The Titfield Thunderbolt

The well-known poster for the film by Edward Bawden.

All of the 'Ealing Comedies' series of films are well-known and well-loved. But 'The Titfield Thunderbolt', released in colour in 1953, is surely one of the most affectionately remembered. This is partly because of the use of a genuinely old locomotive called 'Lion' which, for the benefit of the film, was renamed 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' and turned out in a fairly striking livery.

In the 1950s, I think I saw the film four times in the cinema so, even at that tender age, perhaps my later association with railway preservation could have been predicted. In fact, it was not until I was in my mid-40s that I actually got involved in preservation, first becoming a member of 'Lion's' Supporters Club, the Old Locomotive Committee (OLCO) and later becoming involved with a number of railways and preservation initiatives.

The film's gentle, but witty, screenplay from T.E.B. Clarke was supposedly inspired by volunteers having taken over the running of the Talyllyn Railway which, in 1951, became "The World's First Preserved Railway".

My favourite dialogue from the film comes when the Vicar declares that they must not allow the Titfield line to be closed and the Town Clerk replies that they closed the historic Canterbury and Whitstable line. With full ecclesiastical gravity, the Vicar retorts:-
"Perhaps there were not men of sufficient faith in Canterbury".

There's more about the film in an article on Wikipedia.

From time-to-time the film is still repeated on television and I'm glad to report that it's still available on DVD.

The film screenplay was adapted as a stage play by Philip Goulding and in 2005 a professional stage production of 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' toured theatres in Horncastle, Coventry, Windsor and Eastbourne. It was great fun but nothing like the film, of course. I saw the production in Coventry with the Old Locomotive Committee (OLCO) President and his wife and my review (below) first appeared in the OLCO newsletter 'Lionsheart'.

THEATRE REVIEW
by our occasional drama critic, Jan Ford

No, there's not been much call for a drama critic in OLCO. But when 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' is adapted for the theatre, we had to check it out.

How can you adapt one of the best of the Ealing Comedy Films for the stage? Well, the 'Telegraph' drama critic Charles Spencer, having seen the production at Hornchurch, commented "You can't, but you can have a lot of fun in trying". His review encouraged me to see the staging in Coventry.

It's a strange mixture of the familiar and the new. Chunks of dialogue taken straight from the screenplay, interspersed with all sorts of plotlines not in the original, yet all done with such apparent affection that it remains true to the spirit of the original.

The original John Gregson role, Squire Chesterford, is transformed into Lady Edna Chesterford, played in "jolly hockeysticks" mode by Kate O'Mara. The Reverend Weech becomes much younger, as played by Steven Pinder and the Union Representative at the Enquiry, Mr. Coggett becomes Miss Coggett. A number of these changes are predicated by the multiple roles adopted by the actors – five actors cope with fourteen roles, involving some amusing on-stage quick-changes. The sheer gusto and good nature of the cast soon dispels any thoughts of wobbly sets or improbable plotting.

The short season (Hornchurch, Coventry, Windsor and Eastbourne) is now finished but, if there is another season, and I certainly hope that there will be, I strongly recommend that you check it out for yourselves.

The cover of the Programme for the 2005 production in Coventry of 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' starring Kate O'Mara and Steven Pinder.

I believe the stage play has since become a popular choice with dramatic societies. At the time of writing, I've just learnt that Southport Dramatic Club have a production running from 27th January 2012 to 4th February 2012 and I'm delighted to copy their playbill below:-

There are a number of articles in my blog about the locomotive that starred as 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' and the locomotive's "Supporters' Club", OLCO. You can find them here.

Driving 'Lion'

'Lion' (minus its tender) being prepared for display in the Museum of Liverpool. The whistle is visible at the top, with its steam cock handle. The regulator handle is at 10 o'clock - the fully open position. The reverser can just be seen on the right of the firebox.

It's over twenty years since 'Lion' steamed but, before that, I had a few opportunities to actually drive 'Lion'. A correspondent asked whether driving 'Lion' was very different from driving 'Modern' locomotives. The answer is "not very". The basic principles of the steam locomotive haven't changed a great deal since the early days but, clearly, all sorts of refinements have been attempted (with varying degrees of success) over the years.

To move a steam locomotive, the driver has to decide which way he wants to move, forwards or backwards, and set the reverser (a lever in 'Lion') accordingly. The driver has to ensure that the hand brake is released (the hand brake will become important when it's time to stop). The driver will then open a steam valve to allow steam to flow from the boiler to the cylinders (there are at least two cylinders, as in 'Lion', but sometimes more) to make it go.

The steam is used to push a piston from end to end of a steam-tight cylinder. The piston is attached to a piston rod which sticks out of one end of the cyclinder and it's the reciprocating motion of the piston rod which extracts useful work. Usually, that reciprocating motion is converted to rotary motion of the driving axle by connecting rods pulling and pushing either a cranked axle (as in 'Lion') or outside cranks (if the cylinders are outside the frames). The driving axle may share its turning torque with one or more other axles via horizontal Coupling Rods. 'Lion' has two coupled axles, coupled via 'Flycranks' mounted outside the outside framing and coupling rods, giving the locomotive an antique, attractive appearance which is quite hypnotic when the engine's moving.

The clever stuff is performed by various bits of moving 'old iron', collectively called the 'Valve Motion' (or 'Valve Gear'), which automatically move a Steam Valve to cut off steam to one end of the cylinder when the piston completes its travel and admit steam to the other end of the cylinder to push the piston back again. Setting the reverser alters the geometry of the Valve Motion to determine which end of the cylinder first receives steam and hence which way the engine moves. There are lots of pictures of 'Lion' and this 'old iron' here.

'Lion' is fitted with an early form of valve motion called 'Gab' which only allows the driver to select direction. Other forms of valve gear (such as the Link Motion) allow the driver to cut off steam earlier in the piston's travel for better efficiency. For instance, the '1400' tank engine shown in 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' has Link Motion controlled not from a reversing lever but from a reversing screw.

The steam whistle gives character to an engine. It's usually sounded before starting as a warning to people in the vicinity but may also be used just to express exuberance. 'Lion' has a single whistle operated by a rotary steam cock. The handle is 'parked' at 6 o'clock - moving it left or right sounds the whistle. I could manage the 'cock-a-doodle-doo' whistle commonly used on railways (called a 'crow') but "On Ikla Moor Baht 'at" requires a two-tone whistle such as provided on Great Western engines (like the '1400' mentioned above).

