The Battle of Brewood

Brewood Hall in the snow.

With the title's attractive alliteration, this ought to be an event from history. The truth is a little more prosaic.

The forces which regulate British Weather decided that Britain should have a "proper winter" in early 2013 and there was widespread snow on the 18th January and more on subsequent days. There are a few pictures around Brewood Hall here. Needless to say, the country was immediately plunged into chaos with road, rail and air transport dislocated or cancelled and schools closed.

Before the snow disappeared, it was decided that the Brewood Scouts would make use of the garden for a little snowball practice in 'The Battle of Brewood'. The Scouts had visited just over three years previously for a conducted tour of the principal rooms of the Hall and that visit is briefly described in the post Brewood Scouts visit Brewood Hall (with a link to pictures).

On the evening of Friday the 25th January 2013 it was dark and cold when thirteen scouts and two scout leaders arrived but soon snowballs were being lobbed in all directions.

"A hit, a palpable hit!". Geoff, the scout leader is the target.

Once youthful energies were dissipated, everybody came into the kitchen at Brewood Hall for a cup of hot tomato soup with bread.

The 'Group Shot' in the kitchen at Brewood Hall.

Perhaps this hastily-arranged event can be repeated in the future and the name 'The Battle of Brewood' may yet enter the history books. There are a few pictures of the evening in Fun in the Snow.

Yangon Area Railways

This article was first published in January 2013. Further visits to Yangon later in 2013 and again in 2014 have exposed some errors or misunderstandings which I've tried to correct in this revised version. There are still plenty of unanswered questions. Please regard this as a historical record: since 2014, the railways around Yangon have been subject to modernisation which is outlined in more recent posts. There is an index of all my posts about railways in Myanmar here which will hopefully extend as I write about these changes.

Introduction

Yangon Central (shown as a black square on the map below) is an important rail hub. A 30-odd mile long double-track 'Circle Line' serves the city. At Da Nyn Gone (left side of map) the line towards the west diverges. At Mahlwagone (a little to the right of Yangon Central) the double-track route to Bago diverges. At Bago, the main line continues north to Mandalay and a single line to Maylamyine and the south diverges.

Route Map of Yangon Division (from Myanmar Railways)

List of stations on the Circle Line

Stations are listed in a clockwise direction, starting at the northern part of the Circle Line. Burmese words can be Anglicised in various ways, so alternative spellings of at least some of names may be found.

Golf Course
Kyait Ka Lei
Mingalardon Market
Mingalardon
Wai Bar Gi
North Okkalapa
Pa Ywet Seit Gone
Kyauk Yae Twin
Tadalay
Yaegu
Parami
Kanbe
Bauk Hlaw
Tarmwe
Myittar Nyuni
Mahlwagone (#1)
Pazundaung
YANGON CENTRAL
Pha Yar Lan
Lanmadaw
Pyay Road
Shan Road
Ahlone Road
Pan I Daing (or Pann Hlaing)
Kyee Myin Daing
Hanthawaddy
Hledan
Kamaryut
Thin Myaing
Oakkyin
Thamine
Gyogone
Insein
Ywa Ma
Phi Taw Thar
Phaw Khan
Aung San
Da Nyn Gone (#2)

#1: Before Mahlwagone the line from the north and east converges with the Circle Line.
#2: Beyond Da Nyn Gone the line to the west diverges from the Circle Line to Golf Course.

History

In the post Railway Signalling in Burma: Part 3 - Control of Trains I quoted a brief description of the signalling arrangements at the main station in the 1930s when the city was called Rangoon:-

The passenger station yard is controlled by three principal signal boxes, two of which have about a hundred levers each, and the third about seventy-five The Western Electric system of train control is installed throughout the Rangoon area and interlocking is very complete. All signal lamps are electrically lit.

After the Second World War, the signalling of the whole area around Yangon has been modernised with colour light signals, track circuiting and motor operation of points.

Equipment supplied by Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company

According to [reference 1], in January 1946, an order was placed with Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company for two Style 'L' miniature lever frames for Burma Railways, intended for 'Rangoon' and 'Kemmendine'.

The Rangoon lever frame order called for 143 levers made up of 42 point levers, 76 signal levers, 6 spare levers and 19 spare spaces. The Kemmendine lever frame order called for 47 levers made up of 12 point levers, 28 signal levers, 6 spare levers and 1 spare space. The Yangon miniature lever frame remains in use and is described here. What happened to the other frame remains a puzzle at present.

General view of the Westinghouse Power Frame at Yangon from the front.

Yangon Central Station

'Rangoon' is now known as 'Yangon' and the Central Station is currently signalled by a fairly elderly system of 2- and 3-aspect colour lights with power operation of points. Controlled signal numbers are prefixed 'R' (for Rangoon).

Typical signals Left: 2-aspect signal R140 Right: 2-aspect signal R141 (with subsidiary aspect R139). The station pilot (DD517) with a raft of vans stands on the Up Goods (also called Shunting Neck East, according to the signal box diagram).

Kyee Myin Daing

'Kemmendine' is now usually known as 'Kyee Myin Daing' and remains controlled from two manual signal boxes, although colour light signals have replaced semaphores on the main line.'

Pazundaung

Pazundaung Station, showing rear of two 3-aspect signals, each with two 'line-of-lights' route indicators.

Pazundaung station is situated on the four-track section to the east of Yangon Central (Up/Down Main and Up/Down Local). It has colour light signals and motor points. Signal numbers in the area are prefixed 'P' and I believe a separate signal panel is situated in the station building (probably like the one I photographed at Da Nyn Gone).

Mahlwagone

Left: Signal M25 (with subsidiary aspect) on the line from Bago. Right: Signal M24 (with line-of-lights route indicator) on the Circle Line.

Mahlwagone is situated near the convergence of the Circle Line with the line from Bago and has colour light signals and motor points. Signal numbers in the area are prefixed 'M'. I'm told this area is now controlled from Mingalardon.

