GWR round/square post MSE signals

[tom82]

Good evening

 

I'm looking for some advice if possiable as to which time period the above signals were used by the GWR, would I be right in thinking the square post being wooden were in use long before the round post type which I belive are made from metal? so would of came in to use at a much later date?

 

The layout im building is late 1920's so any advice as to which type would of been inuse would be hepfull.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[gwrrob]

Thats a great question Tom and I'm sure Mike [The Stationmaster] will be along to answer it thoroughly.

[buffalo]

Yes, I'm sure Mike will be able to tell us much more but, in the meantime, take a look at this page.

 

Nick

[asmay2002]

For a late 1920s layout use the square wooden posts.

[tom82]

Thanks for the replys and the link,looks like the square post wooden type is the way to go..

 

Tom

[The Stationmaster]

Definitely wooden (or concretre, or lattice) posts for the 1920s. The tubular steel design appeared in the 1930s although with out delving out my source (which is relatively contemporaneous) I can't be sure of the exact year - 'mid 1930s' isn't far adrift as a generalisation. The interesting thing about the early steel posts is that they seem to have been quite tall (arm height at least 27ft above rail level) and they were used with wooden signal arms if (the few) contemporary photos and writings of a few years later are any guide at all. In this state they seem to have been very much an experiment but tubular steel posts were in use for (GWR pattern) colour light running signals by the latter half of the decade and seem to have come into general use for semaphores from around that time.

 

(as an amusing aside the earlier GWR colour lights were mounted on wooden posts complete with finials and had cast iron number plates arranged vertically. The GW was not unique in mounting colour light signals on wooden posts although I think it might have been the only company to use wooden posts for new colour lights, i.e. those which were not converted from semaphore signals).