Each signalman is responsible for monitoring the signals he controls. In a previous part of this series (Part 4 - Semaphore Signal Aspects by Night) I outlined how some signals leading to the advance section were visible to the signalman from the front whilst the use of 'Backlights' allowed the signalman to confirm that some signals in the rear of his box were displaying a 'Stop' aspect. But not all signals could be observed by the signalman like this. In particular, the all-important Distant signals were generally not visible from the signal box.
Just as electrical techniques were adopted by railways to create the Block System, electricity offered methods of repeating the aspect shown by a signal back to the signal box and proving whether the signal lamp was lit.
1. SIGNAL ARM REPEATERS
Detecting the Arm Position
The signal arm was coupled to an electrical contact box fixed to the signal via a solid rod. As the arm moved, a moveable contact in the contact box moved between two fixed contact. Depending upon the type of contact box, the moveable contact had linear or rotary motion. In each case, one contact was closed with the arm 'On', the other contact was closed with the arm 'Off'. In between 'On' and 'Off', no contact was made and the signal aspect was described as 'Wrong'. By providing an electrical supply at the signal location, the contact box could connect a direct current to a repeater wire taken back to the signal box. The return for this direct current was via the earth, usually with a bond to one of the running rails. The connections were arranged so that, with the signal arm 'On' one polarity would be connected to the repeater wire, with the signal arm 'Off' the opposite polarity would be connected. With the signal arm in an intermediate ('Wrong') position, neither polarity would be connected to the repeater wire.
Western Region pattern linear contact box with cover removed and displayed as a working demonstration (Exeter West box, Crewe).
During steam days, there was rarely electric power available trackside so batteries (normally primary cells with large capacity) were provided, typically mounted in a battery box at the side of the track near the signal post.
Typical battery used on railways (One pound coin for scale).
Transmitting the Arm Position to the Signal Box
In general, electrical circuits on railways (whether for telegraph, telephone, block signalling or signal repeating) were carried on an 'Open Wire' route as bare copper wires strung between porcelain insulators mounted on the cross-arms of a series of 'telegraph poles' extending alongside the railway. The repeater wire from a signal would join the main 'Open Wire' route either as a bare wire connected to a porcelain insulator on the signal post or as an insulated cable. The 'Open Wire' route was then used to lead the repeater wire back to the supervising signal box.
Indicating the Arm Position to the Signalman
At the signal box, current of one polarity in the repeater wire represented 'On', current of the other polarity represented 'Off' and no current implied the signal was 'Wrong'.
Indication was made using a galvanometer where the repeater wire current passed through an electrical coil with a slot arranged through the middle. A small metal 'flag' was mounted in the slot on a pivot so as to swing to the left or right of the 'rest' position under the influence of the magnetic field produced when the associated signal was 'On' or 'Off' and a current flowed through the repeater wire. The direction of movement of the 'flag' depended upon the polarity of the current. The pivot extended through the front plate of the indicator so as to turn the miniature signal arm on the front of the indicator as the current moved the 'flag'.
An early signal repeater viewed from the right with the wooden case removed. Left to right: Cast metal model signal post and miniature signal arm visible to signalman, metal front plate, oval mounting bracket, electrical coil (note slot), wooden backplate.
Close-up of the electrical coil showing the slot and the pivoted metal 'flag' which deflected under the influence of the magnetic field so that the position of the miniature signal arm corresponded with the actual signal arm being repeated.
In early indicator designs, the galvanometer was mounted in a glass-fronted wooden cabinet which was fixed near the lever controlling the repeated signal. More modern indicators were more compact, in a circular glass-fronted housing simply screwed to the front of the block shelf so as to be readily visible to the signalman.
Examples of Signal Arm Indicators
Typically, indicators had a model of a signal, with the miniature arm moving up or down to indicate 'Clear', according to the design of the actual signal being repeated.
Upper-quadrant Distant Signal Arm Repeater in a round case (Displayed at Shackerstone Railway Museum).
Signal Arm Repeater for a lower-quadrant stop signal. Here a round case has been mounted in a wooden box to allow fitting where there is no block shelf (Part of a display at Exeter West box, Crewe).
Sometimes, there was no attempt to model a signal post, but the paint scheme of the miniature arm would reflect the full-size signal.
Signal Arm Repeater intended for use with a Subsidiary Signal - showing 'Wrong' (In use at the Battlefield Line).
Signal Arm Repeater intended for use with a Subsidiary Signal - showing 'On' (In use at the Battlefield Line).
A more abstract display featured a simple pointer. In the example below, the pointer is painted yellow to indicate its use on a Distant Signal. This type of indicator with a pointer was also used where a lever controlled a colour-light, rather than a semaphore, signal.
The two indicators below have the upper half of the front plate painted to represent the signal type. In this case, round engraved labels fitted inside the case neatly identify the controlling lever but identification was often by an external engraved label mounted adjacent to the indicator.
Where a lever controlled a slot (for instance, a distant signal mounted under a stop signal controlled by another box), the position of the weight bar, not the arm, was repeated and the pointer was shaped to represent the weight bar.
Weight Bar Repeater for slotted signal (Displayed at Shackerstone Railway Museum).