Pa Ywet Seit Gone

View looking north at Pa Ywet Seit Gone (or, as the nameboard shows, Paywet Seik Kone) showing locomotive running round its train prior to returning to Yangon. Note 2-aspect main signal 3RM and subsidiary aspect 33R (normally out, displays two white, one above the other, to authorise 'shunt ahead'.

This station on the Circle Line is remotely controlled but of interest because there are trailing crossovers at each end of the station allowing a locomotive to run round its train. I travelled on an anti-clockwise Circle Line train which used this facility and continued as a clockwise Circle Line train.

Automatic signals

3-aspect Automatic signal A79 between Pa Ywet Seit Gone and Mahlwagone (clockwise). The associated location case can just be seen beyond the signal.

On areas of the Circle Line around Yangon which are not controlled from a signalling panel, there are a number of signals with numbers prefixed 'A' arranged for automatic operation. There are also automatic signals on the four-track section between Mahlwagone and Pazundaung.

Books

[reference 1] 'The Style L Power Frame' written and published by J. D. Francis 1989 (ISBN 0 9514636 0 8).

Wikipedia Links

Yangon Central Railway Station.
List of railway stations in Myanmar

Related posts in this blog

Exploring Yangon's railways.
The Circle Line Revisited (2012).
The Circle Line, Yangon (2008).
Railway Signalling in Burma - Part 2: Colour Light Signals & Motor Points.
All my Myanma Railways posts.

My Pictures

Cab Ride on the Circle Line (2014).
The Circle Line, Yangon (2013).
Circle Line Revisited (2012).
The Circle Line, Yangon, Myanmar (2009).
Burma: Colour Light Signals & Motor Points.
Yangon Central Station.
Railways in Myanmar (2008).
All my Myanma Railways Pictures.

[Revised 4-Jul-2014: Link to Index added 22-Jan-2020]

Railway Signalling in Burma - Part 3: Control of Trains

Some of the posts referred to below are still in preparation.

Mike's Railway History includes a brief description of Burma's railways in the 1930s which appears to be from one of the contemporary railway magazines. One paragraph describes signalling:-

The standard interlocking used for all single-line crossing stations on important lines is known as the Simplex system, while there are also a few controlled by List and Morse interlocking. In the Rangoon area the lock and block system is installed on the double line, and about forty double-line stations are interlocked on the key and tappet system. Some twenty junctions and important stations have fully-interlocked cabin locking. On most branch lines the stations are not interlocked, facing points being secured by cotters and padlocks, the keys of which are kept in the custody of the station-master on duty.

Another paragraph describes the principal station in Rangoon (now Yangon). At the time, this station was called 'Phayre Street':-

The passenger station yard is controlled by three principal signal boxes, two of which have about a hundred levers each, and the third about seventy-five The Western Electric system of train control is installed throughout the Rangoon area and interlocking is very complete. All signal lamps are electrically lit.

I haven't traced other references to 'Simplex' interlocking but a Paper by R. C. Rose titled 'A Survey of Indian Signalling' in the 1924 Proceedings of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (available online here) seems similar.

Single-line crossing stations

The Indian system for controlling simple passing loops has a Station Master (of high integrity) in charge, with two Pointsmen who can be despatched to hand operated points at each end of the loop to set them as required. But if the pointsmen make errors, trains can arrive on the wrong track, departing trains can 'trail' incorrectly-set points or points can be changed as a train is passing over them.

So, various forms of key-locking apparatus were produced with the aim of giving the Station Master confidence that his instructions had been correctly carried out. The 'Trapped Key' method has two keys for each set of points which can be inserted in a Locking Box between the rails at the toe of the points. A point stretcher passes through the locking box arranged so that if the points are correctly fitted-up in the 'Main' position, the 'Main' key can be extracted from the Locking Box. Actually removing the key locks the points in that position. The other key remains 'trapped' in the Locking Box. Once the 'Main' key is replaced in the Locking Box, the points may be operated.

Similarly, with both keys present, if the points are operated to the 'Loop' position and are correctly fitted-up, the 'Loop' key can be extracted from the Locking Box and, once removed, locks the points in that position. Now, the 'Main' key remains 'trapped' in the Locking Box.

Thus, if the two Pointsmen each present 'Main' Keys to the Station Master, he may be confident that the points are set for the 'Main' at both ends of the loop. If the Station Master receives two 'Loop' keys, a train may be passed over the loop line. In India, a further development allowed splitting home signals to be worked from a ground frame on the platform.

The arrangements I've seen so far in Burma seem to conform to the above description, except that the splitting home signals are locally controlled by the pointsmen with a further 'Trapped Key' locking box being provided in the push rod to the signal arm (see Part 4 - Manual Control of Points and Interlocking for more information).

Detail of EIC Locking Box fitted between the rails on the Loop Points at the south end of Naba station. The Loop Handles on the two lock slides are at opposite ends of the box. The interlocking key is clearly visible on the left of the box.

The picture below shows a partly-dismantled locking box no longer in use and is included to clarify the construction.

A single-lever ground frame and point indicator on the Circle Line at Yangon. The points are provided with a 'Trapped Key' Locking Box which has been partly dismantled but the points have been clipped and locked on the nearer rail to make them safe.

Click here for larger version of the above picture.

'Trapped Key' Interlocking is still widely used in industrial safety in the form of Castell Interlocks (introduced by James Harry Castell in 1922 adapting ideas first used on the railways).

Double-line control

The Circle Line in Yangon is double track, as is the line from Mahlwagon to Bago. Other parts of the system are also double-track (and doubling is being extended) but, at present, I've no information on the original arrangements.

