A New Signal Box at Darley Dale

The new signal box on its first operational day.

On Sunday, 17th February 2008, Peak Rail opened its new signal box at Darley Dale. The original box was always rather cramped (somewhat resembling a pigeon loft) and the changes required when the signalling was adapted for two-train working made matters even more of a squeeze.

The view above shows the original Darley Dale signal box, with lever brame, block shelf and illuminated diagram. Note the British Rail pattern Absolute Block Instrument in the foreground, which controls movements on the double track section to Church Lane box.

Signalman Flather seen working the new box on its first day. Note that the Block Instrument has moved to its 'proper' position on the block shelf. The new box has a brick foundation and gives more space for the signalman to relax in between trains.

Congratulations are due to everybody involved on this upgrade, especially Dominic and Peak Rail S&T Department.

More pictures of signalling at Peak Rail.

Peak Rail Signalling

Peak Rail currently operates a distance of just over four miles, extending from Matlock Riverside via an intermediate station at Darley Dale to Rowsley where there is a extensive yard. The section through Darley Dale is double track, signalled by Absolute Block between the signal box at Darley Dale and the signal box at Church Lane. Each signal box controls a number of fixed signals and also a gated level crossing.

The single line between Darley Dale signal box and Matlock Riverside is controlled by a single line Train Staff. Running-round at Matlock Riverside is controlled by a Ground Frame released by the Train Staff.

The single line between Church Lane signal box and Rowsley is controlled by a separate single line Train Staff. Running-round at Rowsley is also controlled by a Ground Frame released by the Train Staff.

The picture above shows the driver's view from a down train approaching Darley Dale. Three successive signals can be seen: Darley Dale's Down Home (with fixed distant for Church Lane below), Church Lane's upper-quadrant bracket signal and the lower-quadrant Midland signal just before Church Lane box. More pictures of Peak Rail signalling.

These arrangements allow two-train running, with trains passing on the double track section at Darley Dale. At present, normal running involves only one train but two trains operate on special days. Two-train working was introduced on 3-Mar-2007.

Two-train working pictures.
Two-train working story.

"Lion's" History

This picture, from the archives of Liverpool Museums, shows 'Lion' on its plinth in Lime Street station in the early 1930s.

'Lion' was built in 1838 by the short-lived partnership of Todd, Kitson and Laird in Leeds for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The following report is from The Engineer, Nov 14, 1930 (p535). The original text has been retained and only minor changes have been made.

'Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Centenary Celebrations, held at Liverpool from September 13th, was the "Train of 1830" drawn by the reconstructed "Lion", which carried passengers round a circular railway specially laid down at the Wavertree ground.

According to Wishaw, this locomotive was built for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1838 by Messrs. Todd and Co. It now appears that the company consisted of Charles Todd, James Kitson and a Laird, and that they began manufacturing early in 1838. In 1839 Kitson and Laird withdrew and started a new firm, which has developed into the present Kitson and Co., while Todd continued the original business with a new partner under the title Shepherd and Todd of the Railway Foundry. After 1846 the foundry was carried on by E. B. Wilson and was eventually acquired by Messrs. Manning, Wardle and Co.

Two engines, the "Lion" and the "Tiger," were built at about the same time; the "Lion" is believed to have been delivered in July, 1838, and both were at work before October of that year. Edward Woods, the company’s engineer at that time, when sending out a specification for new boilers, quoted these engines as examples to be followed as regards materials and workmanship. The "Lion" was No. 57 on the company’s list and was taken over, with other stock, by the Grand Junction Railway in August 1845. In 1846, when the London and North-Western Railway was formed by further amalgamation, it became No. 116 of that line.

The "Lion" was sold for the sum of £400 to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board on May 26th, 1859, and worked as a pumping engine at Princes Graving Dock from that date until August 1928, when it was presented by the Board to the Liverpool Engineering Society, whose property it remains, in order that it might be preserved for the city of Liverpool. It has been restored during the present year in the Crewe shops of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, with the assistance of Mr. J. G. H. Warren.

The engine is of the inside cylinder, 0-4-2 type, which was one of the forms of six-wheeled engine introduced by Robert Stephenson in 1833, and extensively copied by other engine builders. The cylinders are now 14in. diameter by 18in. stroke, but the figures given by Wishaw in 1840 were 11in. diameter and 20in. stroke. In a list of about 1846, by John Dewrance, who succeeded Eward Woods, the cylinder diameter is given as 12in. and the stroke as 18in., so that it would appear that the cylinders were changed for larger sizes ar least twice, but the changes were no doubt made before the engine ceased work as a locomotive.

The driving wheels are 5ft. diameter and the trailing pair 42in. diameter. The wheelbase is 12ft., equally divided. The cylinders are placed low down so that the piston-rods pass below the leading axle with an upwards inclination of 1 in 13. The valve chests are placed on the tops of the cylinders, as was then usual, and the valves are driven through rocking levers, the upper ends of which are connected with the valve spindles, while their lower ends carry pins with which the excentric rods engage.

The valve gear is of the four-excentric type, introduced in 1835, in which, for each cylinder, there is a fixed excentric for each direction of motion, and the excentric rod ends are provided with notches or gabs that engage with the pins on the valve levers. The gabs are furnished with spreading jaws or forks, which enable then to engage with the pins without the aid of hand levers on the footplate.

The reversing gear is that variety of the forked gab type introduced about 1840 and usually associated with the name of William Buddicom, who was Edward Wood’s assistant at the Liverpool end of the line. In this form the forks of the excentric rods face one another and the rod ends are linked to levers on a reversing shaft placed below them, so that both are lowered or raised together, and either the upper or lower gab is engaged with the pin of the valve lever.

The valves now on the engine have an outside lap of 13/16in. and a travel of 3 13/16in., the cut-off being 81 per cent. When the engine was built the valves had little or no lap, but Woods records that all the Liverpool and Manchester engines were altered or provided with new cylinders and valves, with lap and longer travel, between 1840 and 1842. It was probably at that time that the 12in. by 18in. cylinders were fitted, and very likely the present valve gear as well.

The engine has outside sandwich frames of wood between iron plates, the axle-box horns being bolted to them. Inside the wheels there are two wrought frames – extending from the smoke-box to the fire-box – which carry extra bearings for the crank axle only. The springs for the coupled axles are mounted above the frames, and those for the trailing axle below them. The boiler and cylinders are are supported by brackets from the outside frames. The guide bars are carried at the front end by the cylinder covers and at the rear end by spectacle plates hanging from the middle boiler support.