However, if the slot was associated with a Stop signal, it was sometimes necessary to give assurance to the signalman that the signal arm (not just the slot) was correctly 'On'. Contact boxes were fitted on both the arm and the weight bar and inter-wired as necessary.
2. SIGNAL LAMP REPEATERS
Pyrometers
Paraffin signal lamps were normally continuously lit. The hot air produced by the small flame rose through the chimney at the top of the lamp housing. The Pyrometer was a device fixed in the hinged lid of the housing so that the hot air passed over it, closing an electrical contact. If the flame became extinguished, the electrical contact opened.
Metals expand when heated. The measure of how much each metal expands is called its Coefficient of Linear Expansion. A Bimetal strip is made of two metals with markedly different coefficients of expansion alloyed together. If such a strip is mounted with one end clamped and the other free, when it is heated, the strip will bend away from the metal with the larger coefficient of expansion. This movement of the strip when heated can be used to close an electrical contact. This is the principle used by simple thermostats.
The picture below shows one design of pyrometer used in signal lamps. The mounting frame is in the form of a ring. Two bi-metal strips are clamped to the frame at one end only, electrically insulated from the frame. The strips extend across the ring so as to be exposed to the rising hot air. When the bimetal strips are heated, they deflect and make contact with a bridging piece also mounted on the frame but insulated from it. Two flexible bare copper wires are attached to the fixed ends of the bimetal strips, insulated by porcelain 'beads' threaded onto the wires. The two wires lead to two substantial insulated electrical terminals mounted on the hinged top of the lamp housing. Provided the lamp is burning, there is electrical contact between the two insulated electrical terminals mounted on the lamp housing. If the lamp is extinguished, the bimetal strips cool and move away from the bridging piece, breaking the electrical circuit.
Electrical batteries were provided at the signal location so that the pyrometer could connect a direct current to a lamp repeater wire taken back to the signal box, provided the lamp was lit. The return for this direct current was via the earth, usually with a bond to one of the running rails. On signals with more than one arm, it was possible for two or more pyrometers to be wired in series so that an alarm was given if any of the group of lamps was 'Out'.
Transmitting the Lamp Status to the Signal Box
The arrangements for transmitting lamp status were exactly as described above for 'Transmitting the Arm Position to the Signal Box'
Indicating the Lamp Status to the Signalman
At the signal box, current flowing in the lamp repeater wire represented 'Lamp In', no current represented 'Lamp Out'. Indication was made using a galvanometer similar to that described above for 'Indicating the Arm Position to the Signalman', except that it had only two positions, not three. To quickly alert the signalman to a lamp failure, the 'Lamp Out' indication would sound a bell or buzzer until the signalman acknowledged the alarm by operating a switch.
Early indicator designs featured glass-fronted wooden cabinets (as for Signal Arm Repeating), fixed near the lever controlling the signal being repeated. This eventually evolved into a modular system, outlined below.
Examples of Signal Lamp Indicators
Great Western Lamp Repeater in wooden case. Note the switch to silence the alarm (Lever 1, Up Distant, at Exeter West box, Crewe).
As more signals were equipped with lamp repeaters, the need for a more compact arrangement for displaying lamp status was met by a modular system. The picture below shows the lamp repeater for Bloomfield Junction which was the simplest possible form, comprising a common Test/Buzzer unit with a larger 2-circuit display unit mounted on top. More complex installations required one common unit plus a number of 2-circuit display units bolted together. Normally, indicator lamps were out and there was no buzzer alarm. The indicator lamps could be tested by pressing the test pushbutton on the common unit. Failure of a signal lamp would light the appropriate indicator lamp and sound the buzzer. The buzzer was silenced by operating the toggle switch next to the lit lamp to the 'B' position. When the signal lamp was restored, the buzzer would sound until the toggle switch was placed in the 'A' position.
Modular Signal Lamp Repeater used by British Railways (10p coin for scale).
3. COMBINED SIGNAL ARM AND LAMP REPEATERS
J. W. Fletcher patented a combined signal arm and lamp repeater which was used on the London and North Western Railway. Only one wire was needed between the signal and signal box, rather than two (one for arm repeating, one for lamp repeating). Despite this advantage, more modern installations usually adopted the 2-wire approach.
The signal arm detection operated in the manner described in section 1 above. Failure of the signal lamp placed a resistance in series with the repeater wire, restricting the current flowing. The galvanometer repeating the arm position was designed to be sufficiently sensitive to carry on working correctly on the reduced current but a second galvanometer controlling the Lamp In/Lamp Out display window was designed to show the 'Lamp Out' condition with the reduced current. When the signal lamp was restored, the pyrometer contact would short out the resistor and the increased current caused the display window to show 'Lamp In'.
Fletcher's Arm and Lamp Repeater (displayed in Crewe Heritage Centre) only required one wire from the signal to the signal box.
4. INDICATORS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES
2-position and 3-position indicators were used for various other purposes. The examples given below are not exhaustive.
2-position indicators were also used, for instance, to show that at electrical release was available at a Ground Frame.