'Lion' has a lever (or 'pole') reverser standing waist high on the right hand side of the footplate because (in common with most early locomotives) 'Lion' is right hand drive. The Great Western stuck with right hand drive to the very end (the '1400' is right hand drive) but, because railways 'drive on the left' in England, most railways changed to left hand drive to give the driver better visibility of signals which are usually mounted on the left. There's one peculiarity on 'Lion'. Lever reversers normally stand upright when the engine is not moving (this is called 'Mid Gear') and are pushed forwards to go forwards ('Fore Gear') and pulled backwards to go backwards ('Back Gear'). All very intuitive. But, on 'Lion', you pull the reverser back to go forwards and push it forward to go backwards. This was a peculiarity of the partnership who built 'Lion' (Todd, Kitson and Laird) and continued by their successors (Kitson and Company) for a while. Whereas most lever reversers are latched in the selected position by a trigger handle a bit like an old motor car parking brake, LION's reverser has a 'T' handle where the right hand handle hinges to release or apply the latch.

The steam valve that allows the engine move is called the 'Regulator' (sometimes the 'Throttle'). It's a proportionate valve - the more you move it, the more steam flows to the cylinders. The valve itself is within the boiler (where the steam is), operated by rotating the regulator rod. The regulator on most engines (including 'Lion') is operated from a fairly long handle attached to the end of the regulator rod on the footplate to give the driver sufficient leverage to be able to adjust the valve against the pressure of steam inside the boiler. The driver moves this handle in an arc. In 'Lion', it's fully closed at about 2 o'clock and fully open at about 10 o'clock. Different classes of engine have different detailed regulator design and sweep through different arcs. For instance, most Great Western Engines move from 5 o'clock to 1 o'clock. The marvellous Great Eastern '1500' moves from 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock ('underarm'). Left hand drive engines have mirror-image regulator movements. Many L.N.E.R. engines and British Rail Standards have 'Pull-out' regulator handles moving fore-and-aft, where the handle is pulled towards the driver to open it. There's a little more about regulators (including LION'S regulator) here.

Once the train has been accelerated to the desired speed, it's usually possible to partially close the regulator and run under 'easy steam' or fully close the regulator and 'drift'. The regulator is always closed before attempting to brake.

I talk a bit about braking here. In the early days of steam locomotives, effort was concentrated on making machines powerful enough to pull a useful load and braking technology was rather neglected. The 'Lion' has no 'power brake' (usually steam-operated on later designs). There is merely a hand brake operating on the four tender wheels. Since the brake blocks of the period were wooden, this was more of a parking brake - any attempt at 'serious' braking was likely to set fire to the brake blocks!

When I worked on 'Lion' we were giving fairly short demonstration rides so braking wasn't too demanding. Having closed the regulator, we used the traditional technique developed on early railways called 'Counter-pressure braking'. That's the posh term for "shove it into opposite gear and hope it slows down". With steam cut off, selecting opposite gear causes the cylinders to act as air compressors, absorbing energy of motion and slowing the train. We'd usually combine this with judicious use of the tender hand brake to stop in exactly the right place. It's possible to enhance the counter-pressure effect by admitting a little steam - not too much or the wheels will simply spin in the wrong direction and the train will slide.

'Lion' on display at the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester whilst the new Museum of Liverpool was under construction.

The Museum of Liverpool regard 'Lion' as one of their major exhibits and the locomotive now has pride of place in the Great Port Gallery of the new museum. 'Lion's' starring role in 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' is not forgotten and the Audio-Visual presentations interpreting the locomotive include a number of clips from the film. There's a report on 'Lion' in her new home here.

Since 1984, 'Lion' has her own supporters' club called the Old Locomotive Committee (OLCO) which forms a repository of knowledge about the history of the locomotive. 'Lionsmeet' is an annual meeting of live-steam working models of 'Lion' organised by OLCO. OLCO also has its own website here.

I've written a number of articles about 'Lion' and OLCO which you can find here.

If your interest is broader than just 'Lion', there's also a series of articles describing working on preserved railways and driving various steam locomotives. Most of these articles can be found here.

Railway Signalling: Tipton (Part 2)

In the post Railway Signalling: Tipton I first wrote about my visits to this box.

There are track and signalling diagrams of the Stour Valley line in the 1950s in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's' taken from the John Swift Collection. The West Midland lines are included in 'Volume 11: LNW Lines in the West Midlands' (ISBN: 1 873228 13 9).

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

Below are some more of my recollections.

1. Tipton Station Signal Box Diagram

The best way to orient yourself in any signal box is to study the box diagram. The diagram below (from my earlier post) is rather simplified, omitting important information such as gradients (see 2 below), distances to distant signals (see 3 below), lists of spare levers and any special levers such as the level crossing gate lock (see 5 below) and details of any Block Control (see 6 below).

The diagram displayed in the box was large enough to be readily visible and hand tinted so that, for instance, stop signal arms were tinted red and distant signal arms yellow. The diagram was mounted, behind glass, in a substantial wooden frame and suspended from the roof above the block shelf. There's a simplified sketch of the block shelf showing the diagram hanging from the roof above the block instruments:-

Of course, the 'regular' signalmen would rarely give the diagram a glance since they became very familiar with every aspect of the layout. 'Relief' signalmen, who might only intermittently work the box, were more likely to look at the diagram but they often preferred to consult the 'Pull Plates', the 'badges' fixed to the front of each lever showing what other levers were first required to release a lever. But, for other visitors, the diagram was an invaluable source of information.

2. Gradient Diagrams

It's important that the signalman has a clear idea of prevailing gradients. If a train becomes divided, particularly a 'loose coupled' freight without continuous brakes, it's important that the signalman understands what may happen to any vehicles running away. Gradient profile information is included on each signal box diagram, from where this information was taken. Main and Branch lines are common between the box and the actual junction - I don't know why the two gradient diagrams show different profiles.

A sketch of the main line profile is given below.

A sketch of the branch line profile is given below, extending to Wednesbury and showing the long-gone King Street Crossing on the Tipton side of Princes End.

3. Distances to Distant Signals

Down: 759 yards and 350 yards from Home.
Up Main 35B: 876 yards from Home.
Tipton Curve: 623 yards from Home.

4. The Lever Frame and Interlocking

Tipton Station box was fitted with the a 36-lever frame. It was the earlier pattern of Webb lever frame - the L & NWR 5.5 inch centres Tumbler Interlocking Frame. For more information about L & NWR signal boxes and the fitted at Tipton Station, refer to the excellent book 'A Pictorial Record of L.N.W.R. Signalling' by Richard D. Foster, published by Oxford Publishing Company in 1982 (SBN: 86093 147 1).

I've always preferred the 'loop' catch handle used by Webb. In the 'Tumbler' design, the catch handles were not interlocked, it was the movement of the lever which moved the Hook Rack associated with the lever within the vertical Guide Rack. Actuators ('L' shaped bell cranks) transferred this movement to U-section Locking Bars moving horizontally in a Guide Rack. Full or Half Locks were attached to each Locking Bar to allow or prevent movement of the Hook Racks attached to other levers as required by the desired interlocks. The whole Locking Rack was held together by a series of vertical Backbones which held the Locking Bars and Hook Racks in position.