The present boiler is of comparatively late date, somewhat larger than the original one, and having a very high fire-box crown. It is not certain what kind of outer fire-box the "Lion" originally had. Liverpool and Manchester engines of the period usually had a slightly raised crown, but Kitson and Laird appear to have favoured the haystack form in their early engines, so that, if they had a free hand in the design of the "Lion", its fire-box may have had that form. In the reconstruction the high crown of the existing boiler has been masked by a cover of the haystack form. Whishaw gives the original boiler dimensions as:- Barrel, 39in. by 42in. and 7.4ft. long; 126 tubes, 1.625in. diameter diameter and 8ft. long; inner fire-box, 30in. long, 39in. wide and 36in. from grate to crown. The total heating surface was 460.3 square feet and the grate area 8.12 square feet. The steam pressure was 50 lb. Per square inch and the tractive effort at 85 per cent. Boiler pressure is 2499ib. with the present cylinders. The regulator is within the fire-box crown, which is surmounted by two lever safety valves loaded by Salter spring balances; these balances also serve to indicate roughly the steam pressure. Edward Woods’ boiler specification of October 1838, required a dome over the firebox with one safety valve, as well as a second dome, another safety valve on a pillar, and a manhole on the boiler barrel.

The weight of the "Tiger", which was closely like the "Lion", is given by Whishaw as 14.47 tons; in its present state the "Lion" weighs 18.85 tons.

The four-wheeled tender has been adapted from an early tender from the Furness Railway, and is very similar to those in use about 1840. The engine and tender together weigh 26.55 tons, and their overall length is 32.74ft.

The train drawn by the "Lion" consisted of replicas of the first and second-class coaches of 1830, evidently based on the well-known Ackermann prints. The first-class coaches were excellent copies of the reconstructed model of the coach "Experiment", dated from 1834, now belonging to the L.M.S. Railway; but the second-class vehicles, while being apparently copied from the Ackermann prints, were incorrect in that they were seatless. The tickets issued for these were described at the booking office as "third class" instead of second; third class did not, of course, exist in 1830.

The "Lion" is to be given a place of honour at Lime-street Station, Liverpool, over the buffer stops between platforms Nos. 3 and 4'.

Coal Tank

Shortly after a discussion at Stafford Model Railway Exhibition 2008 about the dimensions of the L.&N.W.R. fabricated chimney used on the famous 'Coal Tanks', I came across a drawing of the class in the September 1947 issue of 'The Model Railway Constructor'. Mr. G. H. Platt had written the article (one of a series) and Mr. J. K. Nelson had traced the original drawing, loaned by Mr. J. P. Richards, to allow publication. The principal dimensions quoted in the article are given below:-

Coupled wheels: 4 ft. 5-1/2 ins. diameter.
Trailing wheels: 3 ft. 9 ins. diameter.
Wheelbase: 7 ft. 3 ins. plus 8 ft. 3 ins. with a further 5 ft. 9 ins. to the trailing axle.
Frame overhang:
- front: 4 ft. 5 ins.
- rear: 3 ft. 1 in.
Width:
- 7 ft. 6-1/2 ins. over buffer planks
- 7 ft. 0 ins. over footplate
- 6 ft. 8-1/2 ins. over tanks
- 6 ft. 7-3/4 ins. over cab sides.
Height:
- 4 ft. 0-1/4 in. to top of footplate
- 6 ft. 10-3/4 ins. to boiler centreline
- 10 ft. 7-3/8 ins. to cab eaves
- 11 ft. 0-1/2 in. to top of cab.
Radius of cab roof: 10 ft 8 ins.
Length of cab roof: 6 ft. 1 in.
Boiler diameter (over cleading): 4 ft. 6 ins.
Smokebox diameter: 4 ft. 8 ins.
Length of smokebox: 2 ft. 8 ins.
Chimney: 3 ft. 9 ins. long, placed 1 ft. 3-1/2 ins. from front of smokebox.
Height of buffers: 3 foot 4-3/8 ins.

The 1 inch frame plates were 4 foot 2 inches apart.
The wooden buffer planks were 1 foot 3 inches deep and 6-1/4 inches thick (including a steel facing plate).

The cab floor was at two levels - in the centre at running plate level but either side raised above the substantial rectangular balance pipes which connected the side tanks to the bunker water space.

Webb was a great believer in standardisation and the 'Coal Tanks' are a variation on his 0-6-0 tender engine - the 'Coal Engine' which was made in large numbers and contributed significantly to the consistent dividends paid to shareholders of the 'Premier Line'.

I've always had a soft spot for anything from the "Nor-Wessie" and I remember, back in the '50s, when the station pilot at Birmingham New Street was invariably a 'Coal Tank'. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I'd one day actually drive a coal tank on a passenger train but, much later, it came to pass.

Sedgeley Junction

A simplified signalling diagram for Sedgeley Jn. without lever numbers. Click on the diagram to enlarge.

So far, I've introduced some of the mechanical signal boxes I was familiar with on the Stour Valley main line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton. But there was one box I always enjoyed visiting which was on a secondary line - Sedgeley Junction. This was situated on the South Stafford line, which extended from Walsall, crossing the Stour Valley at right angles at Dudleyport and joining the Great Western Line at Dudley. The Great Western Line at Dudley was part of the line built by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (ominously known as the 'Old Worse and Worse').

Sedgeley Junction box was a standard London & North Western Railway design with a brick base and 40-lever Webb Tumbler Interlocking Frame. The next box to the west was Dudley East, also an L & N W design but, by the time I knew it, administered and staffed by Western Region men. The next box to the east was Horsley Fields Junction. This was another L & N W box, of the early pattern, which controlled a branch to Swan Village, allowing access to the Western Region main line from Wolverhampton to Birmingham (Snow Hill). At Sedgeley Junction, a short branch diverged to Dudleyport Junction.

All the points were mechanically operated over U-channel rodding, all the running signals were upper-quadrant semaphore, wire-operated. Only home signals were provided, with worked distant signals for all three directions. There were no new-fangled colour light signals!

Most passenger workings were handled by Diesel Multiple Units. There was a fairly regular service during the day from Walsall to Dudley, usually operated by a two-car DMU. The Western Region operated a Dudley - Birmingham (Snow Hill) service during the day. This ran from Dudley to Horsley Fields Junction where it took the Swan Village branch, continuing along the main line to Snow Hill. In addition, from time to time, a DMU ran from Dudley to Sedgeley Junction then via the branch to Dudleyport. After a short sojourn in the bay platform at Dudleyport, the DMU would return to Dudley. This Dudleyport service was often a single-car DMU, always called the 'Bubble Car'. All of the passenger services were normally fairly lightly loaded when I knew them.