The picture below shows a 2-position indicator used to show whether a remote electrical release was available. This is side-by-side with a 3-position indicator used to repeat the position of a set of points provided with Electrical Detection.
Before track circuiting was common, a 'Fireman's Call Plunger' was sometimes provided to alert the signalman to a train detained at a signal. A 2-position indicator was used to remind the signalman of the waiting train. The indication was cancelled when the signal was cleared, allowing the train to proceed.
Even when track circuiting was installed, it was frequently done piecemeal. If only a few track circuits required indication to a signalman, they would normally be indicated to the signalman by a series of 2-position indicators provided with a distinctive black bar which moved through 45 degrees. The black bar was horizontal when there was no current through the galvanometer (representing 'Track Occupied').
My Pictures
There are pictures of signalling equipment in various sets and the links below are not exhaustive:-
Shackerstone Railway Museum.
Signalling at Peak Rail.
British Railway Signalling Equipment.
Exeter West Signal Box.
Signalling Displays at Crewe Heritage Centre.
More
Go to Part 6 - Mechanical Operation of Points
[Link to Part 6 added: 18-Sep-2014]
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Railway Signalling in Britain: Part 5 - Signal Arm, Slot and Lamp Repeaters
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
'Elf and Safety
This sign (in a factory washroom) neatly reminds workers to take responsibility for their own safety. Or, at least, it would if somebody hadn't broken the darn mirror!
Old Locomotive Committee A.G.M. 2013
The Museum of Liverpool. I'm still not a fan of the building's architecture (it's sometimes called "the dented shoebox") but it is certainly attracting the public.
The 29th A.G.M. of the Old Locomotive Committee (OLCO) was held in the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday, 18th May 2013.
The museum was opened to the public on 19th July 2011, prior to the Official Opening by Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, on Thursday 1st December 2011. There's a report on the Official Opening here. The new museum has been a spectacular success in terms of number of visitors and has become the country's most visited museum outside London. Star museum exhibit 'Lion' received an Engineering Heritage Award in 2012.
Through the courtesy of the Museum's Transport Curator Sharon Brown, this was the second time that the A.G.M. has been held at the Museum. There's a brief report on the A.G.M. in 2012 here.
Once again, we were accommodated in one of the Education Rooms on the first floor with a glazed wall offering a panoramic view of the River Mersey. Sharon had also arranged a supply of tea, coffee, biscuits and cakes for which members were very grateful.
Liverpool may no longer be the 'Great Port' celebrated by the museum gallery where 'Lion' is displayed but there was still considerable activity around Pierhead. The Celebrity 'Infinity' had docked just after 6.00 a.m. that morning from Dublin, giving its passengers a few hours to explore the city before leaving around 8.00 p.m. the same day for Belfast. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's futuristic-looking wave-piercing catamaran 'Manannan' has an interesting history outlined in a 'Wikipedia' article.
The Museum frequently provides talks to visitors about the history of the locomotive 'Lion' and at noon the OLCO Chairman, John Brandrick, delivered an interesting talk next to 'Lion'.
The OLCO Chairman talks about 'Lion'.
There are also audio-visual presentations about 'Lion' both on-demand and automatically every half-hour (see the article here for more information).
The Chairman of OLCO, John Brandrick, opened the formal A.G.M. at 1.30 p.m. and welcomed those attending. The Agenda items were dealt with enthusiastically and the Election of Officers resulted in no changes to those serving in the previous year. There was animated discussion, particularly when 'Any Other Business' was reached. The meeting was closed at 4.00 p.m. Members of the Old Locomotive Committee will receive details of the proceedings in due course.
My photographs taken around the museum on the day are here.
My (expanded) set of pictures around Liverpool are here.
My (expanded) set of pictures of the railways around Liverpool are here.
There are a number of articles in my blog about 'Lion' and her 'supporters club' OLCO - you can find them all here.
A Wolverhampton Butcher's Shop
Wolverhampton is the home of an award-winning butcher's shop, Michael Kirk, which was founded in 1934. There are usually a couple of chalkboards outside the shop with details of special offers. I couldn't resist taking a (rather fuzzy) picture below of the message I saw the other day.
All part of the frenzy surrounding the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, I suppose.
Monday, 20 May 2013
Clapham Junction Station, London
On 11th and 12th April 2013, I re-visited some of the lines around Clapham Junction, London, which has the distinction of being "Britain's Busiest Railway Station" (in terms of number of trains). Trains today are principally Electric Multiple Units of various classes.
Then and Now
In the 'Southern' era, 'Schools' 4-4-0 No. 927 hustles the Down 'Bournemouth Limited' express through Clapham Junction, passing a Down electric train. Clapham Junction 'A' signal box, built over the tracks, is visible on the left (Photo: British Railways).
A modern view taken from (more or less) the same location, looking towards the centre of London. Two multiple units are approaching and two heading away. Clapham Junction 'A' signal box has gone and the area is controlled from Victoria Area Signalling Control (which is actually situated at Clapham Junction).
Pre-Grouping History
Clapham Junction would be impressive if only for the number of trains using the station but looking the historical reasons for the tangle of lines in the area makes the location even more interesting. The London and South Western Railway were first on the scene, with their initial line from Nine Elms to Southampton. A branch to Richmond was opened next. As traffic grew, an extension from Nine Elms to Waterloo Station was brought into use.
