Track Diagrams: Peak Forest

(Click on either image to enlarge)

D - Doll (reduced-size goods line arm)
DW - Doll (reduced-size goods line arm) on wooden post
DS - Diamond with double-slip
CS - 'Catch Rails' (Trap points with a switch in both rails)
CR - 'Catch Rail' (Trap points with a switch in the outer rail)
T - Tubular post
W - Wooden post

In August 1967 I visited Peak Forest on the Derby - Manchester main line and recorded what I could see. Back home, I produced a 'fair copy' (oddly, using a blue fountain pen).

At the Manchester end of the Up Platform, there was an interesting Midland signal - wooden bracket, lower quadrant goods arm and a mechanical route indicator. Nearby, a small triangle indicates Peak Forest Summit. The gradient diagram below confirms the summit location. In both directions, trains approached Peak Forest via a gruelling 3-mile climb at 1 in 90 - from the north via Dove Holes Tunnel.

You can find more detailed track and signalling diagrams of the route in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's'.

Peak Forest is included in 'Volume 8: Manchester and Chesterfield to Derby and Trent' (ISBN: 1 873228 09 0).

For details of what remains of this route in 2005, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams' Book 4: Midlands & North West', Second Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 0-9549866-0-1). The First Edition of this book was published by Quail in 1988.

It's amazing that this important main line was irresponsibly thrown away. A few years ago Railtrack (remember them?) proposed re-instating the complete line as a through route. Having spent unreasonable amounts of money just thinking about it, Railtrack abandoned the idea, before being replaced by Network Rail.

Track Diagrams: Lancaster (Green Ayre)

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S--C - Sleeper Crossing (barrow crossing)
CR - 'Catch Rail' (Trap points with a switch only in the outer rail)
HP - Hand-operated points

Lancaster (Castle) station on the West Coast Main Line was well-known, where you could once see steam-hauled expresses roaring past on the 'through' lines. The more modest Midland Railway establishment at Lancaster (Green Ayre) was less famous.

The Midland reached Morecambe by a branch leaving their main line near Skipton, giving access from Leeds and the South. The Midland Railway also promoted its own route to Ireland via a branch from Morecambe to the port of Heysham. The Midland line passed through Lancaster (Green Ayre), crossed the River Lune on an impressive, curving plate girder bridge of nine spans ('Greyhound Bridge', now used by road traffic) and continued to Morecambe (Promenade) station. The London and North Western, of course, had its own station at Morecambe (Euston Road). At Lancaster, a steeply-graded single-line branch less than half a mile long linked the two stations.

(Map: Railway Magazine)

I'd first been introduced to Lancaster (Green Ayre) in 1952 (more here), so what I recorded in August 1967 was something of a shock. I found a rather derelict railway with the line towards Skipton singled and the Overhead Line Equipment dismantled. I originally suggested that the single line to Lancaster Castle had been severed, but a correspondent corrected me - apparently the line continued to ship coal to Lancaster Power Station until 1976. I think I misunderstood the dotted lines on the sketch. The fragment of an old Ordnance Survey Map below shows how the single line branch crossed the Down Line (towards Morecambe) at a double slip and made a trailing connection with the Up Line but I think I was unsighted when making my sketch, hence the dotted lines.

My sketch shows Electrification Trains stabled in the Down Sidings. As far as I recall, these were the flat-roofed, black-painted 'Wiring Trains' which proliferated during electrification of the West Coast Main Line.

You can find more Comprehensive track and signalling diagrams of the route in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's'. Lancaster Green Ayre is included in 'Volume 12: ex-MR Main Line Carlisle to Leeds, associated branches and joint lines' (ISBN: 1 873228 15 5). This publication gives the closure date for both Lancaster Green Ayre box and the next box towards Skipton, Ladies Walk, as 4th June 1967 (just a couple of months before my survey).

There's a Wikipedia Article on Lancaster Green Ayre and I found a Video Presentation which includes a number of historic Science Museum photographs. The impressive station building has even inspired a 2mm/foot scale model (downloadable from modelrailwaybuildings.com)!

[Revised August, 2011]

Track Diagrams: Hest Bank

(Click on image to enlarge)

D - Doll (reduced-size goods line arm)

This is the one place on the West Coast Main Line where you can actually see the coast. Note the plan is drawn with 'North' at the bottom.

There's a simple station, level crossing and a British Rail standard signal box. In 1967, there were five Camping Coaches in a siding on the seaward side and Water Troughs to the north of the station. A bi-directional third line extended to the south, curving through a cutting and under a bridge. Beyond the bridge, the third line diverged to join the Lancaster - Morecambe line at Bare Lane. The two main lines continued south to Morecambe Junction and Lancaster. I show only two semaphore arms on the Down Home gantry but I think I missed the colour light Down Main Home, also on the gantry.

The Up Home was a 3-aspect colour light with 'line-of-lights' route indicator reading to the third line.

You can find more detailed track and signalling diagrams of the route in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's'.

Hest Bank is included in 'Volume 6: West Coast Main Line (Euxton Junction to Mossband) and Branches' (ISBN: 1 873228 00 7).

For details of what remains of this route in 2005, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West', Second Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 0-9549866-0-1). The First Edition of this book was published by Quail in 1988.

Track Diagrams: Llanfair P.G.

(Click on image to enlarge)

T - Tubular post signal
L - Lattice post signal
LG - Loading Gauge
tt - Turntable
CR - Crane
s.b. - Signal Box
L.C. - Level Crossing

This village on Anglesey, originally called Llanfairpwll would probably have remained little-known had not a Victorian committee with a flair for self-promotion extended the name to a jaw-breaking 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch'. More information here. The L.M.S. commonly simply used the abbreviation 'Llanfair P.G.', which was much easier to fit on an Edmundsen ticket.

Signalling was Absolute Block. On the Down, there was a lattice post Home protecting the crossing, Starter and a fine L&NW lower quadrant Advanced Starter. The Up had two Home signals, the one protecting the crossing on a short post to improve sighting (presumably because the station footbridge would otherwise impair an approaching driver's view).

The Down Advanced Starter and the first Up Home (I'm not sure whether it was 'Home 1' or, if 1/4 mile in advance of the second Home, it would be called an 'Outer Home') each carried a 'White Diamond'. This indicated to train crews that 'Rule 55' was exempt and the Fireman did not have to trudge to the signal box when detained at the signal to remind the Signalman of his train's presence. Track Circuits on the line approaching the signal would indicate 'Occupied' to the Signalman and electrical 'Block Controls' would prevent the Signalman from inadvertently allowing a second train to approach.

I didn't spot the down Distant but the Up Distant was a Colour Light. Under A.F. Bound, who joined the LMS as Chief Signal & Telegraph Engineer in 1929, there was a long-term program of risk reduction by converting semaphore Distants to colour light signals to reduce the chances of a 'missed distant'. Bound also prioritised the introduction of track circuits and block controls, dealing with the biggest risks and the more important lines first.

The small goods yard is served by a single wagon turntable, neatly giving access to a goods shed, two loading dock roads, a high-level loading dock and a crane. The London and North Western was rather addicted to wagon turntables and was not averse to connecting Up and Down sidings with wagon turntables and a line crossing both main lines at right angles (a potentially damgerous practice) but here the use of the wagon turntable is both economical and efficient - that would have certainly appealed to the feared Chairman of the London and North Western Captain Mark Huish (1808 - 1867)!