The South Stafford line had become an important freight artery and much of the interest at Sedgeley Junction came from the frequent goods trains. From Great Bridge (the next box beyond Horsley Fields Junction towards Walsall) right through to Dudley, trains faced a fairly steep bank, producing impressive sound effects. Only lighter trains attempted the climb single-handed. To assist heavier trains, a bank engine was stationed at Great Bridge, usually a 'Super D' ex-L & N W 0-8-0 (power classification '7F') or a Stanier 2-8-0 (power classification '8F'). The banker would assist the train to Dudley and then return light engine, ready to assist another train. There was a lot of coal traffic in the uphill direction (also the 'Up' line), much of it destined for Stourport power station. Mineral trains frequently originated at Wichnor Junction (then a re-marshalling yard on the Midland line from Birmingham to Derby) and often were destined for Hartlebury Junction (on the Western region). In the 'Up' direction, these trains would be up to about 45 wagons, mainly comprised of the British Railways all-steel 16-ton mineral wagons and, of course, loose-coupled. Returning trains of empties (often called 'Pools') would load up to 60 or 70 wagons. At night there was no need to preserve paths for the passenger service and even more freights would be run. There were also long-distance express freights at night - one diagram was a block train of petrol tanks from the refinery at Milford Haven to the Birmingham distribution depot at Soho Pool. This train was loaded in the downhill direction and empty uphill. It was normally worked by a British Railways Standard 2-10-0 (power classification '9F').

'Up' trains could not always be found an immediate path at Dudley onto the Western Region and so, in addition to the 'Up Main' and 'Down Main', there was an 'Up Goods' between Sedgeley Junction and Dudley East, to avoid blocking the main line with a waiting freight. This goods line was invariably called the 'Third Line'. The main lines were worked under 'Absolute Block' regulations, but the 'Third Line' was signalled as a goods 'Permissive', allowing freight trains to queue up, one behind the other, clear of the main line. When I knew the box, it was rare to have more than one train at a time on the 'Third Line', and I don't think I ever saw more than two in the section.

If a train which Dudley wanted up the Third Line was being banked, once the train and banker had passed Sedgeley Junction, the banker was 'trapped' until the train being banked had been released onto the Western Region at Dudley. It sometimes happened that, with a freight and banker on the Third Line, Dudley had a 'path' for a following freight on the main. The driver of the following freight then had to decide whether to risk leaving Great Bridge without assistance or to get on the telephone to Control to try to find another banker. If there was any other motive power around, this might be pressed into service as a banker for one trip, even if this meant shunting that engine's train into sidings until the banking turn was done. Freight working was always far more flexible than passenger. If no bank engine was available, a debate might ensue between the driver and Control about whether the load could be taken by one engine unaided. Since the gross load was calculated by the train Guard for his Journal, significant variations occurred. Many times, drivers who agreed to "have a go" would approach the box at Sedgeley Junction going slower and slower and, as often as not, would grind to an ignominious stop outside the box.

Palethorpes Sausage factory was only a short distance away from Sedgeley Junction and, depending upon the direction of the wind, this was sometimes obvious, just by sniffing the air. In 1896 the factory was the largest sausage producer in the world! Their private siding joined the Third Line at Sedgeley Junction. Even in the late 1950s, every afternoon, most of their production was loaded into their own railway vans at their private siding and a couple of main-line steam locomotives would fuss about making up at least two trains which would then be taken away for distribution. One train went the short distance to Dudleyport where individual vehicles were attached to various expresses which stopped at Dudleyport for the purpose. In the morning, the process would be reversed when the empties would be returned and taken back to the Palethorpes siding.

In between Dudley and Sedgeley Junction, there was an iron foundry called Conygree Foundry. This was served by a trailing connection in the Down Line which crossed both Up Main and Up Goods to reach the foundry. The points were controlled by Conygree Siding Ground Frame, which was provided with both a single-stroke bell and a telephone to Sedgeley Junction signal box. The Ground Frame was released by a 'Midway Release'. This comprised a lever in Sedgeley Junction which could only be pulled if no Up signals had been cleared. The lever operated conventional point rodding which terminated in a locking box halfway to the siding Ground Frame. Another set of point rodding extended from the locking box to the Ground Frame release lever, which could only be pulled (releasing the siding points lever) if Sedgeley Junction had first pulled his release lever. Once the Ground Frame had pulled the release lever, the locking box prevented Sedgeley Junction from replacing his lever before the Ground Frame had finished work and put the release lever back to lock the frame.

One final oddity was the carriage sidings between Dudleyport and Sedgeley Junction. There was a connection from the sidings to the Up Branch fairly close to Sedgeley Junction box but it was released by an Annett's Key at Dudleyport Junction. This arrangement ensured that, once the Annett's Key had been released, the appropriate signals would be locked at Dudleyport to prevent a second movement on the Up Branch.

I spent many happy hours working this box (unofficially, of course).

More on Sedgeley Junction.

[Minor corrections 6-Oct-2010]

The Modernisation of British Railways

At the end of the Second World War, British railways were in a mess. Capital investment had been non-existent and amazing feats had been performed by men and machines just to keep the railways going. Winston Churchill, the wartime leader, was thrown out and Labour got their hands on the levers of power. During the War, railways, road transport, canals and mining had all been under Government control, even if privately owned. This made it easier for the new Labour government to implement its 'Clause 4' and nationalise the railways and other industries. And so, 'British Railways' was born at the end of 1947. It was never going to be easy to forge a series of disparate companies with different backgrounds into a unified transport system.

Robert ('Robin') Riddles had performed well at the Ministry of Supply during the war, but he missed out on the CME's post on the LMS when Fairburn died. The job went to George Ivatt and Riddles became Vice President of the LMS. When the railways were nationalised, Riddles was appointed the first Chief Mechanical Engineer of British Railways. As CME, Riddles oversaw a complete series of new designs for steam locomotives. Ultimately, 999 new steam locomotives were produced, some seeing 'active service' for only a few years. In general, the new designs were well-received and the future of steam seemed assured.

But other changes were afoot. People had been changed by their experiences in wartime, whether on active service or, as civilians, drawn into the effects of war as never before. A shattered infrastructure was being rebuilt and people were looking for better times after the privations of war. Immigration from the Commonwealth introduced many new workers who, in general, accepted the unattractive jobs which the British were less inclined to perform but, even so, railway jobs became less and less popular, particularly those jobs associated with steam locomotives. The coal industry had also been Nationalised and, like the railways, was trying to adapt to a new world. Many mining jobs were every bit as unattractive as railway work and the coal industry suffered similar recruitment problems. The quality of coal for steam locomotives became very variable, adding to British Railways' problems in maintaining the services.

Significant effort had been invested in the possibility of converting steam locomotives for oil burning but, eventually, it was decided that imported oil was too scarce and expensive for railway use (this was, of course, before Britain became an oil producer in its own right). All these problems encouraged British Railways to consider a new direction using diesel and electric traction which, politically, was quite attractive as a sign of the modernisation of post-war Britain and so an ambitious programme emerged where steam locomotives (including the British Railways 'standards') were to be replaced by diesel or electric traction. In view of the earlier decision to abandon the programme for oil-burning steam locomotives, this change seems bizarre and one might expect that electrification, rather than dieselisation, would have been preferred.