Both the London Brighton and South Coast Railway and the London and Chatham Railway (which later became the South Eastern and Chatham Railway) had their initial terminal stations at London Bridge, which was fairly convenient for businessmen travelling to the City. But these railways had aspirations to create a new terminus in the West End, north of the Thames. A number of new lines fulfilled these ambitions.
The London Brighton and South Coast Railway constructed a new line from East Croydon to Clapham Junction which then ran parallel to the South Western lines before crossing under them to head north to the River Thames. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway extended its lines to similarly cross under the London and South Western route to Waterloo. The new route for the two railways crossed over the Thames on Grosvenor Bridge, to reach the two side-by-side stations at Victoria.
The success of Victoria brought congestion, neccessitating the widening of Grosvenor Bridge. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway paralleled their original line to Victoria with a new route between Battersea Pier Junction and Wandsworth Road which, in addition to crossing over the South Western lines to Waterloo, crossed the original route twice! The London Brighton and South Coast Railway built its own high-level parallel routes between Battersea Pier Junction and Clapham Junction with a new branch at Battersea Park to Wandsworth Road.
All the major stations in central London were termini, set in a 'ring' within which railways were prohibited until the advent of underground railways. This was inconvenient for those passengers whose destinations lay on the far side of London and railways desired the possibility of through working. The West London Railway connected major railways like the London and North Western Railway and the Great Western Railway with destinations on the north bank of the Thames in the west of London. The West London Extension Joint Railway (jointly owned by the London and North Western Railway, the Great Western Railway, the London and South Western Railway and the London Brighton and South Coast Railway) extended the West London Railway south across the Thames and then split into four branches which joined the London and South Western Railway (both eastbound and westbound) and the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (both eastbound and westbound). The diagram below shows the layout of the various lines at the time of the First World War.
Click for larger image.
Details of the junctions between various railways in the vicinity of Clapham Junction. This diagram is one of a series prepared by the Railway Clearing House in 1914 which appear in the reprint 'Pre-Grouping Railway Junction Diagrams 1914', published by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 1256 3).
The following railways appear on the diagram:-
Great Western Railway.Three goods yards, whilst owned by one railway, were only rail-accessible by using "Running Powers" over another railway, making the situation even more complicated:-
London & North Western Railway.
London Brighton and South Coast Railway.
London and South Western Railway.
Midland Railway.
South Eastern and Chatham Railway.
West London Extension Joint Railway.
Clapham Goods and Coal Wharf (London and North Western Railway).Years ago, I remember being puzzled, looking down on South Lambeth Goods from an electric multiple unit, seeing a 'Pannier' tank locomotive and a Great Western 'Parachute' water tank in the shadow of the huge warehouse building. I didn't know then that the Great Western had once been part owners of the Eastern Section of Victoria (which was originally dual gauge!) and that the secret behind these incursions of other railways was the West London Extension Joint Railway.
Midland Coal Depot (Midland Railway).
South Lambeth Goods (Great Western Railway).
Signalling
Clapham Junction is now controlled from a rather grim-looking building on the south side of the lines, just to the east of Clapham Junction Station.
The sombre building in the background is the present Victoria Area Signalling Centre.
Victoria Area Signalling Centre replaced a number of signalboxes. I remember West London Junction, an elderly structure on a bridge spanning the London and South Western lines and Clapham Junction 'A', a similar structure nearer the station. These boxes controlled the former London and South Western Railway lines to Waterloo. I remember Clapham Junction 'B', a brick and concrete structure in the 'modernist' style beloved by the Southern Railway. The structure still overlooks the Brighton Lines to the east of the station. I'm afraid I don't remember Clapham Junction 'C', which stood at the west end of the station on the Richmond Lines. This originally had a pneumatic frame from the British Pneumatic Railway Signal Company (briefly mentioned in my post on A. F. Bound), although this was later modified for all-electric operation.
The Southern Railway had successfully used Westinghouse Style 'K' power frames (with mechanical interlocking between the miniature levers) at various locations. When the Style 'L' (with electrical interlocking between the miniature levers) was introduced, the Southern Railway adopted this design.
For more information about the Style 'L' frame, refer to Book Reference [8] 'The Style L Power Frame'.
In 1935, an order was placed for a 59-lever frame for West London Junction with 16 point levers, 32 signal levers and 11 spare levers. A larger 103-lever frame was ordered at the same time for Clapham Junction 'A' with 29 point levers, 66 signal levers and 8 spare levers. The 103-lever frame for Clapham Junction 'B' was not ordered until October 1949 with 25 point levers, 65 signal levers, 2 special levers and 11 spare levers.
More details of these boxes can be found on pages of the excellent 'Westinghouse Brake and Saxby Signal Co. Ltd miniature power lever frames' site, as below:-
West London Junction
Clapham Junction 'A'
Clapham Junction 'B'
Clapham Junction 'C'
An idea of the problems of working the area in the days of mechanical signalling with semaphore signals, see Book Reference [7] 'London Brighton & South Coast Railway: Signal Boxes in 1920-1922'.
