'Modern' Western Region signal boxes

[Captain Kernow]

The model of the 'Plywood wonder' was on  Bernie Bakers P4 layout Allyt-y-Graban Road

 

And here's a photo of the model that I took at RailWells in August 2011, an absolutely exquisite rendering:

[Captain Kernow]

A couple of views of another brick built version - Exmouth Jct - still very much 'up and running', albeit with a small panel in there now, rather than the highly-polished lever frame that I remember when I first visited in the early 1980s. These views were taken in 2008:

 

 

 

 

Edit - the pinkish patch on the front wall was an earlier over-painting of graffitti, needless to say, they returned and it doesn't look quite as clean as that now...

Edited January 20, 2013 by Captain Kernow

[The Stationmaster]

A couple of views of another brick built version - Exmouth Jct - still very much 'up and running', albeit with a small panel in there now, rather than the highly-polished lever frame that I remember when I first visited in the early 1980s. These views were taken in 2008:

 

DSC00030.JPG

 

DSC00044.JPG

 

 

Edit - the pinkish patch on the front wall was an earlier over-painting of graffitti, needless to say, they returned and it doesn't look quite as clean as that now...

Except that it's a Southern design        (like quite a few on the Salisbury - Exeter line albeit with a few detail differences).  (and I think it had a Westinghouse A3 frame?)

[Rivercider]

When you say 'Rose Hay North' are you perhaps thinking of Rose Hetworth?  I know it had a relatively modern structure (which survived as a Shunters' cabin after it ceased to be a signalbox) but I'm not sure how modern it was.  Which reminds me of Maindy Bridge (new 1956) which was also in the Bathampton style and which survived as the Shunters' cabin - an easy one to forget as I used to visit it almost every week for a year in the days when it was a Shunters' cabin 

 

Not a great shot, but here is a crop of a picture of Rose Heyworth

 

Sets B471 and B462 stand at Rose Heyworth on the Roath Dock Rumbler Railtour, 4/4/81

 

cheers

Edited January 20, 2013 by Rivercider

[SM42]

Tim V, post #24

Thanks for that picture of Kidderminster. So much history local to me (and a view from my youth. I was 8 when that picture was taken and living where  the houses on the right are. Now live behind the tower blocks in background)  and so much of it now history. Only the up and down main and the trailing crossover remain. Box was demolished sometime in December. Box was 1953 (25th Oct to be precise) vintage after original wooden structure was demolished a by a derailed freight train on 7th June of that year and contained 66 levers

 

Oh and Onibury is still there. Well it was last time I looked!

 

Andy.

Edited January 20, 2013 by SM42

[Tim V]

As no one has posted a picture of Evesham, this one dates from the 70s, before the former railway land on the left was developed.

 

Glad the name of Rose Heyworth was cleared up, I was reading very faint marks on the back of a picture.

 

I thought the picture of Kidderminster would be more interesting than a recent one, the view the other way from the bridge is even more different from today, but not appropriate to this thread.

[Captain Kernow]

Except that it's a Southern design        

Never said it wasn't, though!!          (fair cop!)

 

Here are some views of Evesham taken during the final big Cotswolds re-doubling blockade in August 2011:

 

 

 

 

Close-up of the wood panelling:

 

 

[Tim V]

Still Evesham (WR) to differentiate from the Midland box.....

[Eggesford box]

A few more 'Plywood wonders:

all three photos taken on 13/06/1985, the front elevation showing a bit more details of the slats above the windows. I believe this box gained a stay of execution as it was due to be closed as part of stage 1 of the Exeter area resignalling even to the extent of a new diagram being produced for Exminster boxes role as the fringe to Exeter panel. Resumption of traffic to the sidings at City Basin lead to a rethink. 

the smallest of them all, Onibury, both photos taken on 31/10/1986. Presumably because of its size it does not have a door panel at both ends

Eggesford box, reputed to be second hand from Ashendon Junction. Showing its pleasent location as much as anything. The two shots where taken at different times as evidenced by the removal of the slats above the windows. I think the removal of the slats tended to give the boxes a somewhat 'bare headed' appearance and a model would look much more interesting with them in place.Though as in such things taste is very subjective.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Eggesford box

[Eggesford box]

Some photos of Fenny Compton near the end of its days. I used to work this box on a fairly regular basis at one time owing to staff shortages. It worked absolute block to Banbury North and TCB to Leamington. The section between Banbury Norths IB signal at Cropredy and Fenny Compton on the down and the same length of section on the up where the choke points on the line and lead to the boxes demise with the increase in traffic.

 

The down line had  4 semaphore signals and a colour light distant whilst the up had just two colour lights on the mains. The up home was a three aspect some half a mile from the box. On nights I always used to pull it off as soon as a train had cleared the section signal 'just in case' even though in addition to the train descrber beeping there was a loud sounding annunciator as an up train passed Greaves siding. One night I turned up at the box with the S&T for some reason. The signalman came to with something of a start as we trooped up the steps. Glancing up at the diagram I noticed the track circuit on the approach to the up home was occupied; also, at this time, the SPT on the signal was not working. I pointed this out to the signalman and he pulled the signal off. Nothing happened. A few minutes later we heard the crunch of boots on ballast and a driver emerged from the stairwell. The signalman was most apologetic. With a look that could kill the driver turned on his heels and began his half mile trudge back to his train! 