Before the Second World War, the Southern Railway had brought in major electrification schemes using third-rail 750 volt d.c. and it was agreed that this would be extended on the Southern Region. The War had interrupted the Manchester-Sheffied-Wath electrification project which had been designed to use overhead catenary at 1500 volts d.c. This, and similar schemes on the Eastern region suburban lines from London, were allowed to proceed. However, for new projects, the use of overhead catenary with high voltage a.c. was now preferred. The Midland Railway had inaugurated its own a.c. scheme on the branches between Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham in 1908 at 6,600 volts, 25Hz alternating current (a.c.). By 1951, the equipment was worn out and it was decided that the necessary upgrading would be made to operate from 6,600 volts, 50Hz a.c. to provide working experience prior to major main-line electrification at 25,000 volts 50Hz.

The former Great Western lines lost out twice. There had been long-standing plans to electrify the lines in the West Country, to solve some of the problems of working these heavily-graded lines but the scheme was never implemented. In addition, they had enthusiastically grasped the use of oil-fired steam locomotives but this scheme, too, was cancelled. What was on offer under British Rail was the use of Diesel Multiple Units for suburban and branch line use and large diesel locomotives for main-line trains. The independent spirit of the Great Western lived on in that diesel electric transmission was rejected in favour of diesel hydraulic. Certainly, Germany had introduced large diesel hydraulic locomotives successfully and the argument that died-in-the-wool steam locomen would adapt better to understanding this technology than becoming 'electricians' on diesel-electrics had some merit. There was also a brief flirtation with a couple of gas-turbine locomotives.

The LMS had considerable success with their diesel-electric shunting locomotives introduced before the Second World War and the design of the ubiquitous British Railways Class 08 and derivatives was based on these shunters. The LMS produced the first British main-line diesel electric locomotives (10000 and 10001) which saw service into the British Railways era. It was then the maverick designer O.V.S. Bullied who oversaw the production of three large diesel electrics for the Southern Region (10201, 10202 and, later, the more powerful 10203). Oddly enough, the Southern diesel-electrics spent most of their time on the London Midland Region and I had a number of journeys behind them. I completely failed to forsee how steam would be swept away by these noisy, smelly machines.

Alongside the introduction of the new motive power, the railway network was 'rationalised' following the politically-inspired Beeching Plan. There was certainly scope for taking away some of the remarkable route duplications which had resulted from 'Railway Mania' a century earlier and for looking at different treatments for some of the quieter branch lines. The advent of the Diesel Multiple Unit was promoted as the way to ensure an economical extended life for passenger services on minor lines and some success was achieved. However, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the political agenda behind much of the decision-making initiated the decline of public transport in this country which still continues, despite strenuous claims to the contrary.

[Description of 1908 Midland Railway Scheme corrected: 6-Mar-2022]

Little Salkeld

The 'Thames-Clyde Express' in the hands of 60077 'The White Knight'.

Visiting Stafford Model Railway Exhibition in February 2008 prompted me to report on a visit I made in October last year to the 4mm scale layout built by my friend John. Based on Little Salkeld on the Settle and Carlisle line, the layout is arranged as a large double-track oval with Little Salkeld along the one long side and a fan of storage sidings on the other long side. A spur from the storage sidings leads to a turntable with a series of radial tracks allowing some of the large stud of locomotives to be admired when not in service.

When I visited, the layout was fully functional, but scenery was incomplete. The layout is about to be relocated so scene-building is currently on hold.

Since John is a bit of a 'rivet counter' I was not surprised to see the high standard of detailing on the locomotives and rolling stock. One of my photographs (the cab of a 'Rebuilt Scot') shows the detailing available on proprietary models these days - a bit of an improvement on the Rovex 'Princess' I was brought up with! John has added quite a bit of detailing of his own so the overall impression, with scale-length trains and correct formations for the period, is very convincing. There are a few, rather poor, pictures of mine linked below which I'm afraid don't do justice to the layout.

More pictures.

Here's a short video clip (in low resolution):-

Stafford Model Railway Exhibition, 2008

'Whitley South Dock' in 4mm

Stafford Railway Circle hold an annual exhibition at the Stafford Showground. John Archer invited Richard and I to accompany him to the show on 2-Feb-2008. With 45 trade stands and 24 working layouts, we had an interesting time. There was a very wide range of model products, books and framed (and unframed) prints on offer and I made a couple of small purchases. The standard of modelling was very high on each of the layouts but a crowded exhibition is not an ideal spot for photography, so I only recorded four of the layouts and I have to apologise for the poor quality of the results.

My personal favorites were:-

'Penhallick' represents the North Cornwall Line in the late 1950s in 4mm scale.

'Hassell Harbour Bridge' in 7mm scale.

'Treneglos' represents the L&SWR in the West Country in 4mm scale.

'Whitley South Dock' in 4mm was a very convincing depiction of a port area. It had seagull sound effects, too.

Stafford & District Model Engineering Society have permanent quarters on the showground. They have an elevated 'G' scale railway and a dual-gauge (5 inch and 7.25 inch) ground level passenger-carrying track. 'King David' was in steam and giving passenger rides. However, the day had turned bitterly cold so our visit to the outside tracks was cut short in an attempt to avoid hypothermia!

More pictures.

10-line Key and Lamp Unit

10-line Key and Lamp Unit in use at Shackerstone. Click on image to enlarge.

This key and lamp unit allows the signalman to speak to any one of ten incoming 2-wire telephone circuits. This type of equipment in varnished wooden cabinets was already old-fashioned when I started to learn about telecommunications in the 1960s. The two volumes of 'Telephony' by Atkinson were the telecommunications 'Bible' and gave an insight into the principles used.

On the left of the box the operator's handset can be seen, hanging from the 'Gravity Switch'. Originally, this would have been a heavy, bakelite 'Hand Micro-Telephone' ('HMT') but it has been replaced by a more modern, and much lighter, '700' series model. The handset cord terminates in a Plug which connects with a Jack mounted on the cabinet.

The horizontal row of coloured knobs in the middle of the front of the cabinet are 3-position Lever Keys, one for each outgoing line. They're often called 'Kellog Keys' after the original manufacturer. Lifting the key upwards sends ringing current to the associated line, so as to ring the bell of the remote telephone. The key is biased so that it returns to the normal position as soon as the operator lets go. This is called 'Non-locking' action. Pushing the key downwards connects the operator's handset to the associated line, so that two-way speech is possible. In this direction, the key will stay down when the operator lets go, leaving the operator with one hand free during the conversation - useful if written notes are required. This is called 'Locking' action. At the end of the call, the operator flicks the lever key back to the central position, disconnecting the telephone he was speaking to.

