Burghclere Signal Box

[colin penfold]

OK so here goes!

 

I have been collecting stock and reference material for ages to build a layout based on the Didcot Newbury and Southampton Railway. I thought it was about time I did some actual modelling!

 

I have previously scratchbuilt buildings in card and plasticard, but was given a large amount of foamboard recently. I had read lots of people use it, so I thought i'd try it.

 

 

Burghclere signal box seemed like a gentle easing into things. I checked my reference material and had a book with the plans in, and a book with useful interior photos. There were a couple of things I was unsure of, so I made some enquiries on the prototype questions section of this forum and asked an ex-gwr signalman I bumped into at the North Norfolk Railway. Ready!

 

 

LESSON 1 Having followed my usual plasticard method of cutting all four walls from a single piece to fold up into a box - it don't work with foam board 'cos it's too thick (like me) I then chamfered the back of the fold points but had to cut it near the doorway due to it deforming when I tried to fold it. Nevertheless, I was able to get two square "half boxes"

 

 

LESSON 2 I tried a dry assembly taping the box up with sellotape to check all was square and OK. Sellotape leaves a sticky residue when you peel it off foam board. It will not matter to me as I will be laminating brick plasticard onto the surface anyway.

 

 

LESSON 3 Whenever you start a job you will find bits you don't have! I discovered I need some plastruct to build up the window frames around the Churchward Models etches to make them fit the holes in the box walls. I also found that there are not enough of the size window I needed on the WRP10 etch, so had to order TWO more etches. Hey ho - end of wall construction for the day.

 

I then turned my attention to the box interior. Using a couple of photos in the lovely little book "Burghclere signalman" I adapted the Springside models interior detailing kit to create a representation of the inside of my box. I converted the springside stool into a wind-up mechanism for the hand generator for the electric points. I made a small box on legs made from wire to represent the rest of the generator. I was not keen on the signalmen provided by springside, so I have used a chap in a nice relaxed standing pose, from Pete Goss's set PD2. I for one am glad he didn't follow his brothers Matt and Luke into the pop industry!

 

 

That's enough for one day, leaving the glue to dry now. When the block shelf is dry I can add the instruments. Hopefully I will get time to paint the box interior before the additional windows and plastic arrive in the mail and then I will be able to get back to constructing the walls.

[Jon Gwinnett]

Can't wait to see developments. A favourite prototype (I'm a Basingstoke boy)and it looks like you're doing a great job. Maybe I should dust off my plans fora Basingstoke to Kingsclere branchline. Keep up the good work.

[Oldddudders]

Is this not eligible for the 2012 scratchbuild challenge? You might check the regs to see if it is. Looks very promising as a concept, and such utility buildings are a bit unusual in model form - we all tend to prefer the old company versions, after all.

[colin penfold]

Thanks Oldudders, its nice of you to suggest the challenge - I will give it some thought but my initial inclination is to keep out of the white heat of competition )

[The Stationmaster]

Great stuff Colin - be interesting to see how it develops. A couple of points which I hope will be helpful, Burghclere was a crossing station on a single line so it would have had two token machines (no doubt the other one was not included in the pic above) although if it followed usual Western practice there would still have been two block bells on the block shelf, without tappers as the bell signals were sent using the token machines.

 

The 1943 frame had 26 levers according to SRS information with no spares and six spaces (3, 4, 5, 23, 24, 25) - if you need the lever colours just shout and I'll dig them out. There were three track circuits for which indicators would have been mounted on the block shelf, lamp repeaters for each of the distants (both were fixed at caution) and possibly lamp and/or arm repeaters for up to three of the stop signals, but no more, which would also have been on the blockshelf. All of these things - except lever colours - should show up in any interior pics in Kevin Robertson's book I would think.

[colin penfold]

Drat! because I only had levers from 6 onwards in the photo I now have levers in positions 3,4 and 5! Might remove them if I can because the frame does look lop sided. Interestingly the photo in my book shows levers 14 and 17-21 missing. The 1943 signalling diagram shows 28 levers which is confirmed by the photo in the book. The photo is undated but I think the list you have seen pre-dates the removal of the lime works sidings in 1946 which account for all of those levers, and the photo is obviously after removal. I was mildly suprised to see levers missing from the frame. I am used to SR practice which always seemed to be to leave the unused levers in the frame and paint them white. I am wondering whether to put in the second token machine. The book refers to them being at opposite ends of the 'box, so as you say the other one would not be visible in the photo. The springside kit has the one you can see in my shot above and one of the larger floor-standing units (wrong for this box?). I think that I might take artistic licence and assume the other one will be out of sight once the box is built!

 

As I understand it, signal levers are red, points black and FPLs blue. I'd be grateful for confirmation of that and any suggestions for the colour of the top of the motor point lever (no22) In the photo the top third looks white?