 

The layout at Fenny is somewhat lengthy and the scenery a bit uninspiring but I have often thought that a very condensed version, when the army loco used to bring the traffic from Kineton to Fenny and exchange traffic with the BR loco, could provide a basis for an interesting layout.

[br2975]

Some shots of Waterloo Loop,  taken 7^th. July, 1973 appears at:-

http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?page=7&serial=124&img=G-188-16

http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?img=G-188-30&serial=138&page=8

http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?img=G-188-32&serial=140&page=8

 

Does anyone know of any published drawings / sketches / dimensions of a 'typical' BR(WR) "plywood wonder" ?

.

Brian R

[deltic17]

I've got to say to my eye these modern WR versions are pretty ugly signal boxes.....

[TheSignalEngineer]

I used to visit the Fenny Compton area a lot in the 1970s with various ongoing jobs. It was a full day out to get there and back, sometimes with a lift to Banbury from the local staff to catch the Poole - Newcastle back to Birmingham, after buying the Banbury Cakes of course.

It would also be a nice one to model in the days of the through trains on the SMJ after the southbound link at Evesham Road was built in the 1960s. Unfortunately the traffic only lasted a few years more.

Some good stuff about the line including a shot of a 9F passing the box here http://www.smj.me/photo/br-9f-fenny-compton-1965?context=album&albumId=3138568%3AAlbum%3A34494

Edited January 26, 2013 by TheSignalEngineer

[flyingsignalman]

Some photos of "Plywood Wonders"

 

Rossett

 

Buttington Crossing

 

Onibury

 

All photos taken about 1982

[flyingsignalman]

Some shots of Waterloo Loop,  taken 7^th. July, 1973 appears at:-

http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?page=7&serial=124&img=G-188-16

http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?img=G-188-30&serial=138&page=8

http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?img=G-188-32&serial=140&page=8

 

Does anyone know of any published drawings / sketches / dimensions of a 'typical' BR(WR) "plywood wonder" ?

.

Brian R

 

"The Signal Box, a pictorial history and guide to designs" by the Signalling Study Group, published by OPC in 1986, states in a caption to a picture of Rossett box that "This box is made from five 6ft. panels, with an overall length of 32ft. The standard width of Type 37 was 13ft., and the standard height was 9ft."

 

(The height referred to is the operating floor height above rail level)

[Ramblin Rich]

I admit they're pug ugly boxes but somehow I'm drawn to the Eggesford setup & it could be a fairly easy scratch build with the example dimensions given (thanks flyingsignalman) - does anyone know if the roofs were/are completely flat or recessed at all?

[Armchair Modeller]

 

Here is Bargoed from up on high

 

 

Edited January 27, 2013 by Armchair Modeller

[The Stationmaster]

I admit they're pug ugly boxes but somehow I'm drawn to the Eggesford setup & it could be a fairly easy scratch build with the example dimensions given (thanks flyingsignalman) - does anyone know if the roofs were/are completely flat or recessed at all?

The roofs were very lightly angled - towards the back of the 'box - so that the rain would run off.  I think at least some of the early ones had chippings on bitumen on the roof but the level of finish dropped in later years and as the buildings were re-used with a major casualty being the original varnished wood finish, losing that gave them a much more austere appearance.

[Ramblin Rich]

BGD1.jpg

 

Here is Bargoed from up on high

 

 

The roofs were very lightly angled - towards the back of the 'box - so that the rain would run off.  I think at least some of the early ones had chippings on bitumen on the roof but the level of finish dropped in later years and as the buildings were re-used with a major casualty being the original varnished wood finish, losing that gave them a much more austere appearance.

 

Thanks - those posts make the situation clearer

A set of plans would be good though; does anyone know if they are the same basic dimesions to the BR standard type (15?) as I seem to rmenmber there's a plan in an old MRC of that type...

Edited January 28, 2013 by Ramblin Rich

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks - those posts make the situation clearer

A set of plans would be good though; does nayone know if they are the same basic dimesions to the BR standard type (15?) as I seem to rmenmber there's a plan in an old MRC of that type...

Seemingly not Rich.  The LMR Type 15 design used 8ft or 10ft wide panels although the book doesn't give the floor height or width so they might possibly have been similar to the WR design.

[Ramblin Rich]

Just remembered that there's a useful collection of photos of Eggesford box on the Cyberheritage site starting from this image - pictures by Dave Vinsen (ie RMweb memeber "Eggesford Box" !)

[Danemouth]

I cannot tell a lie. I find these signal boxes both charmless and wholly without character!

 

Dave

[br2975]

So we won't be seeing one with "DANEMOUTH BEACH ROAD SIGNAL BOX" emblazoned across it in the forseeable future ?

.

Brian R

[Danemouth]

So we won't be seeing one with "DANEMOUTH BEACH ROAD SIGNAL BOX" emblazoned across it in the forseeable future ? . Brian R

Not a hope in hell Brian,

 

See you tonight,

 

Dave

[Tim V]

Perhaps that is why we are unlikely to see a preserved box of this type.

 

Though it's LMR, the Dean Forest railway have a "modern" box at Lydney. Other railways have put traditional style boxes.