Clapham Junction Station Architecture
A long, wide footbridge spans the station. The width of the bridge has allowed a long string of retail outlets (mainly food) to be set up. The earliest section of the bridge covering the original platforms on the London and South Western Railway side has a bit of 'ornamentation' but the additional footbridges covering the newer platform are of plainer design.
Clapham Junction: View from west end of the 'South Western' side looking east, showing the largely un-modernised covered footbridge with a new lift-tower on the left.
The 'Brighton' side footbridge is of plainer design and this connects with the main station building which offers vehicle access from St. John's Hill.
Clapham Junction: View from west end looking south, showing the less-ornate newer covered footbridge on the 'Brighton' side, with a new lift-tower. The main station building is in the background.
On the 'Brighton' side new stairs to access the platforms from the footbridge incorporating modernised accommodation have recently been provided. These are in the 'all steel and glass' style that modern architects seem to favour and visually jar with the rest of the station.
Modernised platform access on the 'Brighton' side, with lots of glass.
There is also pedestrian access further along St. John's Hill which leads, via an arcade of shops, to a subway spanning the station.
Passenger Information
There are now modern passenger information displays everywhere which are helpful (if a bit overwhelming). There appear to be two automated public address systems. As far as I could work out, a female voice announces trains on the 'Brighton' side and a male voice deals with 'South Western' trains. In many parts of the station, both systems are audible, often talking at once. I was reminded of the opening scene from the film 'Airplane' (where male and female voices describe the parking arrangements at the airport before descending into an argument).
London Overground
Clapham Junction is now a station on the London Overground network. Platforms 1 and 2 are now used by Class 378 electric multiple units which provide a regular service via the West London Extension line to Willesden Junction and beyond.
Clapham Junction: View from east end of platform 3 looking west with Overground train in platform 2 and Overground train (covered in 'official graffiti') in platform 1.
Environs of Clapham Junction
In between Clapham Junction and Waterloo, there are two stations - Queenstown Road and Vauxhall. Queenstown Road (originally called Queen's Road) is a typical, fairly modest L.S.W.R. affair.
Queenstown Road station showing the relatively undamaged road frontage. The original name (Queen's Road Station) and owner (L.S.W.R.) still appears.
On my recent brief visit to Vauxhall, its 8 platforms received a bewildering succession of stopping and through trains.
Vauxhall Station, looking towards Waterloo.
Click for larger imageAerial view of Vauxhall. Vauxhall Bridge over the Thames is in the top left corner, with Vauxhall station nearby. The lines to Waterloo Station are top right and the lines to Clapham Junction left middle. The Oval (which we are now supposed to call 'The Brit Insurance Oval), is bottom right.
In between Clapham Junction and Victoria, there is one station - Battersea Park.
Battersea Park station, seen from a train on the Down Brighton Fast (platform 5).
Book References
[1] 'The London & South Western Railway' O.S. Nock, published by Ian Allen.
[2] 'Locomotives of the London and South Western Railway Part 1' by D.L. Bradley, published 1965 by RCTS.
[3] 'The South Western Railway' by Hamilton Ellis, published 1956 by George Allen and Unwin.
[4] 'History of the Southern Railway' by C. F. Dendy Marshall, revised by R. W. Kidner reprinted 1982 by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 0059 X).
[5] 'Great Locomotives of the Southern Railway' by O. S. Nock, Guild Publishing, 1987 edition by Book Club Associates.
[6] 'Southern Steam' by O. S. Nock, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0 7153 5235 0).
[7] 'London Brighton & South Coast Railway: Signal Boxes in 1920-1922' from the J.M.Wagstaff Collection Part 1 - London to Brighton', published by the Signalling Record Society (ISBN No. 1 873228 08 2).
[8] 'The Style L Power Frame' written and published by J. D. Francis 1989 (ISBN 0 9514636 0 8).
Maps
'Pre-Grouping Railway Junction Diagrams 1914', published by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 1256 3).
Details of the modern railways around Clapham Junction are shown in one of the 'Quail Track Diagrams' books:-
'Railway Track Diagrams Book 5: Southern and TfL' Third Edition, published by TRACKmaps (ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3).
External Links
London and South Western Railway (Wikipedia).
South Eastern and Chatham Railway (Wikipedia).
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Wikipedia).
Related articles in this Blog
Waterloo Station, London
Waterloo Station, London (Part 2).
Victoria Station, London.
The West London Line.
My Pictures
Clapham Junction.
London: former 'Southern' lines (includes Queenstown Road and Vauxhall).
London's Railways.
[Links to Waterloo pt 2 and WLE added 25-Mar-2020]
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Victoria Station, London
Brought up in the Midlands in the early days of the post-war Nationalised railway, the former Southern Railway was very much a 'foreign railway' to me. It was some time before I started to discover some of the history of the lines in the south of the country.
Then and Now
The tower of the building designed by Albert Lakeman in 1939 for Imperial Airways is visible in both pictures. After the Second World War, Imperial Airways was nationalised and became part of British Overseas Airways Corporation. The building is now occupied by the National Audit Office.