The 1930s description quoted above says "The Western Electric system of train control is installed throughout the Rangoon area". This system originated in North America as an electro-mechanical secret party-line selective telephone system where a number of waystation telephones were all connected to the same pair of wires. A series of impulses sent to line from the control station normally selected only one telephone to speak to or hear the control. This secrecy made it a safe method for communicating train movement instructions as they could not be overheard (and misunderstood) by other waystations. In addition to Western Electric exports, the system was licensed by Standard Telephones and Cables in England and they not only exported systems (for instance, to Thailand) but also adapted the system for use as a Signal Post Telephone system in the U.K. For more information on this system, my friend Sam Hallas has produced a comprehensive article Control Telephone Systems.

Any form of telephone system needs telephone wires between the various instruments. Originally, this would be open wires on a system of poles but latterly multicore cables are used. See 'Part 7 - Telecommunications' for more information.

Regarding Rangoon, the 1930s description quoted above reports "The passenger station yard is controlled by three principal signal boxes". In 1946, an order was placed with Westinghouse Brake and Signal in Chippenham for two Style 'L' miniature lever frames. One, intended for Rangoon (now Yangon) had 143 levers, the other, for Kemmendine (now Kyee Myin Daing) had 47 levers. All signals in the Yangon area are currently colour light with power operation of points but, as yet, I've not determined whether the Westinghouse lever frames remain in use. See the post Yangon Area Railway Signalling for more information.

Typical colour light signal in the Yangon area - automatic A711.

The 1930s description quoted above reports "About forty double-line stations are interlocked on the key and tappet system". This is presumably a variant of the 'Trapped Key' system where keys available physically control which signals can be operated. This may be similar to the method of signal release I've found in Burma (see Part 4 - Manual Control of Points and Interlocking for more information).

The 1930s description quoted above reports "Some twenty junctions and important stations have fully-interlocked cabin locking". Bago North and Bago South signal boxes are certainly 'fully interlocked'. See the post Railway Signalling in Burma: Part 5 - Signal Boxes with Interlocking Frames.

Bago South Signal Box on a rainy day.

References

Mike's Railway History
Burma's Railway System.
(This PDF appears on the website of the Old Martinians Association U.K. forwarded by Peter R. Moore. Some of the text also appears on the Mike's Railway History Page but the Peter Moore article includes additional material and a number of more modern photographs showing steam locomotives).
Control Telephone Systems.

[Photograph of part-dismantled locking box added 20-Mar-2013]

The End of an Era

1.15 p.m. Stafford-Shrewsbury arriving at Wellington with 'Jubilee' 45699 'Galatea' on Sat 21-Jul-1962 (D. Wynne Jones Collection).

I consider myself lucky to have been growing up as the post-war railways went through the massive changes of the '50s and '60s. After the long period of wartime austerity, the railways, and the country, were run-down but the traditional pride of railwaymen in being involved in a vital national enterprise was still visible. The socialist government nationalised the 'Big Four' railways in 1948 and, of course, opinions varied about the consequences which would follow. Steam was still supreme, the handful of main-line diesel electrics were seen as curiosities and nobody on the railways had yet heard of Doctor Beeching.

B.R. Standard steam locomotives

But when change came, it came quickly. B.R. Standard steam locomotive designs were intended to replace the motive power which had become 'clapped-out' through the pressures of wartime. Riddles' designs were based on sensible principles of simplicity, two outside cylinders with Walschaerts valve gear and rocking grates with hopper ashpans. The 999 new locomotives turned out were intended to be a unifying influence, encouraging loyalty to the new 'British Railways' rather than the old 'Big Four'. This aim was only partly achieved: the new locomotives were thought 'the best thing that had ever happened' or 'not as good as our old engines', depending who you talked to.

Although the B.R. Standard locomotives incorporated modern design features, steam traction still involved a lot of hard, unpleasant physical work which became less acceptable to employees. At the same time, the political wind changed and it was felt that 'dieselisation' was the future.

B.R. Diesel Shunters

English Electric 350 h.p. diesel electric shunter (later Class 08) at Tyseley Railway Museum in 2008. 13029 was the first diesel I was passed to drive and very handy for shunting early in the morning when the 'steamers' were still 'brewing-up'.

The excellent 350 h.p. diesel-electric shunters revolutionised shunting and trip work, with their ability to be rapidly shut down until required and be available for perhaps a week before returning to the depot. There were also various diesel-mechanical types.

B.R. Diesel Multiple Units

Two-car DMU preserved at the Battlefield Line.

The various designs of Diesel Multiple Unit quite successfully replaced steam on local (and not-so-local services). Existing automotive technology was fairly successfully adapted to the railway environment and the ability to operate variable-length trains by coupling units together or splitting them, as required was quite effective. At the time, the new experience of being able to sit behind the driver and share his view ahead was amazing. My post Diesel Multiple Units has links to various sources of information (the British Railways Driver Training Films on YouTube are particularly recommend).

B.R. Main-line Diesels


British Railways and the various British locomotive builders had a fairly steep learning-curve in seeking to develop successful high-power diesel traction. One of the pioneer classes was the 'Peak' and, of course, 'Penyghent' is preserved at Peak Rail. My post D8 'Penyghent' has links to various sources of information on this class but, despite the interest of the more complex control systems, I've not written a great deal about other classes.

B.R. Electrification

'Tyseley 100' featured a preserved 25 kV a.c. locomotive.

Having thrown away a modern 'stud' of steam locomotives in favour of diesel, British Railways then started to electrify. Of course, the Southern Railway had electrified much of their complex network radiating from London with 3rd rail, 750 volts d.c. before the war and there were other limited schemes (Manchester-Sheffield-Wath was started pre-war but couldn't be completed until after the war) but no major main-line route. Post-war, many other countries went straight for the electric option. At least when the first scheme was announced from Euston to Manchester, we chose a.c. rather than d.c. and high voltage, generally 25 kV, rather than low voltage. This decision was based on the success of a pilot scheme in the Morecambe area briefly outlined in my post Steam around Morecambe. Yet even today, much of the system is not electrified, resulting in a massive mileage by diesel trains even on routes which have been electrified.

Signalling

A Midland Railway signal box preserved at Darley Dale on Peak Rail.