5. Spare and Special Levers

The box diagram listed the following Spare Levers:-
1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 36.

Because of the level crossing gates, there were also two brown-painted special levers. Lever 31 was the Gate Lock and Lever 32 the Gate Stops. There were no pedestrian wicket gates - a subway was provided used by both passengers to get between the Up and Down platforms and pedestrians using the public road.

Finally, there was a Ground Frame released from an Annett's Key, described in section 9 below.

6. Track Circuits and Block Control

There was one track circuit - a short 'Berth' track approaching the Up Home. The track circuit was numbered TC10013, dating from a period when track circuits were quite rare and track circuits from a large area shared a common numbering scheme. Later, as track circuits proliferated, each signal box had its own number series, starting with 'T1'. The box diagram recorded that 'TC10013 controls the Up Block Instruments. With Lever 34 (the Up Home) Normal operates the Annunciator (a buzzer reminding the signalman that a train is approaching a 'Stop' signal at 'Danger'). Line Clear Up Main requires Lever 34 Normal.'

7. The 'Fobbing Bar'

Lever 18 was painted Blue and operated a Locking or Clearance Bar. However, it was not associated with a set of facing points but was situated on the track from the Down Main to Tipton Curve Junction. This line became rising once clear of the junction with the Stour Valley and spring-operated Catch Points were provided to prevent runaway vehicles running back and obstructing either the Up Main or Down Main.

Like a normal facing point Locking Bar, the Locking Bar operated from Lever 18 usually lay below the level of the wheel flanges but was raised via point rodding from the signal box. If a train was standing or passing over the locking bar when the signalman attempted to raise it, the wheel flanges would interfere with the raising of the Locking Bar and prevent the lever movement from being completed.

Before the signalman could clear the Down Main or Up Main signals, lever 18 had to be operated both ways - this was called "Fobbing Up". If successful, the signals were released. If you'd 'pulled off' the signals in one direction, you could also clear the signals the other way without "Fobbing Up" again.

Exactly what disaster scenario this special locking was installed to prevent, I'm not quite sure. The most puzzling aspect of the interlocking was that you could "Fob Up" at any time, not just immediately before clearing the main line signals. The universal practice after a train passed on the main lines was to restore the signals to danger, wind the gates open to road traffic and immediately "Fob Up" ready for the next train, even if that train was not expected for some time. I never heard of this curious arrangement being used elsewhere, but I'd be delighted to hear from anybody with more information.

8. Short Section Working

Under normal Absolute Block Regulations, a signalman had to have the line clear for 440 yards (1/4 of a mile) beyond his first Home Signal before accepting a train from the box in the rear. This 'Clearance' was a safety margin so that, if the driver of the approaching train 'missed' the Distant and only saw the 'Red' Home Signal when he was on top of it, he'd still got at least 1/4 of a mile to make an Emergency Stop before reaching an obstruction. At Tipton, the Up Main Home was only about 350 yards before the Starting signal, so the 1/4 of a mile extended into the section of the next signal box, Watery Lane Crossing. Tipton was not allowed to accept an Up train while the Watery Lane block stood at 'Train on Line'. Similarly, Watery Lane could not accept a Down train while the Tipton block stood at 'Train on Line'.

There were old 'Face Discs' in Tipton Station box but they had been out of use for some time. What did remain was a mechanically-operated indicator for the Watery Lane Up Distant weight bar. It was in the form of a cast box fixed to the wall behind the frame with a vertical slide operated from beneath the floor. Tipton was not allowed to clear the Up Distant until the indicator showed that Watery Lane's Distant was 'Off'.

Distant Indicator at Watery Lane, as shown on Tipton Station signal box diagram.

There was a similar arrangement on the Down line and the Tipton box diagram depicted the indicator in Watery Lane box which was operated from Tipton's lever 2.

9. Ground Frame

There was a Ground Frame released from an Annett's Key, pattern 'A'. This was Roberts Siding, leading to sidings behind the Up Platform. When I was visiting Tipton, these sidings were heavily overgrown and I never saw the Ground Frame used.

The sketch above shows Roberts Siding Ground Frame as depicted in the John Swift diagram which shows the five parallel sidings behind the Up platform I remember. But his diagram also shows a second connection to sidings for "Freakley's Stone etc. Sidings" extending towards Tipton Curve. That had gone by the time I took an interest in Tipton.

10. Station Bell

The sketch of the block shelf in section 1 (above) shows a bell push marked 'BOOKING OFFICE'. This worked an electric loud-sounding bell on the adjacent station principally used to alert the station staff to approaching stopping trains. The simple bell code was:-

1 ring: Down Stopping Train approaching.
2 rings: Up Stopping Train approaching.
3 rings: Speak to Signalman on the Box-to-Box telephone circuit.

Tipton Station Shunting Frame

In other posts, I've written about Tipton Station box as I first knew it and, later, after it was modernised. In August 1965, Tipton Station box was downgraded to Tipton Station Shunting Frame when Wolverhampton Power Signal Box was commissioned. The details of the Power Signal Box commissioning were given in Special Notice 745G and the diagram below, abstracted from this Notice, shows the revised arrangements.

Signalling at Tipton Station, after Wolverhampton Power Signal Box had been commissioned.

The mechanically-worked level crossing remained and Tipton Station Shunt Frame controlled slots on the signals protecting the level crossing - WN188 on the Down and WN187 on the Up. The connections to the down sidings (and the venerable elevated ground signal mounted on the Goods Shed wall) remained mechanically operated from the Shunting Frame but an electrical release was first required from the Power Box.

The earlier illuminated track diagram was replaced by another, showing the revised arrangements. The new diagram was supplied by Westinghouse who were the main contractors for the West Midlands power box schemes. The block signalling equipment was taken away and the approach of trains was indicated on Train Describers. These were crossbar-switch equipment supplied by Standard Telephones and Cables.

A sketch shows the new illuminated track diagram:-

Sketch of illuminated diagram in Tipton Station Shunt Frame (after Birmingham New Street Power Signal Box had also been commissioned).

I worked the box as a Shunting Frame a number of times but a lot of the interest had gone. There are more details here.

Further changes lay ahead. The Down Sidings were taken out of use, the gates were replaced by four lifting barriers with skirts. Tipton Station Shunting Frame was finally closed when Closed Circuit Television was installed and the level crossing was remotely monitored from Watery Lane Crossing. Eventually, the long-promised underpass was constructed and Tipton Owen Street now dives under the railway. There is now very little evidence of how things used to be, apart from the passenger station itself.

Traffic Movements at Tipton Station Box (1965?)

