Swindon 123 Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 In recent years the Marches line between Newport and Crewe, and including Shrewsbury to Wrexham and Dee Marsh, has been one of the last strongholds of semaphore signals, especially lower quadrant, on the network. However recent resignalling schemes have started to deplete their number. Many semaphore stop signals still survive, on borrowed time, but the distant ones have taken a real battering. A recent survey I did found only two examples of worked semaphore's left. Pennyffords down distant, which is U/Q and still worked on the wire, and Sutton Bridge's down distant, which is motor worked. This distant is L/Q and possibly the last one of it's kind unless someone can come up with another example and may survive a few years more as the Shrewsbury area and Sutton Bridge Jcn box are not up for replacement before 2020 at this present time. The most recent losses have been the distants at Moreton-on Lugg, Wooferton and Dorrington on the down and Sutton Bridge's up distant, all motor worked L/Q type. Pennyffords down distant is living on borrowed time as its replacement colour light is in position, although it has been so for the last couple of years.So how many working semaphore distant signals are left on Network Rail? Many fixed ones still exist. Shrewsbury and Worcester areas have many, but there are very few working ones left. I have not include those on Preserved lines as hopefully they will survive into the future. As a taster I have included a shot, (from the rear unfortunately) of the one that still survives at Sutton Bridge Junction. The Stop arm is Severn Bridge's Down Hereford Starter/Section signal. Paul J. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Wainfleet, Hubberts Bridge, Brundall, Lingwood/Chapel Lane* are just a few working stand alone mechanical distants. Cantley i think has a motor worked distant. Barnetby/Wrawby Juncs have some but i'm not sure if they work. Give me a while and i'll find a few more. * You need to see the 'slotting' to believe it. Edit to add... https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/10496570165/ Careful study will reveal a bit missing... The distant is not capable of being worked.. Edit to edit the edit.. Here's one installed by my own fair paws.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Between Melton and Gylberdyke Jct, (Hull to Selby) all the remaining semaphore distants are worked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark axlecounter Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 There is one on the s&c wennington branch its settle's dist mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy stroud Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 What about the bracket signal at Norton Junction near Worcester. I think this has a distant semaphore arm which is worked by Gloucester Panel, for the approach to Abbotswood Junction Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Wainfleet, Hubberts Bridge, Brundall, Lingwood/Chapel Lane* are just a few working stand alone mechanical distants. Cantley i think has a motor worked distant. Barnetby/Wrawby Juncs have some but i'm not sure if they work. Give me a while and i'll find a few more. * You need to see the 'slotting' to believe it. Edit to add... https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/10496570165/ Careful study will reveal a bit missing... The distant is not capable of being worked.. Edit to edit the edit.. Here's one installed by my own fair paws.. DSC07132a.jpg What a silly looking signal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 4, 2014 There is one on the s&c wennington branch its settle's dist Alas that's a colour light: see here, there aren't any semaphore distants in that area as far as I know. The Buxton line still has some but I don't know how many are mechanical and how many motorised. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'm sure there's still a few on the Aberdeen-Inverness line beyond Inverurie, plus I'm pretty sure there's still a few between Arbroath and Stonehaven, likely with their original lattice posts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 What a silly looking signal. Reminds me of a fire escape.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Here's one installed by my own fair paws.. DSC07132a.jpg Is that Sleaford? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Is that Sleaford? Blackpool.. I installed it. I didn't design it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2014 What a silly looking signal. That's not very kind. I'm sure the chap was doing his best, in true RMweb fashion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clachnaharry Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Blackpool.. I installed it. I didn't design it. Yes - but you should have removed the scaffolding when you were done... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Yes - but you should have removed the scaffolding when you were done... No that has to stay. We plan on letting people up it for a fee along the lines of the nearby Blackpool Tower. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBill Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'm sure there's still a few on the Aberdeen-Inverness line beyond Inverurie, plus I'm pretty sure there's still a few between Arbroath and Stonehaven, likely with their original lattice posts. Agreed with Jim re north of Inverurie, but I strongly suspect that all distants on the Arbroath-Stonehaven section are two-aspect colour lights. Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2014 Blackpool.. I installed it. I didn't design it. Distant gone now as No.1 was abolished a year or two back. Cantley has two semaphore distants - one is visible in this clip of mine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Distant gone now as No.1 was abolished a year or two back. I had heard the distants remained used with a recontrolled former No1 box signal as an I.B. Is this the case? Edit to add.. Distants still there when this was taken.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rochdalepioneer/9442022519/in/photolist-fomQkH-dasgik-crZths-crZsWq-9QfqSy-eAndan-6rAkS7-8wTcvX-ioZo7Q-7xAzR1-9TsdAM-7FReez-6mFKDr-4VpGmS-dvfX7J-cqfxgf-79ZAUd-8Zutom-cuZowo-8o3KY7-kBHLRp-kgcfeF-aC6R5Y-kgcHeH-jwmaw7-ayDHYr-8WSifA-6q5Apo-6rAkS5-dBDLdt-czUMCQ-aB1qxa-5F1frj-6m359E-6ktzqG-9TbUnj-6mJwtw-7JEvYA-7PzotV-7Ewopf-7U5ZQV-djwAyy-bDyt3Z-5iEKKr-cdDsYA-8Fh8z1-dypKBV-6yqGbW-jkVpgQ-ixoub6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2014 I had heard the distants remained used with a recontrolled former No1 box signal as an I.B. Is this the case? I will ask my friendly signal engineer - I'd assumed it had gone, but I might be wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwffc Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'm sure there's still a few on the Aberdeen-Inverness line beyond Inverurie, plus I'm pretty sure there's still a few between Arbroath and Stonehaven, likely with their original lattice posts. According to the line diagrams I have for that line the only 2 are/were MN 45 and MN45R but think they were replaced when they resignalled the Montrose area. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2014 Uttoxetter has them in both directions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwffc Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'm sure there's still a few on the Aberdeen-Inverness line beyond Inverurie, plus I'm pretty sure there's still a few between Arbroath and Stonehaven, likely with their original lattice posts. Also al Aberdeen -Inverness distant signals are all colour light Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 4, 2014 Uttoxetter has them in both directions That brings back some memories, I was a child the last time I went along there and I vaguely recall having seen in some book a simple description of what the signals meant (I just about got the idea of semaphores but hadn't worked out colour lights), spent the journey with my eyes peeled telling everyone whether we were about to stop or not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Wainfleet, Hubberts Bridge, Brundall, Lingwood/Chapel Lane* are just a few working stand alone mechanical distants. Cantley i think has a motor worked distant. Barnetby/Wrawby Juncs have some but i'm not sure if they work. Give me a while and i'll find a few more. * You need to see the 'slotting' to believe it. Edit to add... https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/10496570165/ Careful study will reveal a bit missing... The distant is not capable of being worked.. Edit to edit the edit.. Here's one installed by my own fair paws.. DSC07132a.jpg Oooh looks like some industrial plant has lost it's safety walkways for this job... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Frodsham Junction's Down distant is still semaphore but motor worked. JF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2014 Uttoxetter has them in both directions Thinking about it so do 2 more boxes down the line, scropton and tutbury & hatton Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.