I was very lucky to get to work manual signal boxes (unofficially) in the late 'fifties and 'sixties before the great changes swept over British Railways. My post Visiting Signalboxes has links to more articles about some of the boxes I went to. The early manual signalling systems had had various electrical safeguards added piecemeal but the system still depended upon the integrity of a large band of signalmen. But over a period of time, boxes were abolished, and colour light signals, continuous track circuiting and Power Signal Boxes covering wide areas were introduced. Many of my posts are dedicated to signalling for railways 'Ancient and Modern' - you can find them under the label Railway Signalling.

My First Trip to India (continued)

In the earlier post My First Trip to India I briefly wrote about my first experience of India when I was assisting G.E.C. in commissioning telecommunications equipment for the Delhi Ring Project. I thought it was time to add a little more.

I flew to Delhi in May 1992, in the height of summer, returning nearly seven weeks later just as the Monsoon arrived in Delhi. It was a very hot summer in Delhi that year - temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Farenheit) are expected but it seemed that every day people in the G.E.C. office which was our base said "It's 120 today!".

Jan poses with G.E.C. staff outside the offices in Delhi.

The Delhi Ring Project

G.E.C. were installing a new Electronic Control Centre (ECC) near New Delhi station to control the complex railway network in the area operated by Northern Railways. This included a circular suburban line called the Delhi Ring together with a number of main lines radiating from Delhi. Various new telecommunications cables had already been provided from the ECC along the routes to be controlled and selective ringing omnibus telephones had been supplied by others and installed at signal boxes, stations and level crossings. When GEC started to commission the new telecommunications facilities, a number of problems with the audio transmission were revealed.

At that point my company, Ford Electronics, became involved. We were invited to propose changes simple enough to be retro-fitted on site which would provide good-quality speech throughout the system. Our solution involved the use of Loaded Cable Pairs, correct Build-Outs at equipment locations and a number of 2-wire Amplifiers to restore correct signal levels.

The re-arranged telecommunications circuits are shown in the sketch below.

Click on image for larger view

On a short timescale we acquired the necessary 2-wire amplifiers and both designed and constructed the necessary Build-Out Units. Each unit had provision for three build-outs and these could be readily configured to suit each location by a series of links. The Build-Out Unit was in the form of a single assembled printed circuit board mounted in a rugged plastic housing intended for wall mounting adjacent to the telecommunications terminations in the various equipment rooms. The drawing below shows the appearance of the Build-Out Unit with the lid removed.

Click on image for larger view

In the various equipment rooms, the equipment which was added as described above was wall-mounted on a wooden board, seen on the right in the picture below.

Railways around Delhi

As I commented in the earlier post, I was amazed to find steam haulage was still in use since I'd assumed all steam had been eliminated and yet here I was, transported back to the '60s when steam was being eliminated in Britain. On my return to the U.K., a short article entitled 'Steam in India' was published in the September 1992 edition of 'Lionsheart' (the Occasional Newsletter of the Old Locomotive Committee). Since this is the only contemporary account of my visit, I thought it might be worth repeating a section of the article here:-

I saw a little of Indian Railways as they are today today. New Delhi station is all diesel and electric. Electrification is 25 kV a.c. and I was able to travel on 'the fastest train in India' - the electric-hauled Shatabdi Express - at least as far as Agra.

But Delhi Junction still has a number of steam workings. There's a metre-gauge terminus served by steam and diesel standing next to a broad-gauge through station with steam, diesel and electric workings.

Europeans are regarded with friendly curiosity and I found it easy to be invited onto the footplate but soon discovered that not all drivers speak English! However, English names seem to be used for the driving controls so I was able to establish my unlikely credentials as a female enthusiast by the 'Naming of Parts'. Whilst photographing a metre gauge light engine during a lunch break (a Class 'YG' 2-8-2), the driver signalled me to engage reverse gear and open the regulator. I happily pottered out of the platform, thinking we were carrying out a shunt. It eventually dawned on me that we were 'Rightaway the Shed' a few miles distant for disposal! It took a little time at the shed to locate an English speaker and arrange a trip back to my starting point on a diesel-hauled empty stock working, but it was a wonderful, if unexpected, experience.

My friends at railway headquarters said that they would arrange an official footplate trip for me, but they were not so sure about my request for 'hands-on'. In the event, because of pressure of work, it was 6 p.m. on the day I was leaving before I was able to make my official footplate trip.

They'd chosen a steam-hauled Delhi - Haridwar working. As always, the platform was crowded as I made my way along the length of the train to the locomotive - a broad-gauge class WP 'Pacific'. This Indian Railways Standard design was only introduced in 1947, so it is rather modern by OLCO's standards. But perhaps the Editor will find space in a future edition for a description of my all-too-short trip.

This picture appeared in the July 1992 of 'Lionheart', with the caption "Our photograph shows Jan Ford in India recently, looking surprisingly happy after suffering a signal check whilst at the controls of a broad gauge Class WP 'Pacific' from Delhi to Shahdara".

National Railway Museum, Delhi

It was on this trip that I made my first visit to the National Railway Museum in New Delhi. The section of the 'Lionsheart' article dealing with the Museum is repeated below:-

My recent business trip to India gave me an opportunity to visit the Railway Museum at New Delhi and see the twilight of steam on the main line around Delhi.

The most famous exhibit in the Railway Museum at Chanakyapuri is 'Fairy Queen', built by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson in 1855. At one time she was regarded as the oldest steamable locomotive in the world. She was saved through the intervention of Mike Satow, who remains a respected consultant to the museum. This locomotive and a half-sectioned 'A' class broad gauge 4-6-0 share a glass-fronted building of their own. Smaller items and models are housed in a roundhouse-style museum building. All the other exhibits are displayed around a ten-acre outdoor site.

By coincidence, the last issue of LIONSHEART carried a letter from Mike Satow pointing out the link between LION and 'Fairy Queen' in that both locomotives have back-to-front reversing levers. 'Fairy Queen' is built for the Indian 5ft 6in broad gauge, which gives her a squat, powerful appearance. The running boards running the length of the locomotive are noteworthy. Water is carried in well tanks (like 'Bellerophon').