I've been unable to date this period of observation so far but the reference to the Colour Light implies it's after Tipton Station box was modernised. It's probably early 1965 and very likely a Saturday afternoon. No Train Register entries have been found.

(1) The Up '1-4' has 13 minutes before the Up Express so we take him on.
(2) The Down 2-3-1 ('Out-of-Gauge Load') is slipped onto the Curve, causing us to refuse the Up '4' for a moment, whilst the freight clears the junction.
(3) The Colour light goes to 'No Light'. Bloomfield stops the Express, so we cancel the train forward to Watery Lane. Then the 'phone comes back so we get the Express away.
(4) Watery Lane won't have the '1-4' now waiting at our Up Branch Home so a '4' runs next on the Up.
(5) Finally, we get the road for the Up Freight - 76042 with ballast in 'CATFISH' wagons.
(6) Open the gates to road traffic after the Up Ballast. Immediately receive 'Section' for the Down train. Close the gates to road traffic and pull off. He runs by with the engine whistling furiously.
(7) We take on a '4-1' from Princes End.
(8) Simon (S&T Lineman) gets the Colour Light back on. Are we back to normal? I wonder?
(9) The '4-1' is only short so we send him on to Watery Lane. He stops to shunt at Watery Lane.
(10) The Down Local picks up his passengers at Tipton without incident.
(11) Simon has an explanation for the Colour Light failure (not recorded what it was!).
(12) Next, 5288 comes off the Branch with a second trip - steel bars loaded on BBEs.
(13) A Fowler '4F' passes on the Up and backs inside with his brake at Watery Lane. He's to pick up at Watery Lane, after the Up Local has gone.
(14) On the Down, 8335 tender-first arrives with 12 Engineer's wagons and 15 Tiptons - steel mainly. He puts off the Tiptons on the front road, backs up and disappears towards Spring Vale.

Traffic Movements at Tipton Station box, 1965

There's an introduction to Tipton Station box as it was when I first knew it here.
There's a more detailed description of the modernised box in preparation.
There's a description of the box after demoting to a Shunting Frame here .

On Saturday 10th July 1965 I started the day at Tipton Curve Junction (traffic movements described here) and moved on to Tipton Station Box later in the morning. It was a rather difficult time for the signalling staff in the area since redundancy notices had been issued in connection with the commissioning of Wolverhampton Power Box, scheduled for August 1965.

Tipton Station box, Saturday 10th July 1965

Externally, the signal box was largely unchanged but inside it had received all the modern electrical safety refinements: continuous Track Circuiting, Illuminated Diagram and full Block Control with 'Welwyn' releases. This was only to last until August 1965, when the box was demoted to a 'Shunting Frame' following the commissioning of Wolverhampton Power Box.

As we arrive at 10:48 (the 24-hour clock was introduced with the summer timetables), the '4-1' from Princes End comes to a stand at our branch Home Signal. After the Up express, we run the freight off the branch and a light engine for Albion follows from Princes End. He passes at 11:03, a Class 8 (perhaps to work the Albion Tanks?).

Then weird things start to happen:-
1) The signal light repeater buzzes but, when we check, it's a 'spare' position causing the fault.
2) The Up colour light Distant 35a buzzes - the signal reports having gone to 'Standby'.
3) The Up Inner Distant Repeater 35 b/c goes to 'Wrong'.
Nobody knows what's going on.

On the Down we 'take on' 1S61 at 11:30 but when we try to offer the train forward, we discover that all bell and block communication with Bloomfield Junction has been severed! At least the 'phone still works, so 1S61 goes down 'on the phone', no block under Regulation 25 a (iii).

First the signal light repeater is restored, then the block comes back, then the colour light goes back to 'Normal'. That only leaves the distant repeater and that is restored in time for us to take the Up Local. We initially refuse the '1-4' offered from Princes End until the local has departed. The freight comes to a stand at our Up Branch home at 12:03. Meanwhile, the Up colour light distant fails again, restored at 12:20. We advised Bloomfield and managed to run the Up express. The Train Register shows we cancelled the express forward to Watery Lane and re-offered it. I don't know whether it was 'operator trouble' now the Up Starter is tied to the Block.

Tipton Curve opened (for just 9 minutes!) at 13:35, presumably to have a train onto or off the North Stour. Then Bloomfield Junction closed so we'd be working through to Spring Vale Sidings.

The Up Light Engine arriving at 14:58 was turned through the crossover road and despatched on the Down Branch. At this time on a Saturday, this engine would almost certainly have previously worked a train to Spring Vale and be scuttling back to Bescot for disposal.

The final entry on the Down is a Local accepted at 16:14. It amused me to 'send it on', wind the gates, pull off and then dash across to the Down platform to travel on the train back to Wolverhampton.

A copy of the Train Register entries is below:-

Deepfields Electrical Controls

Deepfields was one of the mechanical signal boxes I got to work (unofficially) in the early 1960s. The box is described in the posts Deepfields and Deepfields in Detail

Click on image to enlarge.

In a series of articles about Spring Vale Sidings box (which was the next box to Deepfields), I discuss the electrical controls applied to this type of signal box. Part 1 and Part 2 are published, other parts are in preparation. I didn't manage to obtain prints of the electrical controls for Deepfields, but I did make rough manuscript copies which appear below. Click on any picture for a larger image.

The principles of electrical control apply everywhere so, if you're familiar with the arrangements at Spring Vale for instance, it's much easier to understand the Deepfields controls.

Drawing Symbols and Labelling Conventions

The symbols for the various circuit elements are, in general, peculiar to railway signalling. Whereas the Spring Vale drawings use the 'old' symbols, some of the Deepfields drawings use the 'simplified' symbols which are probably harder to follow, until you get used to them. The student also has to become familiar with the letter codes used to label components. As in the Spring Vale drawings, a group of letters and figures is used to identify each component. For instance, the designation '20RGCR' means [20][Red][Signal][Proving][Relay]. Once you've mastered the principal codes, understanding diagrams becomes much easier.

The Drawing Set

The set of drawings for Deepfields was numbered CW.125/59/x, where 'x' was the sheet number. These drawings were prefaced by a Contents and Ordering page. The 'Contents' gave details of the drawing pages and I'd got as far as producing a typed version of this list:-

'Ordering' was a brief stores description of the various electrical items:-

Sheet 1 Controls

This information is presented as a table comprising a row for each running line and various columns:-

Line: There is a row of entries for each running line, Up Main, Down Main and Up & Down Goods.
Block Control: Shows that the Berth Track Circuit on the Up Main controls the Block.
Line Clear: Lists the conditions which must be satisfied to be able to give a 'Line Clear'. These conditions are divided into levers in the frame which must be proved 'normal' and actual signal indications which must be proved (by electrical contact boxes attached to signal arms or weight bars for semaphore signals or 'lamp proving' for colour lights).
Annunciator: Shows that the Berth Track Circuit triggers an audible warning if a train approaches the Home Signal when 'on' and shows the time (in seconds) for which the alarm sounds before the lever lock on the home signal is released.
Track Circuits: Lists the Track Circuits associated with each running line.