 

Thanks for showing such an interest

[beast66606]

Looks in a lot better condition than when I went inside it in the early 1980s !

 

The point lever is probably half blue / half black - combined point and facing point lock.

 

The power points might have short lever tops too, check the photos or Mike may confirm.

 

Nice job.

[colin penfold]

Urged on by Mike the stationmaster, I removed levers 3,4 and 5 and moved lever 22 one slot to the left cos it was in the wrong one!

 

I also put some instruments on the block shelf. They are a rough representation of the items on the block shelf in the photo I am working from, rather than an attempt at an accurate representation. They make the best use of the castings provided by springside.

 

Not a lot of modelling today because it hardly rained at all it seemed like a chance to go for a nice walk with my wife.

 

[-missy-]

That looks good Colin.

 

I have an interest in this and its great to see someone elses version of the line.

 

Dont forget the safe that the signalman uses when there is an air raid. I read about it in one of the DNSR books.

 

Missy

[colin penfold]

Thanks Missy, I remember you posting your 2mm scale model on my thread asking about these boxes. As I said at the time I'll be glad if I get anywhere near that. Appreciate your interest.

[beast66606]

Urged on by Mike the stationmaster, I removed levers 3,4 and 5 and moved lever 22 one slot to the left cos it was in the wrong one!

 

I hope the photo is the "before" shot otherwise you've moved the wrong ones ! - you still have levers 1-3 in place, meaning 4,5 and 6 are spaces...

 

Don't forget the diagram

[colin penfold]

aaaaaaaaaaaaargh I'll do it before bed!

 

If I could count I'd be dangerous!

 

Thanks

[The Stationmaster]

Lever 22 would be top half blue, bottom half black with a shortened handle and 4 notches in the floor plate quadrant instead of two (you pull the lever over to the first notch where the locking on the circuit controller stops it, turn the hurdy gurdy until the points motor over and you hear the lock drop then pull the lever to full stroke).

 

Lever colours Nos. 6 & 15 were blue; 9, 12, 16, 17, and 20 were black; all the rest were red except for No.22.

 

There should be two token instrumnets as already discussed and the Western usually mounted them on a timber frame with 4 legs - one at each corner, or a small wooden cupboard - yours looks perfectlly ok, the machines were red with the guides on the token slots picked out in black. If the block shelf wasn't varnished wood it would be painted gloss black as was the metalwork from which it was suspended.

 

Interesting that those surplus levers were taken away as that would have meant a locking alteration but it no doubt happened in teh days when costs weren't being too carefully watched or maybe somebody needed some spares and parts of the locking?

[colin penfold]

Brill, thanks Mike.

 

All can rest, I corrected my erroneous lever move last night and the gaps (and levers!) are all in the right places now.

 

Next stage is painting the interior ready for imprisoning it inside the 'box.

 

there is no glimpse of the signalbox diagram (thanks Beast) in the photo I am working from. Was it on the rear wall rather than hanging over the frame?

[beast66606]

there is no glimpse of the signalbox diagram (thanks Beast) in the photo I am working from. Was it on the rear wall rather than hanging over the frame?

 

LMR practice would have it over the frame, I think WR was the same.

[The Stationmaster]

Brill, thanks Mike.

 

All can rest, I corrected my erroneous lever move last night and the gaps (and levers!) are all in the right places now.

 

Next stage is painting the interior ready for imprisoning it inside the 'box.

 

there is no glimpse of the signalbox diagram (thanks Beast) in the photo I am working from. Was it on the rear wall rather than hanging over the frame?

WR practice was to mount the diagram above the frame. The pic below shows the place and usual angle - albeit this one is an illuminated diagram so much 'thicker' than the non-illuminated sort and the mounting method is different from the way it was done in the ARP 'boxes (which I think had the diagram suspended from the ceiling if my memory is fully operational) as was the usual method.

 

[Tim Chambers]

Thanks Colin,very interesting project. look forward to more! Can heartily recommend Kevin Robertson's book as illustrated-a fascinating read.If more D.N.& S atmosphere is required, try Harold Gasson's excellent books,Firing Days, Footplate Days, Nostalgic Days and Signalling Days.

By the way, the "ex GWR" signalman you mention wasn't Adrian Vaughan by any chance?

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks Colin,very interesting project. look forward to more! Can heartily recommend Kevin Robertson's book as illustrated-a fascinating read.If more D.N.& S atmosphere is required, try Harold Gasson's excellent books,Firing Days, Footplate Days, Nostalgic Days and Signalling Days.

By the way, the "ex GWR" signalman you mention wasn't Adrian Vaughan by any chance?