The French built 'Ramgotty' is interesting, both for her wooden brake blocks and Gooch motion operated from outside eccentrics (shades of 'Bellerophon' again).

There are a number of British-built locomotives. The largest locomotive is the Manchester-built Beyer Garrett from the Bengal Nagpur Railway. I imagine our friends at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester would be delighted to repatriate that one!

The oddest exhibit is probably the Patiala State Monorail Trainway locomotive, running on a single guidance rail in the centre with two unflanged wheels on the outside. Built in 1908, this locomotive is still steamable.

An excellent guide to the exhibits at this museum, written by Mike Satow, can be found in the May 1977 edition of 'The Railway Magazine'.

This picture of 'Fairy Queen' (along with other pictures) appeared in the July 1992 edition of 'Lionsheart'.

I made another visit to the Railway Museum in February 2006 and the pictures I took on the second occasion are linked in the 'Photographs' section below.

Sightseeing

In the whole time I was there, we worked seven days a week to get the job finished. Time off was confined to a few half-days and two whole days. The first whole day off was a Public Holiday. This gave me the opportunity to visit Agra by train. I went to the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, the 'Baby Taj' and Fatepur Sikri.

The Taj Mahal at Agra.

On the second day off I was even more ambitious and flew to Varanasi, the Holy City on the River Ganges which was formerly called Banares.

The city of Varanasi, viewed from the River Ganges.

Links to Sets of Photographs

Broad Gauge around Delhi.
Shahdara Junction, Delhi.
Metre Gauge around Delhi.
Driving a 'WG' in India.
National Railway Museum, Delhi (1992)
National Railway Museum, Delhi (2006)
Delhi Ring Project
Varanasi, India.

Crewe North Junction (1940) Signal Box

A modern view of Crewe North Junction Signal Box, still in situ but now forming part of Crewe Heritage Centre and overshadowed by the overhead electrification structures.

Crewe North Junction Signal Box controlled movements at the North end of Crewe Station from 1940 to 1985. The signal box has been preserved in situ and now forms a major exhibit at Crewe Heritage Centre. This 'ARP' box, with two large Westinghouse Style 'L' Power Frames, is the last-but-one in a series of signal boxes which have controlled the important junctions at the north end of Crewe Station. There's a very brief history of these signal boxes here.

In 1938, with the threat of war and aerial attack looming, it was decided that certain strategic signal boxes should be replaced by an 'ARP' ('Air Raid Precautions') design, better able to withstand blast damage. Accordingly, Crewe North Junction signal box was rebuilt, replacing the earlier 1907 signal box which used the 'Crewe' All Electric System with electric operation of points and semaphore signals.

Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company had been supplying the Style 'L' miniature lever frame since 1929 so it was a 'safe' choice. The L.M.S. order for Crewe North Junction (together with a second for Crewe South Junction and a third 'Standby' frame) was placed in March 1939. The following month, further orders were placed for two more Style 'L' frames for the resignalling of Preston. The Preston project never went ahead and the equipment ended up being used at Euston after the Second World War! Finally, a further frame was ordered for Liverpool Lime Street in January 1940.

The Crewe North Junction lever frame order called for 214 levers made up of 65 point levers, 120 signal levers, 7 'special' levers, 12 spare levers and 10 spare spaces. These levers were divided between two lever frames mounted back-to-back, with a walkway in between to allow maintenance, on the first floor of of the building (the 'operating floor'). A series of windows allowed the signalmen to actually observe the trains they were controlling.

Detail showing miniature levers. White are spare, Red are signals, Black are points. The lamps on the almost vertical panel behind the levers are repeaters.

Movement of each lever drives a vertical shaft via bevel gears. The vertical shaft carries the electrical contacts used for control and interlocking.

With covers removed, the bevel gears which drive the vertical 'drum' of contacts can be seen.

The associated relays which provide the electrical interlocking are mounted on steel shelves in a large Relay Room on the ground floor. 'Shelf' relays are used, interwired on site.

One aisle in the large Relay Room. Shelf-type relays (inter-wired on site) fill the metal shelving.

Looking at Crewe North Junction box from the platforms when I was young, I thought it looked mysterious, with its unfamilar architecture sitting out-of-reach across the maze of trackwork. Finally, I got to visit the box in the 1970s two or three times when my firm had started supplying telecommunication equipment to the railways.

In 1985 control of the Crewe area was transferred to an industrial building painted red and white looking more like a fugitive 'B&Q' than a Signalling Centre. I feared for the future of the redundant 1940 Crewe North Junction signal box but, remarkably, it has survived as part of Crewe Heritage Centre.

In December 2008, I returned to Crewe North Junction box, which is looked after by a group of ex-railwaymen and enthusiasts and I was invited to 'signal' a few moves on the Style 'L' Power Frame.

References

'The Style L Power Frame' written and published by J. D. Francis 1989 (ISBN 0 9514636 0 8).

External Links

Crewe North Junction signal Box (Wikipedia).
Crewe North Junction by Mark Adlington.

My Pictures

Crewe North Junction Signal Box.
Crewe Area.

Preparation of Locomotive 'Sapper'

'Sapper' on the outside pit at Rowsley being prepared for the day's running.

In this post, I concentrate on the Driver's duties in oiling and examining the locomotive. Preparation of 'Sapper' is generally similar to preparation of other 'Austerity' tank locomotives, such as Peak Rail's 'Royal Pioneer' (currently posing as '68013') described a few years ago in the post here. The most noticeable difference in 'Sapper' is the use of two 'Wakefield' Mechanical Lubricators to ensure a reliable supply of oil to important parts of the locomotive.

The person oiling the locomotive should always carry a clean rag or woven 'Wiper' to remove any spilt or excess oil. Oil where it shouldn't be will become transferred to the next person to visit that area. In places like the foot framing, spilt oil is likely to be hazardous as it can cause slips. Any dust or ash around will tend to mix with the oil and produce an unsightly and hard to remove coating.