Victoria Station in a 2009 aerial view. The terminus is in the middle of the picture, with the approach tracks towards the lower left. The 'country end' of the station is virtually buried under modern developments. Hyde Park is top left, with Green Park and Buckingham Palace to the right. Centre right is Westminster Cathedral (Roman Catholic), designed in the late 19th century by John Francis Bentley in Early Christian Byzantine style.
Brief History
Whereas many of London's terminal stations served one railway company, Victoria ended up serving a number. The London Brighton and South Coast Railway, South Eastern Railway and the London and Chatham Railway initially terminated at London Bridge but co-operated in constructing a new route which crossed the Thames to terminate in what became Victoria Station. The London Brighton and South Coast Railway accomodated itself on the platforms on the western side. The eastern platforms were initially dual gauge and used by the Great Western Railway, the South Eastern Railway and the London and Chatham Railway. These last two railways worked together fairly closely, before amalgamating formally as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. Traffic growth necessitated widening the Grosvenor Bridge over the River Thames to accommodate additional lines, producing a number of routes which criss-crossed one another south of the Thames, as shown in the 1914 map below.
Details of the junctions between various railways in the vicinity of Victoria. This diagram is one of a series prepared by the Railway Clearing House in 1914 which appear in the reprint 'Pre-Grouping Railway Junction Diagrams 1914', published by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 1256 3).
The 1921 Railways Act created the 'Big Four' (L.M.S., G.W.R., L.N.E.R. and S.R.). The Southern Railway brought together the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and the London and South Western Railway. Upon Nationalisation in 1948, the Southern Region of British Railways absorbed the assets of the Southern Railway. Even today, Victoria largely operates as two stations side-by-side - the Central Section dealing with the Brighton lines and the Eastern Section serving the Chatham lines.
Signalling
Before the Victoria Area Signalling Control was brought into use at Clapham Junction in 1980, Victoria was served by two power boxes. The Eastern Section had a separate signal box with a G.R.S. power frame. This lasted until 1979 when control passed for a short time to a temporary panel in the Victoria Central power box.
The Southern Railway had installed signalling power frames of Westinghouse Style 'K' at various locations. The Style 'K' retained mechanical interlocking between the miniature levers. The later Style 'L' 'All Electric' power frames introduced electrical interlocking between levers and the Southern Railway was an early adopter of the new design. In 1937, an order was placed for a 225-lever frame for Victoria Central with 51 point levers, 148 signal levers, 2 special levers and 24 spare levers. This was commissioned in June 1939 and continued in service until 1980. A temporary panel then took over until the new Victoria Area Signalling Control was brought into use at Clapham Junction.
For more information about the Style 'L' frame, refer to Book Reference [3] 'The Style L Power Frame'. For more information about the Eastern Section control, click here and for the about Victoria Central control, click here. These pages are part of the splendid site 'Westinghouse Brake and Saxby Signal Co. Ltd miniature power lever frames'.
The Golden Arrow
Ticket Barrier for the 'Golden Arrow' at Victoria in the 'Southern' era (Photo: VSOE).
I visited Victoria in the steam era and saw the famous 'Golden Arrow' Pullman train, headed by a gleaming rebuilt Bulleid 'Pacific'. The train might have been exotic, but the station surroundings seemed very ordinary and I remember it looking very like the black-and-white picture above.
The 'Golden Arrow' is no more, but Victoria still entertains Pullman trains (sometimes steam hauled) operated by VSOE as 'The British Pullman'. I never did get to travel on the 'Golden Arrow' and (so far) I've not travelled on the 'British Pullman' but I have had a conducted tour of the 'British Pullman' rolling stock which is described here.
External web sites
London Victoria Station (Wikipedia).
Victoria (Network Rail).
External Links
London and South Western Railway (Wikipedia).
South Eastern and Chatham Railway (Wikipedia).
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Wikipedia).
Book References
[1] 'London's Termini' by Alan A. Jackson, published by David & Charles (0 330 02746 6).
[2] 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 5: Southern and TfL' Third Edition, published by TRACKmaps (ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3).
[3] 'The Style L Power Frame' written and published by J. D. Francis 1989 (ISBN 0 9514636 0 8).
[4] 'History of the Southern Railway' by C. F. Dendy Marshall, revised by R. W. Kidner reprinted 1982 by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 0059 X).
[5] 'Great Locomotives of the Southern Railway' by O. S. Nock, Guild Publishing, 1987 edition by Book Club Associates.
[6] 'Southern Steam' by O. S. Nock, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0 7153 5235 0).
[7] 'London's Termini' by Alan A. Jackson, published by David & Charles (0 330 02746 6).
Maps
Details of the railways around Victoria today are shown in the 'Quail Track Diagrams':-
'Railway Track Diagrams Book 5: Southern and TfL' Third Edition, published by TRACKmaps (ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3).
My Pictures
London: Victoria.
London: former 'Southern' lines.
London's Railways.