A second table details the requirements for electric lever locks. A row is provided for each lever requiring a lever lock or circuit controller and various columns:-

Lever and type: Lever Locks [L] may hold the lever Normal [N] or, in the case of Facing Point Locks, Reverse [R}. Lever 1 has a circuit controller for the Green [D] relay [R] controlling Bloomfield's Down Starter. Lever 39 has a circuit controller for the Yellow [H] relay [R] controlling Deepfield's Up Starter.
Lock Proving Contacts: Lists other levers which must be proved via Lock Proving Contacts [LCC].
Track Circuits: Lists Track Circuits which must be Clear or, in the case of certain home signals, occupied before the lock is released.
Block: Lists signals controlled by the Block.
Signals: Lists signals which must be On or, in the case of the distant signal prior to the colour light, Off before the lock is released.
Replaced: Records the criteria for the colour light to be automatically replaced to danger, even when the controlling lever is still reverse.
Notes: Records that lever 1 is a control on a Bloomfield signal and that Sealed Releases are provided for the Facing Point Lock levers.

Sheet 2 Block Control Up and Down Main

Sheet 3 Block Control Up and Down Goods

Sheet 4 Lever Locks Sheet 1

Sheet 4A Lever Locks Sheet 2

Sheet 5 TPR's, TPS & Annunciator

Sheet 6 Down Main Distant and Repeating

Details of the 3-aspect colour light were not recorded, sorry.

Sheet 7 Up Starting Signal

Details of the 3-aspect colour light were not recorded, sorry.

Sheet 8 Bonding

The 'Mince Pie Flyer'

55005 at Shenton, waiting to return to Shackerstone.

My last railway 'turn' in 2011 was driving the single-unit 'Bubble Car' at the Battlefield Line on New Year's Eve. The four return trips from Shackerstone to Shenton with a stop each way at Market Bosworth had been advertised as 'The Mince Pie Flyer'. Every passenger was given a mince pie and a drink, alcoholic for the grown-ups, soft drinks for children. In contrast to my turn two days before on 'Agecroft No. 1' at MOSI, the weather remained dry and the sun was out. It did become a little cold later, but it was a splendid day to finish the year.

The single-unit W55005 has recently been 'outshopped' after fairly major work and it looked splendid. I'd never driven W55005 before but, of course, all the controls across a range of DMU types are similar. I'd been warned that, at start-up, I might need to restart Number 1 Engine a couple of times but, in fact, it fired up first go and ran sweetly for about ninety minutes. Then, on the way back to Shackerstone, that engine quit and refused to restart. I eased back into Shackerstone and Pete and I had another go at re-starting, without success. I decided to run on the remaining engine for the rest of the day so Pete and I isolated the final drive and isolated the engine. I completed the 'Diagram' on time without further incident. The most likely cause of the engine problem was air remaining in the fuel line after an earlier hose replacement, but the sound design of the 'Modernisation' Diesel Multiple Units meant that we didn't need to declare a failure.

I really enjoyed the day!

Jan 'in the chair' before departure from Shackerstone.

More pictures of 'The Mince Pier Flyer' are here.
Pictures showing W55005 in detail are here.

Agecroft at MOSI

A photograph (taken earlier in 2011) showing 'Agecroft No. 1' with the semi-open passenger coaches. Click on picture for full image.

After a very successful visit to the Tanfield Railway, 'Agecroft No. 1' handled the Christmas services at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester. This has allowed the 'Planet' replica to be 'shopped' for repairs. I didn't do any of the 'Santa' trains, but I was driver on the 29th December 2011. Laurence was Fireman and Dave was Operating Officer. The weather was pretty foul all day - high winds and heavy rain much of the time - (hence no new photographs). The Guard, Duncan, elected to have the 20-ton piped brake van attached at the rear as offering somewhere to shelter from the worst of the weather. I was surprised at just how many passengers we carried in the day - the semi-open replica 1830 coaches are not ideal in inclement weather. At one stage, there was a torrential hailstorm with the hail coming virtually horizontally. I got quite wet and our passengers can have fared little better. Despite these problems, everybody retained their sense of humour and 'Agecroft No. 1' performed admirably, as expected.

Sedgeley Junction - Early History

1. Origins

The South Staffordshire Railway was initially completed from Wychnor Junction (where it joined the Midland Railway's line from Birmingham to Derby) to Walsall in 1846. By 1849, the line had been extended to Dudley. The short branch connecting Sedgeley Junction to Dudley Port High Level on the Stour Valley Line was finally opened to through traffic in 1854 (after some difficulties with the Railway Inspectorate because of the cramped site at Dudley Port High Level). The Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway were shareholders, seeking to prevent the Great Western from encroaching further on their territories and for a time the railway was leased to John Robinson McClean. The London and North Western Railway bought McClean's lease in 1861 and finally bought out the other shareholders in 1867.

Cheslyn Hay and District Local History Society has a short history here and Rail Album has some details of the early locomotives here. There's an extended history of the railway in 'The South Staffordshire Railway - Volume 1' published by the Oakwood Press (ISBN 978 0 85361 700 6) containing a treasure trove of photographs.

2. Rules for Working the Dudley Incline

During his researches at local archives, my friend Ian has found 'The Rules for Working the Dudley Incline' from around 1872. The gradient from Great Bridge to Dudley Port Low Level was around 1 in 240, steepening to around 1 in 60 for the final stretch to Dudley. Working this incline presented an operational challenge throughout the line's long life. Trains stalling on the gradient delayed the service but the biggest risk was of trains or vehicles running away downhill.

Here's a summary of the instructions:-

Ascending: When ascending, drivers and guards were instructed to ensure that there was a 'Break' (brake van), with a Guard in charge, at the rear of every train. Goods trains exceeding ten loaded wagons were also required to have a 'Breaksman' able to operate further brakes if required. Where Goods Trains were provided with an Assistant Engine, this was to be behind the brake van. Each 'Passenger Van' was to carry two wooden 'Spraggs' and each 'Goods Van' six wooden 'Spraggs'. I assume they meant brake van in each case. The spraggs were used to scotch the wheels to prevent running away. There was also an instruction that Goods Trains must have a margin of at least 15 minutes before a passenger train is due before being allowed to leave Great Bridge.

Descending: Goods Guards were instructed to pin down one handbrake on every fifth wagon before leaving Dudley. Passenger trains were to have a brake van for every eight carriages, with a extra man in charge as far as Dudley Port. The signalmen at Dudley, 'Sedgley Junction' (note spelling) and Dudley Port were to keep spraggs ready for use. The Porters at Dudley Port were also required to have spraggs.