Below the row of lever keys is a metal 'Lamp Strip'. This mounts ten lampholders accepting plug-in filamentary lamps, usually the British Post Office No. 2 'wedge' lamp. An opal white glass lens fitted in a clip-in brass mounting is fitted in front of each lamp. When any of the remote telephones initiates a call, the appropriate lamp glows white and a buzzer (common to all lines) sounds until the operator pushes the associated key down to the 'SPEAK' position. This action silences the buzzer and allows a conversation to take place.

British Weather

Mid-November 2007: Brewood is frosty and cold.

It's amazing that I've not specifically written about the British weather before. It's usually the first thing we talk about when we meet someone - "Isn't it cold?", "Isn't it hot?". The English have an remarkable capacity for finding the weather unsatisfactory, whatever it's like. In general, England has very temperate conditions, never very cold, never very hot. Until I travelled a little, I'd no personal experience of the extremes that some countries suffer on a recurrent basis, although I am old enough to remember (just!) the severe winter of 1947 in England. Snow fell in unprecedented quantities and life became a major challenge as transport faltered. Perhaps it was a hangover from the "Britain can take it" philosophy of the Second World War but I rather fancy that people generally coped better then than in recent times. It seems that only a few snowflakes need to descend today before train services are completely disrupted and our road system gridlocks. Then again, even before the snow comes, train services are usually disrupted and roads gridlocked.

No sooner had I commented in an earlier post on the lateness of Autumn in 2007 than the weather turned very cold and we had heavy frosts. Then it turned very wet. The weather seems to have ricocheted between frost, sun and rain ever since. In this area, we've had sleet but no proper snow, so far. I didn't enjoy the cold, but the heavy frosts can be visually attractive.

Mid-January 2008: The arch of Brewood Hall Bridge is almost filled with flood water.

Since Christmas, we've had an awful lot of rain and the ground is now very sodden. Many parts of the country are, once again, under threat of serious flooding with the attendant misery to families involved. On 20th January, at least one of the roads out of my village was flooded but passable. The brook which runs opposite my home was at a higher level than I've seen for a number of years.

In contrast, today, it's quite mild, although with a rather chill wind. It's pleasantly sunny with a blue sky and fluffy white clouds. At least the variety of English weather means you don't get bored!

Pictures of Brewood Hall Garden through the Seasons.

Pictures of Brewood Village through the Seasons.

Tai

Sadly, I lost Tai in 2011. He was game to the end. Other than adding this note, I've not altered the original text written in 2008.

I have a dog who is a real treasure. Almost everybody falls in love with him, because he's a good-looking animal with an engaging personality. But it was not always so. When he was about a year old, he was taken from his original owner in a pitiful state. We never found out the details and don't know whether any prosecutions resulted, but we could see all too clearly the unhappy state that the animal had been reduced to, emaciated, bedraggled and terrified of his own shadow. He would cower at the slightest movement and we were not sure whether we would be able to do any good with him.

'Tai' has become a traditional name in our family for dogs. Before I met my partner, Daemon, he had a Boxer dog with very attractive brown and white fur, called 'Tie' (his spelling). Eventually, this dog died and Daemon took on another Boxer from the same line which was given the same name and grew up to be as attractive as his predecessor. We had the second 'Tai' for some years, until he died of cancer. At the time, we also had another dog, a bitch full of character called Foxy, a rescued dog reprieved by Daemon some years before. The present Tai, although not a boxer, had the same attractive brown and white fur so the choice of name seemed inevitable. Tai was intended as a companion for Foxy and she helped him to settle in. Alas, both Foxy and Daemon have passed on. Tai and the writer are presently in good health and hope to enjoy life for some time to come.

More photographs of Tai can be found in the Family and Friends section, partly because he's often to be found being fussed by my visitors, partly because, as Daemon always said, "Dogs are people, too".

Carpe Diem

Don't you hate it when people insist on using Latin tags? Well, I agree if it's done to be elitist but, having studied Latin to 'O' Level GCE (betraying my age here), I have to say that Latin can be an elegant (if rather terse) way of expressing ideas and a useful tool in understanding not only English but a number of European languages. So I make no excuse for offering you a short Latin tag which I've found useful in concentrating the mind - "Carpe Diem" - "Sieze the Day".

You don't see much Latin in Tokyo but I found this famous tag inset into the granite facing of the elevation of a modern office building, above the street-level windows. There were a number of less-memorable tags, as well, but I'll not bore you with those. I assume the architects throught that adding these phrases in a foreign dead language would add a certain panache (Oh dear, she's at it again) and make the property more desirable to aspiring corporations.

Why do I think it's a useful tag? Well, it has the advantage of brevity (I know, "Pity you don't, Jan" I hear you sigh), so it's easy to remember for a start. But, mainly, it's a universally applicable reminder that the sands of time are running. We sometimes act as if the present will carry on forever - it's salutary to remember that it won't - so go for it!

Crewe International Electric Maintenance Depot

92016 stands outside Crewe IEMD in the bright winter sunshine.

On 16th January, I visited the E.W.S. International Electric Maintenance Depot at Crewe to assist in some testing of trainborne control equipment. Locomotive 92016 was used for various static tests with 25kV a.c. power applied.

I first visited the location over 30 years ago, when the site was quite new. Then, it was called the Crewe District Electric Depot. It was built by British Railways on the down side of the Chester line, in between Crewe North Junction and Crewe Steel Works signal box, as part of the Euston to Manchester Electrification Project. The four-road shed was provided with facilities for maintenance of the 3,600 horse power Bo-Bo electric locomotives used at the time.

Today, maintenance of the 6,760 horse power Class 92 Co-Co locomotives is carried out. Class 66 diesel-electrics were also being worked on. Most of the Class 92 are in the two-tone grey livery which suits them rather well but 92001 was in the yard, sporting the E.W.S. livery of red and gold.

In the sidings, I found a modern 75-ton Cowans-Sheldon crane (ADRC96713), a modern 36-tonne 6-wheel snowplough (ADB965580) and a much more traditional-looking 32-tonne 6-wheel snowplough with dumb buffers (ADB965211).

Pictures of the Depot.
Pictures of Class 92.

Brewood Hall Small Barn

One of my early customers was a delightful English eccentric whose office was a large barn next to his house which had once served as a Games Room. I was very taken with his unusual premises, but didn't realise that, one day, my own offices would be a barn next to my home.

My own barn was semi-derelict until a few years ago. The main house is over 350 years old and has needed a lot of attention over the years. There is also a large barn which has had some work carried out. So the second, smaller barn has had a lower priority for conservation. But, during a spell of particularly windy weather, part of the roof of the small barn collapsed. I knew that plans must be brought forward to preserve the Grade II listed structure. This dilemma co-incided with changes at my business premises, a few miles away. The premises had become rather large for our needs and the opportunity arose to sell. So, a sale was agreed and part of the proceeds was used to fund the elaborate work necessary to bring the small barn into use as offices.