Mechanical Lubricator for Cylinder Oil

A 'Wakefield' Mechanical Lubricator for Compound Cylinder Oil ('Steam Oil') is mounted on the left foot-framing just behind the smokebox. The box-like casting (which is filled with the appropriate grade of clean oil daily or as necessary) has a hinged lid clamped shut to exclude dust and ash. Immersed in the oil are small oil pumps driven from a shaft which passes through a gland to the circular ratchet mechanism marked 'WAKEFIELD' visible in the picture above.

The ratchet mechanism is oscillated back and forth by suitable connections to a reciprocating or rotating part of the motion. In the case of 'Sapper', the Mechanical Lubricators are operated from small eccentric cranks mounted on the crankpins of the leading axle. As the mechanism is oscillated, an internal pawl rotates the shaft through a small angle on each oscillation. Thus, whenever the locomotive is in motion, the pumps are delivering oil through the elbows and copper oil lines visible on the left of the Lubricator. To make sure that the oil lines are 'primed' with oil before leaving the shed, the 'U' shaped bar connected to the shaft is manually rotated a number of times.

This view shows the 'Wakefield' Mechanical Lubricator viewed from the rear of the locomotive. Cylinder oil has quite a high viscosity (usually at least SAE 680) and it can become very viscous in cold weather. The copper pipe on the right is a steam feed to the cock mounted on the foot-framing just behind the lubricator. When the square-headed cock is unscrewed, steam is passed through a heating pipe to warm the oil.

Sight-Feed Lubricator for Cylinder Oil

As built, 'Sapper' will have been provided with just a Sight Feed Lubricator. Where a Sight-Feed, or similar, lubricator is fitted, this is usually mounted on the fireman's side so that makes it more logical for the fireman to look after the 'steam' oil. 'Sapper' has a 'Eureka' Type 'G' single-feed sight-feed lubricator on the Fireman's side of the cab. As I've commented elsewhere, the Great Western Railway regarded sight-feed lubricators as so vital to the running of the engine that the lubricator was always fitted in front of the driver and was the drivers responsibility. To find out more about the G.W.R. approach see the post Summer Saturday with a '2884' and, in particular, the last section titled 'Sight Feed Lubricator'. Normally, once a mechanical lubricator is fitted to a locomotive, no sight feed lubricator would be provided but 'Sapper' has both types and both types are used.

Mechanical Lubricator for Axlebox Oil

A second 'Wakefield' Mechanical Lubricator for Axlebox Oil (often called 'Motion Oil') is mounted on the right foot-framing just behind the smokebox. Construction is similar to the Mechanical Lubricator for Cylinder Oil but the casting is larger to accommodate additional oil lines (in this case six, one per axlebox. In this case, the window showing the oil level faces outwards and can easily be checked during preparation (there is a check window on the Mechanical Lubricator for Cylinder Oil but it faces the centreline of the engine).

Oiling Round

Of course, checking the oil level in the Mechanical Lubricators and priming them is only one task. There are six oil cups on the coupling rods to be filled and two holes to place oil on the Gradient Pins.

There is an oil box on the framing either side behind the smokebox delivering oil to each piston gland and each valve gland. There are two oil boxes (left and right) on the frame stretcher which serves as a motion plate. Each oil box has four oil lines delivering oil to the front and rear of the upper slide bars associated with each cylinder. There are oil cups closed with corks on the two little ends and two more on the valve rods where they pass through the motion plate. I find I can best reach these last points by lying on the foot framing and reaching into the motion but each person has to find a method which suits their build, reach and fitness. On 'Sapper' there are also two oil boxes (left and right) fitted further back just above the frames. Each has three oil lines feeding oil to the hornguides. The right hand one is best reached from outside, but the left one I tend to defer until I'm between the frames, described next.

The next bit I find the hardest. Starting on the foot framing on the fireman's (left) side, I lower myself in between the frames behind the weighshaft and ahead of the crank axle, standing on the brake rigging facing the rear of the engine. How easy this is depends on the 'angle' that the motion is sitting at. In the picture, the right crank is near front dead centre and the left crank is near the top. With luck, the oil cups closed with corks on the two big ends and the four eccentrics can be dealt with, hopefully without dropping a cork into the pit.

Then, I try to turn round so as to face the front of the engine. If the left hand crank is anywhere near the top, I usually end up sitting on the connecting rod. The picture shows the four lifting links suspended from the 'arms' on the weighshaft. Pairs of lifting links are attached to the left and right curved, slotted expansion links. The top of the each expansion link is connected to the associated foward eccentric rod, the bottom of each expansion link is attached to the associated reverse eccentric rod. The picture gives a fair idea of the rather poor access. There are a number of oil holes to be dealt with - at the top and bottom of the lifting links, at the top and bottom of the expansion links and on each dieblock (to provide lubrication to the machined faces of the curved slot in the expansion link). Those are the major oiling points but, as described in the earlier post, there are other points which may benefit from the judicious application of oil.

On locomotives fitted with a steam brake, there is usually a small oiler near the boiler backhead, positioned in the steam line to the steam brake cylinder. 'Sapper' has a cylindrical oiler, normally dealt with by the Fireman by filling it with Cylinder Oil during preparation. This oil is allowed to find its way to the brake cylinder, with the aim of avoiding a 'stuck piston'.

Examination

As important as careful attention to oiling is the 'Daily Exam'. Every part of the construction should be studied during preparation, looking for anything unexpected - something becoming detached, unusual wear, missing split pins or nuts, anything broken, loose or showing signs of cracking (particularly on the springing), anything out of alignment. Time spent in examination at this stage reduces the chance of embarrassment later due to a failure. A pit greatly assists a proper examination, allowing wheels, axleboxes, springs and spring hangers to be closely examined. The picture shows the view forward from just in front of the firebox. The connecting rods are left and right and the two reverse eccentric rods are in the middle, closest to the camera with the expansion links behind. The motion plate is in the background.