These rules were written in a time when passenger vehicles were simply coupled together and the handbrake in the brake van (or vans) was the only brake available on the train. Freight vehicles were usually provided with a lever-operated handbrake worked from the ground but going up inclines, only the locomotive brake and the handbrake in the brake van were available. If a bank engine was provided, this provided further braking effort in addition to 'pushing power'. Going downhill, trains would stop at the top of the incline and pin down brakes on a proportion of the train which would hopefully be sufficient to allow the driver to keep the train under control. The train would then stop at the bottom of the incline to release the brakes - a time-consuming process. Some of these practices were still in use in the 1960s.

By the end of the nineteenth century, matters were somewhat improved: at least all passenger trains were required by law to have an 'Automatic Brake' on all vehicles. This brake could be applied throughout the train by the Driver, the Guard or (through the Communication Cord) a Passenger. In the event of a train becoming divided, the brakes would be automatically applied on both portions of the train.

But, even in the 1950s, the majority of freight trains comprised wagons coupled together with individual handbrakes on the wagons worked from the ground and no brake operative throughout the train. A guard's brake van with a handbrake was provided at the rear of all freight trains, except on specially-authorised sections of line where short-distance movements might be allowed without a brake van. In an attempt to allow freight trains to run faster, some wagons were being fitted with 'Automatic Brakes'. Initially, these brakes were vacuum-operated but British Rail moved towards air brakes with the demise of steam traction. Since only the minority of the fleet of wagons received Automatic Brakes, only the most important freight trains were 'Fully Fitted'. As a halfway-house, the brake force available to the driver could be increased by having a proportion of the wagons fitted with the Automatic Brake and marshalled immediately behind the locomotive. This was called a 'Fitted Head'. There's more about braking systems in the article MIC - Brakes.

In the period when I visited Sedgeley Junction, most of the freight trains were controlled simply by the locomotive at the front and the brake in the Guard's Van at the rear. Banking assistance up to Dudley was provided on all but the shortest freight trains. To provide additional braking, descending trains might stop at Dudley to pin down wagon handbrakes, requiring a second stop at Great Bridge to release these brakes. Some of the 'through' goods trains were provided with a 'Fitted Head' and trains like the block oil train to Soho Pool were 'Fully Fitted'.

3. The 'Third Line'

In the time I knew Sedgeley Junction, the Up Loop extended from Sedgeley Junction to Dudley East and, with significant freight traffic tackling a gradient of around 1 in 60 up to Dudley, the usefulness of the 'Third Line' in managing freight trains sharing the route with passenger trains was obvious. The third track extended downhill from Sedgeley Junction to serve Palethorpes' loading shed. On the few occasions I walked the line between Sedgeley Junction and Palethorpes' sidings or Dudley Port Low Level, I'd noticed that the formation for the Palethorpes' siding nearest the running line seemed to carry on beyond the stop block near the loading shed.

It was only recently, studying the 1902 Ordnance Survey Map for the area based on a survey in 1885, that the explanation became apparent.

On the above map, the South Stafford line runs from top right to bottom left, crossing the Stour Valley line almost at right angles. Just clear of the aqueduct where the Birmingham Canal Navigation passes over the South Stafford, there's a facing connection to the Third Line, and a signal box to control it. So that was the explanation for the extended formation! Ian tells me that, from his library of old documents, the signal box at Dudley Port Low Level was open in 1908. On weekdays, the box closed between 10.15 p.m. and 5.45 a.m. At the weekend, the box closed from 8.15 p.m. Saturday to 5.45 a.m. Monday. Apparently, station staff worked the signals for any stopping trains when the signal box was closed. This signal box does not appear in the February 1909 and subsequent Working Timetables, so we assume that from this time Up freights had to struggle on to Sedgeley Junction before they could leave the main line. At least Palethorpes' benefitted from a nice siding to themselves.

3. Signalling Changes at Conygree Siding

The connection to Conygree Siding was another oddity when I knew Sedgeley Junction. It was only accessible to Down trains but involved blocking both the Up Main and Up Goods when in use. Early maps revealed that there had once been access to Conygree from the Up Goods as well and the extensive sidings at the time formed a triangular connection with the South Stafford Line.

During his researches at local archives, my friend Ian located a fascinating drawing detailing the proposals for signalling changes at Conygree Siding during the 19th century. The sketch was prepared by the L. & N. W. R. Signal Superintendents Office at Crewe in July 1887 and the document then spent the rest of the year being circulated around interested persons - the Signal Superintendent, Traffic Superintendent, Locomotive Superintendent, Mr. Neele, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Calkwell and, finally signed for the Chairman on 11th January 1888. The cost estimate for the work was £59! I've sketched the main features:-

The connection to the Down Main with a ground frame next to the trap points is exactly as I remember it but the connection to the Up Goods with its own ground frame had been removed at some point. The connection to the Down Main had been protected by an adjacent stop signal which was to be moved towards Dudley as part of this work. Near the connection to the Up Goods, the plan shows two parallel signal posts each originally carrying two fixed distant arms. The two splitting Down distants (reading to Dudley Port High Level and Great Bridge) were to 'come out'. The two Up distants, applying to Up Goods and Up Main were to remain. Note that the Up Goods distant carried a ring to indicate a less-important line. At 'A' there are to be two parallel posts. There's a fixed splitting distant for Dudley Port High Level on the left. The post on the right carries a stop signal (presumably Dudley's Down Starter) which is to be slotted by Conygree, with a fixed splitting distant for Great Bridge below. This slot, later controlled from Sedgeley Junction, survived as a means of protecting the connection to Conygree until the end. Distances next to signals will be from Sedgeley Junction signal box.

There's a little more on L&NWR signals here.

Note that the L&NWR drawing uses the spelling 'shewn', 'Coneygree' and the singular 'Siding' (although the note regarding the slot uses 'SDGS').

4. Addition of Signalling Detection at Sedgeley Junction

Ian also located a drawing in Local Archives detailing the proposals for adding signalling detection at Sedgeley Junction.

Mechanical interlocking of lever frames ensured that, for instance, the signal lever could only be moved when the point levers had first been set appropriately. A later refinement where the signal 'read' over facing points was to route the wire to operate the signal through a 'Detector' next to the points, ensuring that the signal arm could only move if the points themselves were lying correctly.