The move has been a great success and visitors invariably admire our unusual premises.

For pictures of the restoration project click here and for pictures of the result click here.

Brewood Hall

Historical Notes

Brewood (pronounced ‘Brood’) was a manor held by the Church as early as 822. The Domesday Book records that the Bishop of Chester held ‘Breude’. In Celtic, the name means a ‘fearful place’, held to be derived from the dense forests which covered the area at that time. Deer hunting was popular and King John is thought to have had a ‘Camera Regis’ (a temporary residence) on the site of Brewood Hall around 1204. The Fowke family became bailiffs of the Episcopal Manor of Brewood and Brewood Hall remained in this family for a number of generations. The pedigree of the Fowkes shows William Fowke living at Brewood Hall during the reign of Edward IV. During this period the ‘Leet’ (a Great Court) was held here.

William Parke, a local historian, refers to the two principal families in Brewood in the seventeenth century as the Giffards of Chillington Hall and the Fowkes of Brewood Hall. Both families had pews in the church of Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Chad and a number of memorials to both families may be seen in the church. These families remained loyal to the King during the Civil War. King Charles passed through the area during his escape, stopping first at Boscobel House and then at Moseley Old Hall, both a few miles from Brewood. The last male descendant of the Fowke family was Phineas Fowke M.D. He died a bachelor in 1710 and his sister Sibella married Joseph Hussey. In 1767, Phineas Hussey sold to Thomas Plimley "all that Manor of Engleton with appurtenances and all the capital messuage called Brewood Hall with appurtenances." It was re-sold in 1786 to the Honourable Edward Monckton, who intended it as a jointure house to Somerford Hall, although it was never so used.

Brewood Hall remained in this family for a number of years. A major rebuilding was carried out in 1858 before Misses Leonora and Emma Monckton took up residence. The Moncktons sold Brewood Hall to Colonel C. O. Langley in 1929. He disposed of it to Avion Properties in the 1960s and this company developed about five acres of orchard for housing. The Hall and adjacent barns, with around an acre of gardens, were acquired by J. C. Ford in 1971.

There is a later post Notes on the History of Brewood Hall with more information.

Architectural Notes

Brewood Hall is a Listed Building (Grade II). There has been a residence on the site for over 700 years. The existing structure dates chiefly from a major rebuilding around 1640 which incorporated parts of an earlier building and retained the medieval plan. The external construction is of hand-made bricks although this conceals some timber framing which is visible from within the building. A number of partition walls on the second floor are timber framed with brick infill. The garden walls and stone gate piers with ball finials date from this period. The house has the traditional ‘E’ plan, albeit on a small scale, with two short ‘wings’ flanking a central porch. The North West wall shows the remains of early lunette windows. The Hall still has a number of lead rain water heads although the original lead rain water pipes were replaced with cast iron many years ago. The two lead rain water heads on the South Eastern (main) elevation are decorated with cherubs – one shows two complete cherubs, the other a single cherub’s head in close-up. The 1858 rebuilding added a new wing to the North East and placed a conservatory between the wings on the main elevation. At the same time, the original stone-mullioned windows were replaced by larger plate-glass sash windows. Cement quoins were placed around these windows and on the corners of the wings on the front aspect.

The major change in the 20th century was the replacement of the 1858 conservatory by a small porch.

Internally, there are a number of original oak floors, oak door frames and oak doors. The dining room is oak panelled, with the panelling of two dates as the original room was extended some time ago. The main stairs, also oak, feature barley sugar twist balusters (banisters). The lounge hall has an Elizabethan bolection moulded stone fire surround but the ceramic tiles and brass canopy are of later date. The large window on the main staircase, with its unusual shutters, is from the 1858 rebuilding.

There are two barns adjacent to the Hall, both dating from the 17th century. The larger barn features massive oak beams but the tiled roof is relatively modern. The smaller barn was extensively restored in 2004 as offices. All the original features of the smaller barn, such as the Queen Post Truss roof and timber framing have been retained. In 2004, the doors and windows in both barns were replaced, using oak, retaining the original designs as far as possible.

You can find all my posts on Brewood Hall and associated activities here.

There is an associated set of photographs recording different aspects of Brewood Hall and showing methods used in maintaining the various structures. Click here.

The project to restore the smaller barn has its own set of photographs. Click here.

The large barn has a set of photographs here.

Alternately, you can find all my pictures of Brewood Village and Brewood Hall here.

[5-Oct-2015: Links to related posts and pictures added]

'Sir Gomer'

'Sir Gomer' is a six-coupled Peckett works number 1859, type OX1, built June 1932. It was acquired some years ago by the Battlefield Line with the intention of hauling the brunt of the service trains. Sadly, it's proved a rather ill-starred locomotive and, for a variety of reasons, availability has been rather poor. However, it's a strong engine, a good steamer and looks handsome in the livery applied at Shackerstone.

An excellent collection of Peckett data is available at Martyn Bane's site. This site has a number of Roger Griffiths' photographs showing the locomotive at work at Mountain Ash Colliery in the mid-1970s.

The engine has two outside cylinders, 16 inch diameter by 24 inch stroke. With coupled wheels 3 foot 10 inches in diameter and a boiler pressed to 180 p.s.i., tractive effort is 20,430 pounds.

Peckett's 1938 catalogue (available on Martyn Bane's site) states that the locomotive can develop 545 h.p. at 10 m.p.h. This allows a load of 170 tons to be hauled up a gradient of 1 in 30 and 980 tons hauled on level track. The locomotive is suitable for use on 60 pound rail and above and a minimum radius curve of 180 feet. Weight is 34.5 tons 'dry' and 43 tons fully loaded. The saddle tank has a capacity of 1100 gallons.

Peckett's Geneneral Arrangement drawing is number 5043 (available on Martyn Bane's site as a photograph of an original dyeline copy). This drawing gives a total heating surface of 789 square feet, a grate area of 15 square feet and a coal bunker capacity of 38 cwt.

More pictures

Aveling & Porter Locomotive

I've seen some pretty odd-looking locomotives (the Kitson locomotives for the Ferrocarril Transandino take some beating) but the preserved Aveling & Porter locomotive 'Blue Circle' is certainly striking. Aveling & Porter are better known for road rollers and traction engines, but they also produced shunting locomotives of a very distinctive pattern. 9449 visited Shackerstone in October 2007 for the 'Thomas' events and stayed for the Christmas season.

The principles of this locomotive can be followed by looking at a collection of photographs.

Battlefield Line Photographic Charter

'Linda' passes Shackerstone Box with a freight train

I've been involved on railway photographic charters on a number of occasions, but it's been some years since the Battlefield Line ran one. On 5th January 2008, 'Linda' and 'Sir Gomer' ran photographic charters for a party of photographers led by Russ Hillier. It was planned to be the last appearance of 'Linda' before her move to Chacewater, so, although I had no rostered duty, my friend John Archer and I decided to go and have a look.