Photographs

Larger versions of all the pictures in this article (plus other pictures of the locomotive) can be found in the set below:-

'Sapper' Austerity Tank Locomotive

A. F. Bound

A. F. Bound (Photo from 'A Pictorial Record of L.M.S. Signals, see reference 1 below).

Arthur Frank Bound was a pupil of Billington on the L.B.S.C. before working with the British Pneumatic Railway Signal Company. This led to an interest in modern signalling methods (and membership of the signal section of the American Railroad Association). In 1906 he was appointed Assistant Signal Superintendent and later Signal Superintendent of the Great Central Railway at Guide Bridge, Manchester.

An advert for the British Pneumatic Railway Signal Company which appeared in 'Power Railway Signalling' published 1908 (reference 2).

He became a Member of the fledgling Institution of Railway Signal Engineers in 1913. In 1915 he read his Paper 'A Review of the Art of Signalling, and some Suggestions' at the A.G.M. in February. This gave rise to Discussions firstly on the day, later in March and April with Bound's Reply in June. The initial paper, the Discussions and the Reply are available online here). By 1916 Bound had become a Member of the Council of the Institution.

In 1924, he was the LNER Signal Engineer (Southern Area) based at Liverpool street Station, London and he became Vice-President of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers the same year. The following year, he served as President of the Institution.

The combination of progressive, incisive thinking with consideration towards his staff earned him great respect.

In 1929 he joined the LMS as Chief Signal & Telegraph Engineer. He embarked on 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.

In 1932, he was responsible for the 'Speed Signalling' experimental installation at Mirfield. This is described on the splendid site called 'The Signal Box' site in an article here.

Bound introduced a number of power signalling schemes, associated with more conventional colour-light signals such as the 1940 renewals at Crewe. This is mentioned in my post Crewe North Junction History and there's a set of pictures of the now-preserved Crewe North Junction Box here.

One of the two miniature lever frames in the preserved Crewe North Junction box.

But Bound's influence extended to the more mundane, such as signal box nameboards. Bound had been impressed by the Great Central practice of fixing a nameboard at each end of the box rather than on the side facing the track - much easier to sight from a train. After some experimentation, the standard L.M.S. signal box nameboard appeared in 1935, using six inch cast letters fixed to a 9-inch high wooden board with a three-quarter inch rounded bead. For more details, see the reference below.

L.M.S. pattern nameboard applied to an L.N.W.R. signal box photographed at Brereton Sidings in 2007.

Over the years, A F. Bound left an indelible stamp on the signalling infrastructure of the L.M.S which survived long after he was succeeded by W. Wood in 1944.

Reference:

1. 'A Pictorial Record of L.M.S. Signals' by L. G. Warburton, published by Oxford Publishing Company in 1972 (available, for a price, on the second-hand market).
2. 'Power Railway Signalling' by H. Raynar Wilson published 1908. Reprinted in 3 parts by Peter Kay.

[Revised 4-Jan-2013]

Loco-profile No. 5: The Russian 'E' class 0-10-0

Lugansk works built the first 'E' class 0-10-0 locomotive in 1912 and, including later sub-classes, this became perhaps the most prolific design in the world. Despite numerous initiatives to move on from this design, the 'E' class remained remarkably resilient and I was able to drive two examples of the E' class (the 'Em' and 'Er') in 2005 when I went on a steam driving holiday which is briefly described here.

Em 735-72 at Kolomiya Depot, Ukraine.

Front view of Em 735-72 at Kolomiya Depot.

Note that the complete smokebox front is hinged on the right and, once unbolted, can be swung open for re-tubing and access to the tubeplate. There is a smaller door in the smokebox front used for char removal. This door is hinged on the right and secured by 14 'dogs' or clamps which, when tightened, ensure that the smokebox door is airtight.

Er 797-86 at Kolomiya Depot, Ukraine.

For technical specifications, refer to Reference 1.

References:

Reference 1: 'Soviet Locomotive Types - The Union Legacy' by A J Heywood & I D C Button (Frank Stenvalls Forlag) ISBN 0-9525202-0-6.

Photographs:

Locomotive Profile: Russian 'E' class 0-10-0

Review of the Year - 2012

I find it hard to believe this is the seventh 'Annual Review' I've posted. Once again, I've been extremely lucky. Despite reaching "Three score years and Ten" (when the Manufacturer's Guarantee expires) I'm still fit enough to enjoy new experiences. Not being sure how long this situation will prevail, I managed to cram four overseas trips into the year and a fair bit of time on the footplate.

OVERSEAS TRAVEL

Safari

Seven lions watching a large herd of buffalo at Duba Plains, Botswana.

I thought I ought to 'go on safari' at least once in my life. I ended up visiting Zambia and the Victoria Falls, Namibia and a few days river cruising followed by a very luxurious trip with Wilderness Safaris in Botswana. Of course, I feel a little guilty that I didn't 'rough it' but it was exceptionally enjoyable. There are 28 posts describing the trip and these posts include links to my pictures.

Mongolia and the Trans-Siberian

The Circum-Baikal Railway winds along the edge of the huge Lake Baikal in Russia.

My planned trip to Tibet was cancelled at short notice because the Chinese stopped issuing tourist visas. Instead, I flew to Ulaan Bataar, witnessed the Mongolian annual National Games and then joined the 'Golden Eagle' private train back to Moscow. This adventure is described in 17 posts which include links to pictures.

Burma

Kyaikthanian Paya Pagoda, Mawlamyine.

Once again, I returned to Myanmar which is now slowly starting to "come in from the cold" following visits from both the British Prime Minister and the American President. This time, I went south to Mawlamyine before taking the 'Road to Mandalay' river cruise to Bhamo. I also made visits to a number of schools and the medical clinic supported by the 'Road to Mandalay' Social Contribution. 21 posts describe the trip and give links to my pictures.