The scope of these changes was to add facing point detection to the Up Walsall, Up Dudleyport and Down home signals. The sketch was prepared by the L. & N. W. R. Signal Superintendents Office at Crewe in April 1894 and the document then spent the rest of the year being circulated around interested persons - the Signal Superintendent, Traffic Superintendent, Locomotive Superintendent, Mr. Neele, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Calkwell and, finally, the Chairman signed on 7th December 1894. The cost estimate for the work was £32! I've sketched the main features:-

The layout of the junction was rather different then from when I knew it, incorporating both a single slip and a double slip. This may explain the multiple spaces in the frame which intrigued me during my visits, if we assume that the remodelling to remove the single slip and double slip removed the need for a number of levers which, rather than being painted white and left as 'Spare', were taken out and converted into 'Spaces' (Section 4 of the post Sedgeley Junction - Signalling Alterations 1964 lists the spaces as 3,5,6,9,11-14,26-28,33-34,37 and 40).

The Up signals also show the arms in a second, and in some cases third, position. This is the way of representing 'Slotting'. From consideration of the layout of Conygree described in section 3 above, the slots appear to be operated from the ground frames controlling the Down Main and Up Goods connections at Conygree, as shown in the table below:-

Signal	Down Main Ground Frame Slot	Up Goods Ground Frame Slot
Up 3rd line home	Yes	Yes
Up Main to 3rd line home	Yes	Yes
Up Main to Up Main home	Yes	No
Up Dudley Port to 3rd line home	Yes	Yes
Up Dudley Port to Up Main home	Yes	No

Heaviest Single Load carried by British Railways

My introduction to Tipton Curve box here refers to the "largest single load ever carried by British Railways". On 27th March 1965, I signalled this load through Tipton Curve Junction, thanks to the kindness of my friend Tom. Earlier that day, Tom and I had covered Deepfields from 8.0 a.m. to 2.0 p.m. It looks as if we 'doubled back' to cover the evening working. I've located my Train Register covering these movements and a copy appears below.

I don't know whether larger loads have been carried since but at 122 feet long and weighing 240 tons, it was fairly impressive. In theory, any weight can be carried by rail, provided it is spread over sufficient carrying wheels so that the Civil Engineer's axle load limit is not exceeded. As far as size goes, the British loading gauge is quite restrictive (much more restrictive than, say, the 'Berne Gauge' widely adopted in continental Europe). Obviously, the load can't be so large that it starts bumping into bridges or other lineside structures. Length is significant, too, because as the load traverses curves, overhang and end throw may put structures or trains on adjoining lines "in harm's way". Considerable pre-planning is necessary before 'Out-of-Gauge' loads can be run.

As far as block signalling was concerned, three different 'Is Line Clear?' bell signals were generally authorised, depending upon just how out-of-gauge the load was. There was also a special bell code to ensure adjoining lines were 'blocked' where necessary. The bell signals are listed below:-

Bell Code	Description
2-6-1	Is line clear for a train which can pass an out-of-gauge or exceptional load similarly signalled on the opposite of adjoining line?
2-6-2	Is line clear for a train which cannot be allowed to pass an out-of-gauge load of any description on the opposite or adjoining line?
2-6-3	Is line clear for a train which requires opposite line, or an adjoining line to be blocked between specific points?
1-2-6	Opposite line, or adjoining line used in the the same direction, to be blocked for passage of train conveying an out-of gauge load.

There was a special notice covering the working, but I don't have it. Because of the tight curve between Bloomfield Junction and Tipton Curve Junction, the train was to travel as a '2-6-3' between these points. It was then allowed to go forward to Princes End as a '2-6-2'. Two different reporting numbers were allocated - 8Z03 normally, changing to 8Z04 in between Bloomfield Junction and Tipton Curve Junction.

Tipton Curve, Saturday 27th March 1965

We opened the box at 7.15 p.m. and just after 8.0 p.m. we acknowledged the '1-2-6' to Bloomfield and 'Blocked Back' in the Tipton direction. We 'took on' the '2-6-3' at 8.17 p.m. and immediately 'Sent on' a '2-6-2' to Princes End. We received 'Section' from Bloomfield at 24 minutes past and the train passed, at walking pace, five minutes later. The special train was diesel-hauled and carried a long silver-coloured drum on a number of wagons. It passed me at walking pace and was accompanied by more-than-enough inspectors making sure it didn't get into trouble. As soon as I sent 'Train out of Section' to Bloomfield, he lost no time in closing the box. I also removed the 'Block Back' to Tipton. At 8.36, Princes End sent 'Train out of Section' and we closed Tipton Curve box.

DOWN

UP

I think there must have been a series of these shipments but I only saw one myself. Below is a cutting from the 'Express and Star' dated 31st May 1965 showing one of the massive drums leaving John Thompson by road for rail shipment from the goods depot at Ettingshall Road. Apparently, they were Steam Drums for the power station at Eggborough. An idea of just how different the world was then can be gained from the employment adverts adjacent to the picture of the Steam Drum, particularly noting the salary of two thousand pounds a year being offered to the Works Manager of a presswork company.

Sedgeley Junction - Signalling Alterations 1964

The Dudley - Birmingham (Snow Hill) passenger service finished on Saturday June 13th 1964. Three weeks later, I did a morning shift at Sedgeley Junction on Saturday 4th July 1964. This was the last day of the Dudley - Walsall and Dudley - Dudley Port services. The timings are on pages 38 and 39 of Jan's Train Register Book.

I think it was that day I found copies of the drawings detailing the changes to be carried out to the interlocking at Sedgeley Junction box which were intended to 'single' the line to Dudley Port, retaining it as an Engineer's Siding. I hastily made my own sketches from the drawings.

I never returned to Sedgeley Junction so I don't know whether the planned alterations were introduced - on 20th September 1964 the box was destroyed in a fire. Certainly, alterations were made at Dudley Port, turning the branch into an Engineer's Siding. The changes at Dudley Port are described in the section titled 'Changes at Dudley Port Friday 2nd October 1964' in the post Traffic Movements on the Stour Valley, 1964

On Sunday 20th July 1964, Sedgeley Junction signal box was destroyed by fire and not re-instated. In the immediate aftermath, all the signals at Sedgeley Junction were maintained 'off' and the adjacent box at Horsley Fields was manned continuously to shorten the block section.

The four sketches I made are reproduced below. Click on any sketch for a larger view. These sketches not only show the alterations but give a good idea of the the situation in the previous period when I worked the signal box. For more information about L & NWR signal boxes and the 5.5 inch centres Tumbler Interlocking Frame fitted at Sedgeley Junction, refer to the excellent book 'A Pictorial Record of L.N.W.R. Signalling' by Richard D. Foster, published by Oxford Publishing Company in 1982 (SBN: 86093 147 1).

1. Title Page

This is a simplified sketch of the standard title sheet in use at the time. Note that the 40-lever frame is made up from two 15-lever girders and one 10-lever girder.