Monday, 13 May 2013
Railway Signalling in Britain: Part 4 - Semaphore Signal Aspects by Night
At night, the arm of a semaphore signal becomes invisible so the signal aspect is given by a signal lamp (usually paraffin) in front of which two coloured filter glasses connected to the signal arm are moved:-
'Stop' signals - Display either a RED or GREEN light. 'Distant' signals - Display either a YELLOW or GREEN light.The reliability of the lamp and its ability to continue burning in adverse weather conditions was paramount and considerable ingenuity was devoted to producing suitable designs. Care and cleanliness in the handling and maintenance of signal lamps was essential. 'Lamp Oil' was produced to a high and constant specification to ensure consistent performance. Reports of "Signal Lamp Out when should be lit" were treated with the utmost gravity.
Various designs of signal lamp, produced by different railway supply companies, were in use up to the 1960s and beyond but they had similar features, comprising a substantial sheet steel housing with a hinged lid which was permanently attached to the signal post into which a removable lamp (often called the 'vessel') could be fitted.
'ADLAKE' Lamp Housing, showing 'Bull's Eye' lens, hinging top and chimney (10p coin alongside for scale).
The front face of the housing mounted a large clear glass 'Bull's Eye' lens which focused the light through the coloured filter glasses of the signal arm.
'ADLAKE' Lamp Housing, viewed from above with hinging top opened and removable lamp assembly in position. The fillet in the back left corner of the housing ensures correct alignment of the lamp assembly.
A simple spring clip unlatched the top of the lamp housing, allowing it to hinge open for access to the removable lamp, which simply lifted out using the wire handle provided.
View of lamp removed from lamp housing. The wire carrying handle is in the 'stowed' position.
The large tank forming the base held lamp oil sufficient for 8 days continuous burning with a correctly-trimmed burner. On this pattern, all four sides of the hinging top section protecting the burner were provided with a clear glass.
'ADLAKE' Signal Lamp, opened to show burner and chimney. The locating lugs for the wick adjuster ensure correct alignment of the flame. Screw filler cap for the vessel (with retaining chain) is near front right. The sliding wire clip which latches the hinging top section closed is front right.
The burner has a metal body with a carefully-shaped porcelain insert which helps to produce a fairly broad, flat flame. A flat, woven wick is held in position in the centre of the porcelain insert, with a long 'tail' reaching down into the tank of lamp oil. The wick adjuster is turned to provide the correct length of wick projecting above the burner.
Rear view of this type of lamp housing fitted to an upper quadrant tubular post signal. The signal lamp has a clear lens at the back, the 'back light'. The cast arm at 'six o'clock' with the curved screen is the 'Back Blinder'.
At night, stop signals in advance of the box (that is, leading trains away from the box) could sometimes be seen by the controlling signalman who was able to verify the signal aspect by observation since the red or green indication was facing the signal box. But, in the case of stop signals in the rear of the box, the indication faced away from the signalman. To provide an indication of the aspect displayed at the rear of the signal, signal lamps and the lamp housing deliberately showed a white 'Backlight' at the rear. The lamp itself had a clear glass window and the lamp housing had a small clear glass 'Bull's Eye' lens which focused the light. The exact position of the 'Bull's Eye' left and right was adjustable to optimise the visibility to the signalman. The pivot for the signal arm was provided with a cast arm (at '6 o'clock in the view above) with a curved screen called the 'Back Blinder'. If the signal arm was 'On', the 'Back Blinder' did not obscure the 'Backlight' and the white light was visible to the signalman, confirming that the signal was 'On'. But, if the arm was off (or partially off) the movement of the 'Back Blinder' obscured the 'Backlight'.
Of course, not all signals could be visually checked by the signalman due to position or line curvature. Signal repeating (using electrical techniques) was developed to assist the signalman and I'll describe this in another article.
General view of a signal lamp used by the L.M.S. This was the "ADLAKE" No. 22, made by Lamp Manufacturing & Railway Supplies Ltd.
View from above showing this type of lamp housing fitted to an upper quadrant lattice post signal, with the lamp housing open to show the lighted signal lamp inside. At the top of the picture can be seen the filter glasses producing the appropriate signal aspect.
The picture above shows the red filter glass giving the 'Stop' indication. When the arm is raised to 'Proceed', the other filter glass is moved in front of the lamp. Note that the second filter glass is blue, not green. The signal oil burns with a yellow flame. When the yellow light passes through the blue filter glass, the result is a vivid green 'Proceed' indication.
High-intensity signal lighting
View other sizes.Brereton Sidings starting signal 'off' with fixed distant for Rugeley Trent Valley below. Both signals are electrically lit and have shaped spectacle glasses, rather than the flat filter spectacle glass used with paraffin-lit signals. The disc signal mounted on the right of the post controls movements into the Power Station and has the remains of a 'secret until lit' route indicator mounted above.
Electric illumination of semaphore signals was also used for some applications. The L.M.S. adopted what they called 'High-intensity signal lighting' in a number of places where clearance or sighting limitations made the use of full-size signal arms impractical. The brighter light indications provided compensation for the poorer visibility of the miniature signal arms. The installation shown in the picture above is in conjunction with full-size arms, but on the approach to the Trent Valley Line which has colour-light signals.