 

I doubt there are all that many ex GWR Signalmen still around as even if they became a Signalman in the final year of the company that would make them well into their 80s now - although some of them were pretty tough characters. Adrian Vaughan didn't become a Signalman until 1961 according to his website and although the site doesn't mention it he had resigned from the railway a couple of times, and come back, prior to his final resignation in 1975 when he went to Ireland to spend more time on his writing.

 

The Western Region ceased use of former GWR block regulations - by then already heavily altered - in late 1960 when the 'standard' BR Block Regulations came into use to replace all the former Company regs and their variants although there were still some differences in the Western Regs until 1972 when the new edition, truly 'standard' edition, came out (and we had to learn some of it all over again, albeit by then the differences had mostly vanished as the 1960 Western book had gone through 8 lots of amendments and supplements).

[colin penfold]

Thanks Colin,very interesting project. look forward to more! Can heartily recommend Kevin Robertson's book as illustrated-a fascinating read.If more D.N.& S atmosphere is required, try Harold Gasson's excellent books,Firing Days, Footplate Days, Nostalgic Days and Signalling Days.

By the way, the "ex GWR" signalman you mention wasn't Adrian Vaughan by any chance?

 

I don't think it was AV although I have to confess I didn't catch his name. He was keeping the signalman company at Weybourne. I initially asked the signalman a question about 'box lighting, he asked the gent in question who said he was no good to me as he was ex - GWR. Obviously that was good news to me because a GWR-specific answer would be better. He was a bit difficult to keep to subject and I got some wonderful anecdotes.

[colin penfold]

Hi all, but especially for Beast , here is the signalbox diagram ready for hanging over the frame. It's the actual diagram reproduced from a book, photocopied on reduction and glued to a piece of foamboard thinned down. I have glued a small length of 5amp fuse wire on the back to hang it from. Might put a frame round it, but then again its going to be barely visible once the 'box is assembled so I might spare myself and just paint the edge brown when I do the back

 

[beast66606]

And the working track cicruit indicators ?

 

I would yellow it up a bit to simulate a slightly faded front.

 

Nice job.

[The Stationmaster]

And the working track cicruit indicators ?

On the block shelf - nice looking things too.

 

I would yellow it up a bit to simulate a slightly faded front.

We aren't talking about the LMS here!!! Old Western diagrams (which were, of course, mounted behind glass - on board) tended to hold their colour extremely well; my 1911 diagram, which was taken out of use in 1961, is much nearer to its original very pale white linen colour than - for example - a much later LMS diagram from KLakeside 'box which had definitely yellowed quite a lot. Whether Reading used better quality linen or whatever I don't know but its diagrams did tend to stay on good condition and hold their colour very well.

[colin penfold]

A few things have delayed me including good weather and a family holiday but I have now finished painting the 'box interior. Just waiting on a delivery of some more etched windows to crack on with the main structure. In the meantime here's a series of photos as I painted the bits and bobs a colour at a time. I decided as there was different info on a photo I had and the signalbox diagram in the same book (Burghclere Signalman) that I would go with the evidence from the diagram and reinstate some missing levers. I think the frame looks better for it, and the levers in question were those related to the lime works sidings, which I plan to keep in my model.

 

[colin penfold]

HEEEELLPP! (done with my best Penelope Pitstop voice!)

 

I have a window catastrophe.

 

I bought the etched Churchward Models windows from Modelex, and there isn't a window the exact right size on the etch.

 

I have trimmed the nearest sized one to fit the void, but I am having a crisis of confidence as to whether it's good enough. I have really appreciated the interest people have shown in my little project, so here is where you start to earn the money I'm not paying you: I have taken a photo of a window in place overlaid onto the plan which shows what it should look like. Ignoring the extra line (a safety bar I will need to fix on externally when the brick skin's in place) does it look OK? If not, what should I do? I know people with steadier hands than me and better eyesight paint glazing bars onto clear plastic but I know I'm not up to that. Three sets of the churchward windows won't fit into the correct width of wall, so the alternative means re-cutting the walls slightly overscale to accommodate the oversize windows.

 

[Captain Kernow]

_{Colin, if you are sure that your window apertures are the correct size, then it's clearly a matter of the Churchward/Modelex windows being for a smaller sized box (actually a cautionary tale, as I will have to check them myself when I come to scratchbuild a GW Type 5 box in a couple of years time).}

 

_{Unless you reduce the size of the window apertures (I'd perhaps be tempted to make up a fresh card mock-up to see how it all looks), there is the option of using a bow pen (or Bob Moore lining pen, as I do), to produce your own, which would essentially be neat Humbrol enamels drawn onto the glazing material. Alternatively, you could do as I've seen others do, and use very small section Evergreen plastic section, glued directly to the glazing (the less agressive 'Limone' liquid adhesive sold by Wizard Models might be appropriate here).}

 

_{Either way, you have my sympathies, it's not unreasonable to make a key assumption around the likelihood of the etched windows being to a standard GW design!...}