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Signals information

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newbie babs

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Not sure if there is a thread already, so if there is please re-direct.

I am just getting interested in signals and I was wondering how much track is left with the old semaphores signals on and is there are any map work to show where these are.

I read about the new colour light at Kennett replacing the Ely-Stowmarket semaphores on November 12th.

Is there any others due to be replaced ?
 
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ralphchadkirk

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There's a lot of AB Semaphore in Cornwall, as well as some bits in the London area I think. There's stuff in the Banbury area as well. There are a lot more areas that those - they're just the few I can think of!
 

district

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Hastings station still has semaphores on the Ore end, and there are sempahores on the way to Brighton on the East Coastway line as well.
 

Rich_D3167

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In Lincolnshire, there are many mechanical boxes & semaphores still around. Barnetby is the main obvious one, with dozens of semaphores controlled from Barnetby East & Wrawby Junction signalboxes. Also in the area is Roxton Sidings, between Grimsby & Barnetby, about a mile south of Immingham, which has a box, a couple of semaphores for either direction & mechanical gates. The Barton on Humber branch line has Barton Lane crossing box (Thornton Abbey station), Goxhill, Oxmarsh & Barrow Road crossing (both in New Holland). Grimsby has Great Coates Sidings No. 1, Pyewipe Road & Marsh Junction with semaphores on the Grimsby to Immingham Light Railway, but these see very little use as the line is only open as & when required. There are a couple of semaphore signals also still at Ulceby Junction on the Barton on Humber branch, but these aren't too easy to see from the station.

No signalbox on the Barnetby to Lincoln line, or Barnetby to Scunthorpe line have semaphores anymore, although traditional boxes still exist at Holton-le-Moor, Wickenby, Langworth, Elsham & Appleby (Wickenby does still have manual gates, though). Gainsborough Central on the Barnetby to Gainbsborough line via Brigg still has semaphore signals, as does Gainsborough Trent Junction (although Trent Junction isn't publically accessible). Also, Brigg & Northorpe still have gates (Only Northorpe's is mechanical, though, as Brigg's are motorised). Stow Park on the line from Gainsborough to Lincoln as well (Saxilby still has mechanical gates, too), & Swinderby on the Lincoln to Newark line with semaphores & mechanical gates.

On the Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint line, semaphores still exist at Metheringham (Blankney Signalbox), Scopwick, Sleaford North & Sleaford South. I'm not sure on the line south of Sleaford on specific locations, but there are some. However, Spalding does not. East of Sleaford, there's Heckington & Hubbert's Bridge with semaphores & gates, and also Bellwater Junction, Wainfleet & Skegness between Boston & Skegness (Wainfleet now has lifting barriers though). West of Sleaford, there's Rauceby & Ancaster.

Hope this helps. :)
 

Lrd

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The lines around Kidderminster - Worcester are semaphore. (I think)

Also some of the line through Yeovil Pen Mill.
 

Metroland

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Not sure if there is a thread already, so if there is please re-direct.

I am just getting interested in signals and I was wondering how much track is left with the old semaphores signals on and is there are any map work to show where these are.

I read about the new colour light at Kennett replacing the Ely-Stowmarket semaphores on November 12th.

Is there any others due to be replaced ?

Maps can be found on some of the network rail route documents in some case. For the public, the signalling study group produce a signalling atlas of the UK.

http://www.transportdiversions.com/publicationshow.asp?pubid=4624

It's 2004 so slightly out of date.

As for replacement, there are files about on the web. In some of the NR route documents, for example the West Midlands one, it gives detailed account. If you want a whole list, join the signalwatch Yahoo group, and a list is downloadable from there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SignalWatch/messages and another useful site is this

http://www.signalbox.org/forum/

As a quick list semaphore signalling can still be found in: Cornwall, around Yeovil, parts of South and West Wales, the Cotswold line, North Wales, Lincolnshire, North Norfolk and Suffolk, East Kent, around Shrewsbury and the Marches line, Banbury, Hope valley and other transpennine routes, Hull and Humberside, Central and NE Scotland, SW Scotland, Carlisle - Newcastle, Teeside area, York-Scarborough and Leeds (via Harrogate) lines, Peterborough-Syston, Derby-Stoke, Worcester area and so on.

Much of the above is due for replacement in the next few years.
 

