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Nice pictures. The North box up starters went from UQ to LQ soon after the connection from up platform to up main was taken out of use around July 1957, so their LQ replacements were a bracket and a single post. I think it's likely that it was at the same time as the splitting down homes at North box were renewed as LQs, in mid-58 as far as I can judge coinciding with the new frame in North box. I'm not sure whether there was a complete clearout of UQs before the 1968 remodelling, In the second edition of Jenkins' book, page 190, there is a picture of a 9F passing North box, dated 26 September 64, in which it's possible to see that the bay starting signal is still UQ. However, the accuracy of Jenkins' captions can be very poor. There's no doubt that after the 1968 resignalling all the signals were WR. Stuart J

Are you sure? The LMR had control of the Joint Line from 1975 until about 1990, and didn't replace a single signal until the total route modernisation started. What makes it difficult to mix periods if you are modelling the northern half of the line (West Wycombe to Ashendon Jn) is that the GCR/LNER were responsible for maintenance from opening, so many of the original GWR-pattern signals were replaced with upper quadrants over the years. On nationalisation, the WR gained control and lower quadrants came back steadily, so that by the time of the transfer to the LMR in 1975 there were no upper quadrants left. No such problem for the Northolt Jn - High Wycombe section, which was under GWR/WR maintenance throughout.

That picture is described elsewhere as dating from 1948, which looks much more likely than 1926, judging by the lady's costume and the oil drum.

Yes there was, and in the 1972 Rule Book, but there isn't any more- and that's the point of the advice. Stuart J RAIB

The Railways Archive site is complete for twentieth century Board of Trade/Ministry of Transport accident reports (and getting there steadily with the nineteenth century ones). Bear in mind that at any time there were only three or four Inspecting Officers, so only the most serious events were the subject of published official investigations. If you can get hold of a copy of the Inspectorate's Annual Report for the year you are interested in, you will find brief descriptions of many more events than ever appeared between blue covers. If that doesn't produce what you are looking for, the archives of the local press are probably your last resort, if your county holds them. Stuart J

When crossover 26 was removed, signal 25 would have been taken out as you have marked, but 27 would have stayed as it also applies to movements into the yard. It should have been moved back to be adjacent to the toe of 24 points. The arm below signal 34 is the distant for Swithland. The reference to "compensator point" may refer to the location of a compensator in the rodding run to 15B points (the main line connection to the down siding). For advice on compensators and where to put them, see

Another memory- spotting at WFJ, probably during the Easter holidays shortly before 86209 was removed, a gricer arrived from somewhere way up north who announced that he had copped all the 86s except one- which was lying at the bottom of the bank just down the road. Stuck in my mind at the time as an example of dedication to one's hobby taken to extremes, but since then I've seen much worse!

I make that less than three months. The coaches were there unattended long enough for some of the local youth to explore them thoroughly and remove the light fittings for re-use elsewhere. I can't think who that could have been

Actually, having checked the dates, I was wrong: that part of the M40 opened, as an isolated section between the present J2 and J4, in March 1969, and the railway closed a little over a year later, on 4 May 1970.

For a really short life, look no further than the M40 bridge over the Maidenhead - High Wycombe line, which closed before the motorway opened:

In my experience the best source for details of GWR/WR diagram practice is the Signalling Record Society Signalling Paper "Signal Box Diagrams of the GWR and BR(WR)" by Alan Price, which was written in the 1980s by a Reading Works insider and is still available via the SRS website https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/pubpapers.php . He says that the first GWR illuminated diagrams were installed in 1927 as part of the Engine & Carriage lines resignalling at Paddington, and were drawn at Reading although they owed some elements of style to Westinghouse practice. Page 92 of Vaughan's Great Western Signalling has a 1932 picture of Westbourne Bridge box with such a diagram. Stuart J

The current guidance/requirements document is at https://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/2158/level_crossings_guidance.pdf , and the "second train coming" conditions at an AHB have not changed; see paragraph 2.80. Stuart J

You are partially correct. Dealing with current practice, "Call attention" (1 beat) precedes every other signal except for "train entering section" (two beats) and the various emergency codes (which I'm assuming you aren't interested in for modelling purposes). Going back in time, the GWR and BR(WR) did not use "call attention" before "train out of section" (two pause one) until the various regional differences in bellcodes were eliminated in 1972. A further GWR variation was that the "train out of section" signal was not acknowledged. In standard working, a signalman will offer a train forward on receipt of "train entering section" from the box in rear. However, if sections are short, trains may be offered on immediately they are accepted. This will be specified, when necessary, in the special instructions for each signal box (called "footnotes" on the Western). Stuart J

I've spent some time looking at those pictures in Hosegood's book, and I don't believe the date can be correct, despite being repeated several times. The staff uniforms look more like 1920s. For me the clincher is the front view of the train waiting to leave: the Castle has a small tender and the upper lamp iron on top of the smokebox, which together put it pre-1930. I respectfully suggest that the date is 1927, not 1937.

I'll have to disagree with you there- that is definitely a pre-war hat. Late 40s style was for a lower crown.

If they were made as per that picture, they wouldn't be much like the originals as seen here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D1023_Western_Fusilier_in_Paddington.jpg The lettering is much too big. Still, you pays yer money...

As shown by those two lovely prototype examples, it's worth cropping the picture and adjusting it so that the line the train is running on is absolutely horizontal.

Pendon does not want or have space for any additional layouts, and I suspect that Didcot would not be interested, especially in a model that is not of a real place.

The RCTS Green Book has a picture of Humorist in February 1948, clearly in apple green.

Looks like the cover displayed above was a proof. I now have a copy of the book and the caption in question has been amended to make it clear that it is the disc signal that is being described. I can thoroughly recommend the book. Those who collect GWR eccentricities will be particularly delighted by the backing distant signal (found at Aberdare High Level in 1922) illustrated on page 58, complete with perforated fish-tailed arm.

Yer fixed distant is upside down...

Thanks. I wondered about Clapham Yard, but I don't remember that shed well enough to be certain.

...and the wobbly letters and numbers on the wagon.

I reckon this is one of the most bizarre combinations to carry passengers, when you step back and think about it: GWR steam loco in bogus LT livery, electric loco, 1960s SR unpowered EMU in fake teak livery, 1892 vintage four-wheel coach, and diesel loco. Great fun though!

The tunnel and junction is Salisbury Tunnel Junction, the through station with the long straight platforms and concrete footbridge is Grateley, and "Seahaven" is Hastings. Not sure about the carriage sidings.