Malta

Saint John's Co-Cathedral, Valetta.

I accompanied Ann and Dean for a week in Malta. It had been many years (I'm not sure how many) since my previous trip and I was surprised at how much had changed. There are 8 posts which describe the trip and include links to my photographs.

RAILWAYS

Railways, General

John, Phil, Mick, Ian and Mike at Brewood Hall.

A small group of enthusiasts met again at Brewood at the end of January 2012 (details). During the year, the group has exchanged information and queries during by e-mail.

Railways in the West Midlands are a particular group interest and that encouraged me to add a number of articles during the year including:-
Sedgeley Junction, Deepfields, Tipton, Tipton (again), Tipton Station Shunting Frame, Rail & Canal at Bloomfield, 'Breakdown' at Bloomfield, Albion, West Midland Railways.

Railways, U.K. Modern Image

I still use what remains of our national railway network for getting around but without much pleasure, I'm afraid. Occasionally, that provokes a post (usually some rant about the Train Operating Companies or the dreadful Network Rail), such as:- Liverpool by Train and London and Birmingham in 2012.

Railways in Zambia

During my safari holiday, I discovered that there's a railway museum in Livingstone which, of course, I visited giving rise to an article here with a link to a set of pictures.

Quite by chance, I was in Livingstone on one of the days when the steam-hauled Royal Livingstone Express dining train operated. I managed a footplate ride described here (with a link to my pictures). I also made a short post on Zambesi Sawmills Railways. Since many of the locomotives I'd seen in Zambia were North British Locomotive Company products, on my return to the U.K. I added the article North British Locomotive Company.

Railways in Mongolia and Russia

There was obviously a strong railway theme to my Mongolia and Trans-Siberian holiday and the 17 posts in the series Trans-Siberian include a fair bit of 'technical' content together with links to my railway pictures. In addition, there are a number of 'specialist' articles including:-
Russian Railways, Russian 'YeA' class, Mongolian Railways, Russian 'FDp20' class 2-8-4, Russian 'FD20' class 2-10-2, Numbering of Russian Locomotives and Rolling Stock.

Railways in Burma

During my trip to Burma described above, I used the railway from Yangon to Kyaikto, Katha to Naba and made another trip on Yangon's Circle Line. In addition, I made various brief visits to stations by road. There are a few new posts including:- Yangon to Kyaikto by Train, By Train to Naba, Bago to Kyaikto by Train, The Circle Line Revisited and the start of a series on 'Railway Signalling in Burma'.

PRESERVED RAILWAYS

I am currently Secretary of the Old Locomotive Committee and an active volunteer at MOSI, The Battlefield Line and Peak Rail.

The Old Locomotive Committee

Members and Officials of OLCO in front of "Lion" after the 2012 A.G.M.

My first involvement in preservation was with the locomotive 'Lion' and the Old Locomotive Committee. Now 'Lion' is on display in Liverpool Museum, that chapter is closed, but I'm still Secretary of the Old Locomotive Committee which, in addition to its study role, encourages live-steam modellers of 'Lion', holding an annual competition for 'Lion' models called 'Lionsmeet'. I've added a few posts during the year including:- The Titfield Thunderbolt, Driving 'Lion', OLCO AGM 2012 and Lionsmeet 2012.

MOSI

MOSI (the Museum Of Science and Industry at Manchester) has now become part of the Science Museum Group. Steam train rides continue on the Museum's Demonstration Line using the 'Planet' replica and restored four-coupled saddletank 'Agecroft No. 1'. I've always loved the site, as the 1830 Goods Warehouse, Station Buildings, Irwell Bridge and other constructions comprise (albeit somewhat altered) the First Passenger Railway Station in the World. This is a marvellous legacy and to be able to take a steam train ride on the site, even today, represents a triumph of preservation. Of course, Network Rail have decided that a new line - the Ordsall Chord - is required to improve rail communication between Manchester's various stations so the steam operation at the Museum is currently threatened. Posts during the year include:- Agecroft at MOSI, MOSI Mini Maker Faire, Day out with Thomas at MOSI and Santa Specials - 2012.

The Battlefield Line

I did a number of 'turns' in the year, often on the diesel railcar (including a 'Midweek' on Wednesday 22nd August and 'DMU Shuttle' on Saturday 20th October 2012 as part of the 'Friendly Engines' weekend). Unfortunately, I was overseas for the Steam Gala. The railway had originally planned to hold more 'Day out with Thomas' days in October but these were cancelled. New posts during 2012 include:- 'Thomas' at the Battlefield Line, Battlefield Line Modellers' Weekend 2012, A Day on the Footplate (1), Battlefield Line 1940s Weekend (June 2012), A Busy Few Days and The Bear's Story. On 31st December 2012, I drove the diesel railcar on a 'Mince Pie Special' day. The weather was pretty foul for most of the day but the trains were fairly well patronised and everybody remained in good spirits.

Peak Rail

During 2012, the service has normally been top-and-tailed to Matlock Town, with a steam locomotive at the south end and and a diesel at the north end. We started and finished the year with 'Sapper' as the steam locomotive leaving '68013' to perform the balance of the running. The first main-line steam charter to Peak Rail for some years provided a milestone, as the train engine 'Oliver Cromwell' was turned for the return journey on the turntable at Rowsley. Once again, the 1940s Weekend proved very popular. A number of posts have been added during the year including:- Peak Rail in Winter, Steam Charter to Peak Rail, A Day on the Footplate (2), Peak Rail 1940s Weekend 2012, A Busy Few Days and Santa Specials - 2012.

BREWOOD HALL

I understand that rainfall in the area during 2012 was the heaviest since records began (about 100 years ago). It certainly seemed damp and clammy for much of the year. There were no major events in 2012 but a few posts have been added during the year including:- Railway Friends at Brewood (also referred to in 'Railways, General' above), The Brewood Buddha Statue, Oak Tree Pruning at Brewood Hall.

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