After a failure some days earlier, 'Sir Gomer' was only able to perform after major efforts behind the scenes by volunteers to remedy the leaking boiler tube. 'Linda' had already gone down the line with a freight train coupled to the 2-car DMU to provide accommodation for the photographers.

Quite significant shunting operations at Shackerstone, involving both 'Sir Gomer' and a diesel mechanical shunter, were required after 'Linda' had departed. I was invited to assist by taking over as fireman on 'Sir Gomer'. The six-coach passenger train was shunted from Platform 2 to Platform 1 and 'Sir Gomer' was positioned at the South end of the second freight train, less brake van.

Later in the morning, the charter returned (with the DMU leading) and then made a second foray down the line. I managed to get some decent pictures as 'Linda' stormed away. When the charter returned, more shunting took place to transfer the brake van from the train hauled by 'Linda' to the second freight train. 'Sir Gomer' moved the second freight train to platform 2 and the DMU was attached at the rear.

After a brief pause to allow the photographers to get refreshments, they boarded the DMU and 'Sir Gomer' set off, bunker first, for Shenton. Here, more shunting was necessary to detach the DMU and run 'Sir Gomer' round, so that the steam locomotive could make a series of departures for the benefit of the cameras. The cavalcade moved on to Market Bosworth and the photographers disembarked once again to allow a series of run-pasts leaving the station. This process was repeated a number of times, progressively moving towards Shackerstone until it was agreed that we had 'lost' the light. The weather was generally kind and there had been bright sun for most of the day, giving the photographers some interesting opportunities. 'Sir Gomer' then made a final 'romp' back to Shackerstone, a satisfying conclusion to what was judged to be a successful day.

More pictures.

My first visit to Taiwan

The Lungshan Temple in Taipei

In an earlier post (Working for the Big Boys) I described how, in the 1970s, my firm came to supply railway telecommunications equipment to GEC Telecommunications for use on the Trunk Line Electrification Project in Taiwan. During the commissioning of this equipment, I made three visits to Taiwan.

The first trip was also the first time I had travelled to the Far East or, indeed, outside Europe. To minimise the travel costs, GEC supplied the tickets (economy class, of course) which involved flying to Hong Kong, overnighting in a decent hotel and then flying on to Taipei, capital of Taiwan. GEC had their own travel company called Magnet Travel which made arrangements for all the GEC companies.

As you can imagine, it was all a bit of an adventure for me. I was not used to flying so even getting to Heathrow and checking in was a challenge. The flight to Hong Kong was long. In fact, it seemed interminable to me. But eventually, we broke through the low cloud on our final approach to the original Hong Kong airport, Kai Tak.

At the time, Kai Tak was regarded as one of the most dangerous airports in the world. It was very close to the mainland city centre and the runway had been extended out across the bay. Landing involved quite sharp manoevring at low altitude to miss the multistorey apartments. It used to be said that you could check out what people in the flats were having to eat as you approached. A missed approach was equally hazardous as the end of the runway faced a tall rock face and it was no mean feat to gain sufficient altitude to climb over the rock face in order to 'Go-around'. You may imagine that I was just a little anxious as we landed but we did so, safely.

I went through immigration, was re-united with my luggage and then noticed how amazingly hot and humid it was. I feared that I might collapse with the oppressive heat. Neither was I prepared for the noise and clamour - so many people, so much shouting! I think I managed to sort out a taxi to take me to the hotel, hardly believing that I was really there, in Hong Kong. The hotel was modern, large and comfortable but I was soon outside again, exploring, although it was already dark. My curiosity was stronger than my terror of this alien place. I was fascinating with the way life was conducted on the pavement - open shopfronts revealing an amazing variety of businesses which remained open very late, street vendors selling food I didn't even recognise from makeshift stalls and food being stir-fried virtually in the gutter and eaten nonchalently by diners balanced precariously on ramshackle seats at tiny tables. I'd never experienced anything like it and I was frightened and amazed in about equal measure. Nothing untoward happened to me but next morning, when I met up with well-travelled GEC staff, they did suggest that it was somewhat inadvisable to go wandering around Wan Chai alone at night.

I can't remember much about the onward flight to Taipei. It might have been a China Airlines flight. They had a rather poor safety record and I can certainly remember one flight in a superannuated 'Caravelle' which did little to instill confidence in the carrier but I'm not sure whether it was that flight. We landed very close to the city centre at Chiang Kai Shek Airport. Since then, international flights have been diverted to a new airport miles away but Chiang Kai Shek is still used by domestic flights. It didn't take long to get to our hotel in the centre of Taipei - the Flowers Hotel. I think GEC had a block booking on rooms here to cater for all the coming and going in connection with the Project but I'm afraid it was a rather run-down establishment.

GEC had offices within the headquarters building of the Taiwan Railways Administration and I was soon introduced to some of the senior Chinese from the railway who were managing the Project. I was impressed with the unfailing courtesy which which I was treated on all my visits to Taiwan by the Chinese railway managers. They could be demanding and they were sometimes displeased with progress but this was not used as an excuse for raised voices or unpleasantness or, at least, certainly not when I was present. However, the Chinese ways of business are quite different from what I was used to. These cultural differences were mainly dealt with by GEC's Chinese agents - Grand Engineering.

Most of my work was technical and practical, but I discovered a little about the recent history of Taiwan. When the supporters of Chiang Kai Shek were finally driven out of Mainland China by Mao Tse Tung and the Communists, they settled in the island province of Taiwan which became the Republic of China. The indiginous Taiwanese with their own dialects of Chinese had to absorb many upper-class Chinese, Mandarin-speaking, who assumed positions of power. The immigrants brought significant wealth and many historical artefacts with them. They considered themselves guardians of the true Chinese heritage. The U.S.A. provided support to Taiwan, as the last bastion against the Communists over-running South East Asia. Taiwan was technically at war with mainland China, the 'Peoples Republic of China' and armed police and military were everywhere. I didn't find this situation as intimidating as I expected because people seemed friendly but it was still worth remembering not to act in a way which could be construed as 'Spying for the Communists'.

I travelled extensively to various locations on the railway, accompanied by GEC staff who knew their way around, but when I received my own all-areas travel pass for the railway, I started travelling on my own in the evening or at weekends. I'd acquired only a tiny collection of Chinese phrases, like 'Good morning', 'Please', 'Thank you' but armed with my railway pass and rather laborious research to try to decode timetables in Chinese, I could travel anywhere and did. I never found out exactly what it said on my pass but I could expect salutes from security staff as I marched importantly through the ticket barrier. I remember standing on the open verandah at the rear of a passenger train one evening, enjoying the sunset and having a bit of struggle persuading the attentive guard that I didn't want him to throw passengers out of their reserved seats so that I could sit inside!

