RailWest

As an aside, but talking of 'backing' signals reminded me that I encountered someone recently who thought that the GWR signals were called 'backing' because when a train was stopped at such a signal and then the arm came 'off' the train had to 'back away' from it (ie go into reverse)! I've come across a few weird misconceptions about signalling, but that was a new one on me :-)

..except perhaps Swanage or Bude, or the Bay line at through stations such as Yeoford or Okehampton etc :-)

Strictly speaking those levers are for the FPLs themselves, which usually incorporated mechanical 'locking bars' as part of their mechanism. 'Detection bars' - usually electrical, but originally mechanical - were often used with trailing points to enforce clearance on converging routes.

I would assume that would be the odd occasions when a engine might depart from Platform 1 to proceed only as far as shunt disc C in order to go over the cross-over into the run-round loop and then back into the carriage siding to collect some ECS? So you need a shunt signal under the P1 starter as well in order for the engine to 'draw ahead' to disc rather than get the main arm and then stop part way for the points to be changed. Getting ECS from the Carriage Siding to P1 is going to be a cumbersome process - especially if P2 is occupied! - unless the head-shunt beyond disc A is a lot longer than the drawing suggests.

As regards 'stacked' signals, IIRC the comment referred to having what appeared to be multiple stop arms on a post. As regards ground signals IMHO it is fair to say that the SR never did that, although the L&SWR often had two side-by-side,

The point leading into the carriage siding will need to lie normal the other way than shown so as to act as a trap to protect platform 2.

1. Scrap the distant arms 2. Get the arms to point the correct way (to the left) for the direction of travel it makes it easier to understand the drawing then :-) 3. With all due respect to a previous suggestion, I would avoid non-terminal stations such as Okehampton etc as (a) they're not really relevant and (b) some of them had later upgrades that might not match your 'history'. 4. For ex-L&SWR termini you need to look at places such as Sidmouth, Bude, Ilfracombe (maybe), Swanage etc. 5. Although not unknown, IMHO ex-L&SWR termini requiring trains to be propelled back out again in other to run-round appear to have been in a minority.

As a general point, MDF and moisture usually do not go well together over a long period, so (a) try not to 'wet' your track too much and (b) keep the baseboards away from damp locations :-(

I can't work out what 4 is mean to be ? To be honest, if the station is now 'good only', I would suggest that ALL signals would have been removed and just the two connections off the main line worked from a small ground-frame.

But...you can still go from St Erth to St Ives (and back again) :-)

Judging from the diagrams just a simple SPDT (single-pole double-throw switch). No need for any 'off' position as the signal will always be lit (unless you intend to use it as a subsidiary to a main arm in which case it would be 'dark' or two whites).

I think the keys on your keyboard could do with a bit of 'detection' too :-) :-) Or is that the Western vernacular creeping in.....

Basically yes. FPL bolt proved 'in', the 'closed' switch rail proved closed and also the 'open' switch rail proved open. The relative position of the latter two slides governs which of the two signal slides can move.

That will be the detection. The interlocking in the frame is only capable of ensuring that you can pull the right lever for the right signal depending on the position of the point and FPL levers. The detection ensure that the points blades are actually properly closed and the FPL plunger is full in.

Both of Honiton's distants were converted to C/Ls on 16th Dec that year, the Incline's Down Distant being done on the 19th. Not sure why they did the UP so much earlier that year...

The previous semaphore Up Distant was only 80 yards closer to the SB. In the case of the replacement Down Distant, the new C/L was 'close to' the old semaphore.

It would appear that even Honiton Incline got 'modernised' a bit in BR days, as the Distants signals were converted to colour-lights in 1962 - the Up Distant in Jan and the Down Distant in Dec. I wonder if the relevant levers got cut down even shorter? The Down Starting had been renewed and moved further out towards Honiton in the 1940s, so probably a UQ arm by then - anyone seen a photo of it please?

IMHO any trailing catch in rear of the Down Home would have been the typical un-worked type that would have been clipped and padlocked in the event of SLW. As regards the one for the Refuge siding, I see that as simply a sprung trailing point which lay normally for the siding. Had there been the capability also to work it from the box then I would expect it to be specifically marked as a 'slotted joint' or similar terminology.

What intrigues me about the arrangements at HI was that - in theory at least - you could not pull/push a train out of the siding onto the Down Main and then back across the crossover onto the Up Main purely by using the signals and points worked from the SB - the trailing point would have to be held over all the time. Also - and it's a long time now since I looked into the matter, so my recollection of the facts is a bit hazy - there used to be a second siding coming off the 'refuge' siding. IIRC this served some form of sand pit and was used by the Engineers. I can recall some old instruction about ensuring that the hand-lever working the sand siding point had to be kept with the points set for the refuge line so that an run-aways did not run into the sand siding by mistake to the detriment of any unfortunate Engineering Dept staff.

I have uploaded now a new web-page about MOOREWOOD (including Old Down Siding). It's mostly about the signalling there (no surprise there!) , but I've included some background details about the stone and coal traffic also. Sadly there is a dearth of good photographs and maps for that location, so contributions would be welcome :-) and hopefully more detail can be added in due course. The photograph below - sadly very poor and uncredited - has been included here as I /think/ that the 'T' shaped structure in the background /might/ be a 'tower' for the erstwhile aerial ropeway to Cockhill Quarry - any thoughts? http://www.trainweb.org/railwest/railco/sdjr/moorewood.html

Actually, that is irrelevant :-) The 'Rule 55' diamond exists because a train standing at the signal is detected by track-circuit ACT in rear of that signal. The FPL and point are detected by TC ABT, which is in advance of the signal.

It's track-circuited, so the 'train detection' is electrical rather than mechanical :-)

>>>Whereabouts was the Moorewood one and I will have a look.... Thanks. Problem is, the exact location is a bit of a mystery, as the various records are conflicting! It will have been either just north of Bridge 57 (carrying the main road east of Old Down), or between Bridge 57 and Bridge 58 (Coalpit Lane).

>>>Are there 2 versions of this book ?, mine, first published in 1986, has pictures of an empty Masbury in plate 53 ! Actually, it appears that there were three - 1986, 1995 and 1999. Mine is the 1999 version.

Firstly, it is quite likely that the Down Sidings were effectively out-of-use for some years before the points were removed, given that apparently both coal and stone traffic from them had ceased by the late 1930s. On the other hand, it has been said that they were used to hold (empty?) wagons for the Emborough works and also for New Rock Colliery, as the latter's sidings at Chilcompton did not have the capacity. Indeed, it is said there was a proposal to retain a length of track of the S&DJR after 1966 from Bath to Moorewood specifically for New Rock, who would otherwise have to seek alternative loading facilities (but instead they closed down). I have been pointed to a better scan of the Toop photo here It is possible to enlarge this much more clearer to the extent that no point is discernable in the down line nor any rodding leading across to it, but the shortening of the perspective is a little confusing. In the background can be seen disc 14, for moves back over the east crossover. This is where it gets confusing.....according to George Pryer disc 11, for moves back INTO the Down siding, was in the 6-foot, and as clearly it is not there then one might assume that it has been removed, However, all the available signal diagrams for Moorewood (1914, 1930 and early BR) show that signal to be on the outside of the track and there is no known record of it being moved, in which case one would expect any view of it to be blocked by the train anyway.