2. Locking Diagram showing Alterations

The book referred to above has a copy of an interlocking diagram dated 1878 which uses virtually identical symbology to this sketch. I'm afraid my hastily-made sketch isn't too clear. The vertical lines represent the Hook Racks operated by each lever which move in the Guide Rack. Horizontally, there are twelve channels for U-section Locking Bars. The symbol ' ][ ' indicates that two shorter Locking Bars share the same channel. Horizontal movement of the Locking Bars is effected by a Drive Stud attached to the Locking Bar operated from an 'L' shaped bell crank called the Actuator from the movement of the appropriate Hook Rack. Full or Half Locks attached to each Locking Bar allow or prevent movement of the Hook Racks attached to other levers as required by the desired interlocks. The whole Locking Rack is held together by a series of vertical Backbones which hold the Locking Bars and Hook Racks in position.

3. Locking Table showing Alterations

For each lever, this table tabulates what lever must be pulled before the lever in question can be pulled. The last three columns show which other levers are locked Normal, locked both Normal and Reverse and released by the lever in question.

4. Lever Colours, Pulls, Nameplates showing Alterations

This table shows which positions are working levers, spare (unused levers) or spaces (position where a lever could be fitted). The last three columns show, for each lever, the colour, the detail on the Pull Plate and the text on the Name Plate.

Sedgeley Junction (again)

I introduced this fascinating signal box in the post Sedgeley Junction. I hadn't located my early notes so I produced a (not very good) box diagram from memory for this post. Because of interest from my friend Phil, I started to expand on this theme in the post Sedgeley Junction Remembered. Eventually, I located a notebook containing notes on traffic movements at Sedgeley Junction which got issued in a whole series of posts called 'Traffic Movements at Sedgeley Junction 1962-1963'. Later still, I found a train register book with detailed timings of some of my visits. I've described this in the post Jan's Train Register Book with a link to the complete document. If this all seems a little backwards, well, it is but after losing the information for half a century, it seems better to try to nail it down in a less-than-ideal manner now.

All this is leading up to saying that I've found more contemporary notes and sketches relating to Sedgeley Junction. Rather than wait another fifty years for these to be converted into a better form, I'll post them as they stand. Once you're familiar with the way a signal box is laid out, it becomes easier to understand any other signal box. In the earlier post Deepfields in Detail, I give an explanation of some of the features of an L&NWR box, and it may be worth referring to that post for more information.

Box Diagram & Block Shelf

The best way to orient yourself in any signal box is to study the box diagram. I've also sketched the layout of the block shelf:-

Sedgeley Junction - Copy of box diagram and sketch of block shelf layout. Click on sketch to enlarge.

At Sedgeley Junction, the block shelf only extended between levers 1 to 30 - the last ten lever positions had no block shelf above. The four L & NWR Block Instruments and the Block Switch (allowing the box to 'switch out') huddled together near the left end of the shelf. The order, from left to right, was Horsley Fields, Dudley Port Junction, Block Switch, Dudley East (Main Lines), Dudley East (Loop Line). To the right of the block instruments, the Box Diagram was suspended from the roof and to the right of the diagram there was the antique telephone and L & NWR Single Stroke Bell communicating with Conygree Siding Ground Frame.

The front face of the block shelf mounted a number of Signalling Repeaters. From left to right there was the Distant repeater for lever 1 (a miniature yellow arm on a brass 'signal post'), the Track Circuit Indicator for TC2205 (discussed below) and the Weight Bar Repeater for lever 7 (the Up Distant from Dudley Port High Level direction). The right hand end of the block shelf was fitted with an indicator for the track circuit. This was in the form of a pointer moving between 'LOCKED' and 'FREE'. To the left of this indicator was a Sealed Release. The front face of the block shelf was also furnished with a number of protruding nails to suspend a number of reminder links used as Lever Collars and 'Train Waiting at Signal' reminders for the commutator of block instruments. As far as I remember, lever 35 (the Down Slot protecting Conygree Siding) and lever 39 (the Down Distant) also had repeaters. In the absence of a block shelf above these levers, each repeater was mounted on top of a vertical tube rising out of the floor behind the frame.

Looking at the box diagram, note that, with the point levers 'normal', both Up and Down roads are set towards Dudley Port High Level (not as shown in my earlier posts). Presumably, this is considered 'safer' as any vehicles running away would be diverted onto a rising, rather than falling, gradient. However, when I was visiting levers 20 and 21 were left reverse for most of the time because that was the way most trains went.

Facing points 18 and 21 were each provided with a mechanical locking bar (to prevent attempted movement of the points when vehicles were passing over). Facing point 30 had been modernised and protection was provided with a track circuit (T1). This track circuit controlled a Back Lock on lever 29 and the associated Locked/Free indicator mentioned above.

Track circuit TC2205 was something of an oddity. I believe it indicated the presence of a train in Dudley Port Low Level station on the Down Line. Since this was in Horsley Fields block section, it wouldn't normally be of interest to Sedgeley Junction. It might have been involved in the control of the electric lock on the Down Walsall Home (lever 38 - the only signal in the box with an electric lock) but I don't know. I can't remember our taking a lot of notice of this track circuit although you'd hear a 'click' as a down train left the track circuit and the indicator moved back to 'TRACK CLEAR'. Originally, the L.M.S. numbered all its track circuits in a single series, hence the rather large number 'TC2205'. But as track circuits started to proliferate, a change was made so that the track circuits for each box were in a 'local' series, starting with T1, without renumbering any existing track circuits.

Levers and Pulls

Then, you need to study the layout of the levers. The colour indicates the function, of course, for instance red for stop signals, black for points and so on. Fixed to the front of each lever is the 'Pull Plate' showing which other levers need to be reversed before that lever can be pulled. Further guidance was given by the text on the Back Plates fixed on a board behind the levers.

Sedgeley Junction - Lever Pulls (First column is lever number, next columns list the 'Pulls', final column gives description as on the Back Plates) Click on sketch to enlarge.

This is fairly straightforward, although I suggest that the pull 'Lever 24 requires Lever 36' is a transcription error for 'Lever 24 requires Lever 35'.

Gradient profiles

It's important that the signalman has a clear idea of prevailing gradients. If a train becomes divided, particularly a 'loose coupled' freight without continuous brakes, it's important that the signalman understands what may happen to any vehicles running away. Gradient profile information is included on the box diagram and is given below.

Sedgeley Junction - Gradient Profiles. Click on sketch to enlarge.

It was a tough slog for freight trains from Great Bridge up to Dudley. The diagram above shows a section of 1 in 62 just outside Sedgeley Junction box. That, combined with weight transfer on the wheelsets of locomotives passing through common crossings on poinwork near the box resulted in many engines 'losing their feet' near the box. In contrast, the line from Sedgeley Junction to Dudley Port High Level was, according to the diagram, a bit of a switchback.