here if you want him...."

Got frowned at several times but it never failed

Jon F.

[Jon Fitness]

Block instruments often featured internal hand-tappers to transmit the bell codes to adjoining signal boxes; on my L & Y instrument, the tapper button is in the centre of the semi-rotary commutator switch, which is itself used to transmit the "Train on Line" or "Line Clear" indication for the block section concerned.

Each Rly. company (or S & T Contractor) used their own style of block-signalling equipment; some with internal bells; some with separate bell boxes and some with internal or external tappers......It was said that old hands could recognise the 'hand' of a familiar colleague on duty in a neighbouring `box, just by hearing their bell-codes.

 

 

 

 

OOOh bonny! Wheres that one from then? I've rung quite a few of those in the past....

JF

[Debs.]

OOOh bonny! Wheres that one from then? I've rung quite a few of those in the past....

JF

 

I believe it served the down block-section: Pemberton Jnc. - Hindley West Jnc...........or so the little hand-written card inside proclaimed, when I purchased it.

[Jon Fitness]

I believe it served the down block-section: Pemberton Jnc. - Hindley West Jnc...........or so the little hand-written card inside proclaimed, when I purchased it.

Ah no! Before my time...never mind. Nearest I got to that was Crow Nest Jn but only the new one. Hindley West I would presume went around the time Warrington PSB arrived (waits to be corrected....)

JF

[LNERGE]

I note it appears to have embossed tubular wire labels. Not so common on the LMR?