Around Taipei, services were either diesel multiple units or diesel locomotive hauled. Further South, I found a little steam but, sadly, I lacked the opportunity and, perhaps, the inclination to go in search of it. After all, I was being paid to work and there were plenty of problems to try to solve. I also regret that, at the time, I was not taking photographs, so I have some wonderful sights preserved only in my memory. Those of you who have trawled my digital photographs on the web will be aware that I'm trying to make up for those barren photographic years now.

Although the hotel in Taipei was a little basic, the GEC ex-patriates based in Taipei for the Project duration fared rather better with their rented houses and servants. I was frequently invited for a visit or meal to one of these rather grand places. When people have once worked overseas, they are often reluctant to return and work back home, because they usually cannot recapture the life-style they enjoyed abroad.

At the time, the main station in Taipei was a rather elderly and scruffy affair and the railway lines headed off North and South at ground level, intersecting dozens of important roads at a series of manned level crossings provided with ramshackle lifting barriers and almost-incessant electric warning bells. The most common road transport was the bicycle and I can still picture the mass start each time the barriers lifted and a hundred or more bicycles pedalled furiously away, clashing with the bicycles heading in the opposite direction and with the impatient motor vehicles threatening carnage as they forced their way through.

When I re-visited Taiwan in 2005, the railway through Taipei had been placed in a tunnel, the main station rebuilt, the most common road vehicle is now the motor scooter and the city has grown almost beyond recognition. Click for details of my subsequent trip to Taiwan in 2005.

Many other memories of my three early trips to Taiwan bubble up, particularly the third one, where I was accompanied by my Mother on her first trip to the Far East, but I'll save them for another time.

Railway Signalling: Mond Gas Company's Sidings

Click for larger version of the diagram

This signal box was on the Stour Valley Line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton. The next box towards Birmingham was Dudleyport (Click for more information) and Watery Lane (Click for more information) was on the Wolverhampton side. In clear weather, all three boxes were in sight of one another, so 'Short Section Working' applied.

Why the odd box name? Ludwig Mond (1839-1909) was born in Germany. He trained as a chemist and moved to England in 1862, helping to found the British chemical industry. He became interested in the manufacture of ammonia, and the Mond Producer Gas Process arose from this interest. In the early 1900s, the Mond Gas plant at Dudleyport was using 3 million tonnes of coal a year, so the private sidings were well justified. By the time I knew the signal box, only a few wagons a week were moving in and out. Shortly afterwards, the plant was demolished to make way for a new gas works making gas from oil. A new connection was laid at Watery Lane to take oil into the plant in bogie oil tankers. Then offshore natural gas was discovered so the gas-from-oil plant was redundant. The whole area is now covered by housing and no trace of the Mond Gas signal box remains.

Mond Gas box was a standard London and North Western Railway pattern, with a Webb frame on the side nearest the running lines. The block shelf carried four Fletcher combined 'Double Needle' instruments. The two in the middle were Absolute Block for the Main Lines and these were flanked by two 'Permissive' instruments (with mechanical reminder for the number of trains in the section) for the Goods Lines. An L.N.W. Block Switch (in a wooden case matching the design of the Block Instruments) was also provided on the block shelf to allow 'switching out'. Signals would be 'pulled off' for through movements on all four lines and the block section would extend from Dudleyport to Watery Lane.

When I knew the box, it was open 'As Required' for only a few hours a week, so I didn't have many opportunities to work the box. It was covered as a 'Porter-Signalman' job at Dudleyport in the day. Most of the time, the rostered man (invariably referred to as the 'Porter-Bobby') would be doing portering duties on Dudleyport Station. When required, he would walk along the line the few hundred yards to the Mond Gas box, open up and perform any required shunting. Then he would close and walk back to Dudleyport.

The box only controlled only one stop signal on each road, because of the proximity of the adjacent boxes. The signals were upper quadrant LMS bracket signals and distant arms were carried underneath the stop signal for the box in advance. Lever 6 was for the Down Goods, lever 3 for the Down Main. On the Up, lever 24 was for the Up Main and lever 21 for the Up Goods. Lever 25 worked distants for the Up Main only. This lever worked a weight bar on Watery Lane's Up Starting and Tipton's Up Starting. Both of these distants were 'slotted' so that the arm did not come off until the stop arm above was 'off'. There was also a further weight bar 'slotting' the distant on Watery Lane's Up Starting which was controlled from Dudleyport. Similarly, there was a further weight bar 'slotting' the distant on Tipton's Up Starting which was controlled from Dudleyport. For the Down Main, lever 2 worked a total of three successive distants on Dudleyport's Down Home 1 (this distant arm was motor operated because of the distance), Down Home 2 (the wooden LMS gantry: again, the distant arm was motor operated) and Down Starting (the LMS 5-arm bracket signal). These distant signals were slotted with the stop arms on the same post and also slotted so as to be controlled by Watery Lane. On the Down Goods, Dudleyport had a Down Starting signal which was 'slotted' by lever 5 at Mond Gas. This sort of signalling complication was common where boxes were close together.

A freight train wishing to attach or detach at Mond Gas would typically stop, draw forward either light or with the required wagons, propel into the sidings, attach or detach, rejoin the rest of its train and then depart. Trains on the Up Goods did not interfere with other movements and there were two connections with the works - crossover 15 or crossover 17. No signals were provided for setting back, so this was authorised by handsignal from the box. Ground disc signals were provided leaving the sidings, signals 16 and 18. Note that signal 16 had a yellow bar. This allowed the signal to be passed at danger for a movement into the Headshunt. Trains on the Down Goods could set back into the Headshunt via a running crossover (levers 12 and 14), blocking all running lines in the process. Trains on the Down Main could set back into the Headshunt via a running crossover (levers 12 and 13), blocking everything except the Down Goods. Again, handsignals were used to authorise the setting back but a 2-arm ground signal was provided for movements leaving the Headshunt - signal 10 read to Down Goods, signal 11 to Down Main.

The box had no track circuits and only one signal was controlled by the Block - signal 24 on the Up Main. It was typical to add Block Control in a piecemeal fashion, dealing with the greatest perceived hazards first. The electric lock on lever 24 could only be released if the Block Indicator from Dudleyport stood at 'Line Clear', minimising the risk of an Up train being allowed to approach Dudleyport in error when Dudleyport was turning a train out from the Dudley branch or from the Up Goods or when the Up Platform was occupied by a stationary train or vehicles.

Although the boxes at Dudleyport and Mond Gas have gone, Watery Lane remains as a shunting frame and there are still goods loops, now controlled remotely from a Power Signal Box. Running Lines are now track circuited throughout and signals are four-aspect colour lights.