My Pictures
British Railway Signalling Equipment
Go to Part 5 - Signal Arm, Slot and Lamp Repeaters.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Waterloo Station, London
I was brought up in the West Midlands in the early days of the post-war Nationalised railway so, although I was familiar with both the former L.M.S. and G.W.R. lines where I lived, the former Southern Railway was very much a 'foreign railway' to me. Around 1951 my mother and I visited Waterloo and other London termini during an extended trip (which even took us to Boulogne, described here). The 'Southern' electrics were very unfamiliar but there was plenty of steam to look at - particularly the 'air-smoothed' Bulleid 'Pacifics'.
A Bulleid 'Pacific' leaving Waterloo (Photo: British Railways).
It was only many years later when I started to discover some of the history of the lines in the south of the country. Waterloo was the London terminus of the London and South Western Railway, which was well-regarded for its locomotives, less so for its passenger coaches and stations. In the 20th century, the London and South Western Railway rebuilt the nondescript Waterloo, producing a terminus which was much admired. The column-free concourse and the platforms were covered by an airy glazed roof and there was an impressive array of offices on the road side of the concourse.
View across the Concourse at Waterloo in the 'Southern' era (Photo: British Railways).
I'm afraid I don't think the station has been much improved in recent years. The modern ticket barriers and retail outlets now encroach onto the platform side of the concourse which is further narrowed by the new mezzanine floor on the road side. Overhead, a bewildering array of suspended signage, CCTV cameras and loudspeakers destroys the original sense of space without easing the traveller's route through the clutter very much. Of course, it's all aimed at increasing the 'retail opportunities' offered to 'customers'.
View across the Concourse from the mezzanine adjacent to platform 1 in 2013.
Post-War developments
Upon Nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the Southern Region of British Railways absorbed the assets of the Southern Railway. The Southern Railway had been created by the 1921 Railways Act which grouped railways into the 'Big Four' (L.M.S., G.W.R., L.N.E.R. and S.R.). The Southern Railway brought together the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and the London and South Western Railway. Steam working was eliminated and third-rail electrification (started by the Southern Railway in the 1930s) was extended to more destinations. Perhaps the biggest change in recent years was the building of Waterloo International to handle the 'Eurostar' trains on the Channel Tunnel route. However, once our very-first High Speed Railway was completed to St. Pancras International (briefly described here), Waterloo International was abandoned and currently wears a forlorn air as Network Rail decide just how much money will be needed to convert the area for use by other trains.
A modern view of Waterloo Station (centre) with Hungerford Bridge leading to Charing Cross station towards the top. Although the station and rail approaches have been extended since first built, the way in which the line from Nine Elms was extended over arches is still apparent. The long platforms of Waterloo International (beyond the earlier train shed) served the 'Eurostar' trains until High Speed One diverted these trains to St. Pancras International.
Click for larger image
Another aerial view of Waterloo.
Origins of Waterloo Station
The London and Southampton Railway was promoted as early as 1831 and a limited service started on 21st May 1838 between a London terminus at Nine Elms and Woking Common. As construction of the line towards Southampton continued, the name of the railway was changed to the more impressive-sounding 'London and South Western Railway'. A branch to Richmond was opened in 1846 but the growing traffic showed up the inadequacy of Nine Elms as a terminus. An extension was authorised from Nine Elms to a new station near the south end of Waterloo Bridge called 'Waterloo'. In 1848, Nine Elms was closed to the public (although retained for Royal Trains and goods) when all passenger traffic was diverted to Waterloo. The initial Waterloo Station had four platforms with two 'middle lines'. The L.S.W.R. intended to extend the line beyond Waterloo to get nearer to the City of London, which was the ultimate destination for many of its regular passengers. As a stop-gap, one of the 'middle lines' was extended to form a through connection with the South Eastern Railway (later to become the S.E.C.R.) but today there's only a pedestrian connection between the terminal platforms at Waterloo and the through platforms at Waterloo East. As an alternative, the L.S.W.R. supported the initiative to build an underground electric railway from Waterloo to the City. Initially, it operated the railway on behalf of the Waterloo and City company, but it later acquired ownership. There's a little more on the Waterloo & City Line in the article here or, for a detailed history of the Waterloo and City Line, see Book [3] below.
A modern view of the imposing main entrance for foot passengers provided by the L.S.W.R. at Waterloo. After the 'Great War' of 1914-1918, this entrance became the Memorial to L.S.W.R. staff lost in World War I. The view is rather spoilt by the 'temporary' works in the foreground.
Related posts on this web site
Visiting former 'Southern' stations in London (describes Waterloo East).
Waterloo Station, London (Part 2).
External web sites
London Waterloo Station (Wikipedia).
Waterloo (Network Rail).
My Pictures
Waterloo Station.
Books
[1] 'London's Termini' by Alan A. Jackson, published by David & Charles (0 330 02746 6). (The L.S.W.R. Terminus at Waterloo is described in Chapter 11).
[2] 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 5: Southern and TfL' Third Edition, published by TRACKmaps (ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3).
[3] 'The Waterloo & City Railway by John C. Gillham, published by the Oakwood Press (ISBN 0 85361 544 6).
[9-May 2013: Second aerial photo added, reference to Book [3] added. 18-Sep-2015: 'Related posts' added.]