The Planner

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Kidderminster and Hartlebury go next year, the ones on the Chase line the year after, Banbury at some point in the next few years too.
 

Railsigns

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Maps can be found on some of the network rail route documents in some case. For the public, the signalling study group produce a signalling atlas of the UK.

http://www.transportdiversions.com/publicationshow.asp?pubid=4624

It's 2004 so slightly out of date.

An updated version of the "Signalling Atlas and Signal Box Directory" was published last year by the Signalling Record Society. Details are on their website: http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/bookstall.html#atlas It includes a few pages of maps of railways in the British Isles, colour coded to show which lines still have semaphore signals, and the locations of all the signal boxes are marked.
 

John Webb

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"Focus on Signalling" is a recently published 2-DVD disc set by Transport Video Publishing www.transportvideo.com which contains information on the development of semaphore signalling, a demonstration of absolute block signalling procedures at the preserved St Albans South Box and a review of the areas of the national network still signalled with semaphores. Most of these have been mentioned above.
 

a good off

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Others include:

Settle - Carlisle
Cardiff Rhmney Valley line
Vale of Glamorgan (Barry and Aberthaw)
Tondu
Park Jn
Llanelli - Carmarthen Jn line
Pantyffynnon
Wrexham - Dee Marsh
Peterborough - Leicester line
Grantham - Nottingham line
Hereford - Worcester line
Shrewsbury - Crewe (resignalling next year)
Helsby
Moreton in Marsh
Stoke - Derby line
York - Leeds line via Harrogate
Cumbrian Coast line
Highland Main line (Stirling - Perth and Perth - Aviemore
Dundee - Aberdeen line
GSW via Dumfries
Stranraer line
Newcastle - Carlisle line
 
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Class172

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This website has quite a few pictures of semaphores.

Locations I can think of:
Droitwich Spa
Worcester
Kidderminster (only for another year)
Great Malvern
Shrewsbury
Moreton-in-Marsh
Truro
Settle & Carlisle
 

Minilad

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Worcester. aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhh
I swear they took a load of signals up in a plane and just threw them out, wherever they landed thats where they went.
 

newbie babs

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Thanks for all the information from everyone, especially Class 172 (great web site) and Railsigns

Is there any in the North West, I am there at some point this week.
 

Crossover

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Oh they do indeed. It's just that they haven't exactly put them in the most logical places :lol:

Railways...logical...:shock:

I think all the ones that I am aware of have been mentioned. I will say though, I believe Leeds - Harrogate may be mainly colour light. I was up that way the other week and the only semaphore I noticed was on the York bound platform at Harrogate - in the Leeds direction it is a 3 aspect colour light signal IIRC.

Also the Barton-on-Humber branch seems to have a weird mix as before the LC coming back towards Scunthorpe I am sure I saw a colour light distant before a semaphore home.

Finally, with the resignalling of the Scarborough area, are there many sections left with semaphores on there now? The closing of the Falsgrave box took with it a lot of semaphores and I know that Malton is on colour lights too.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Thanks for all the information from everyone, especially Class 172 (great web site) and Railsigns

Is there any in the North West, I am there at some point this week.

Aside from the member who said the Blackpool lines, I can't think of any around here.
 

driver9000

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Aside from the member who said the Blackpool lines, I can't think of any around here.

Midge Hall signal box on the Ormskirk line has a solitary semaphore on the up side approach.

Precot-Huyton junction has semaphore signalling.

Barrow in Furness is still semaphore signalled as far as I know. Some parts of the Cumbrian coast are too.
 

Railsigns

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Also the Barton-on-Humber branch seems to have a weird mix as before the LC coming back towards Scunthorpe I am sure I saw a colour light distant before a semaphore home.
It's very common to find colour light distant signals on lines with semaphore stop signals. Many semaphore distant signals were replaced by colour lights at greater distance from the signal box in conjunction with line speed increases or the provision of AWS, where they were found to be under-braked. Also, because they were furthest from the signal box, semaphore distant signals were usually the most difficult to operate and maintain. There are only three semaphore distant signals in the whole of Scotland (heritage lines excluded), despite there still being over fifty mechanical signal boxes.
 

John Webb

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It's very common to find colour light distant signals on lines with semaphore stop signals. Many semaphore distant signals were replaced by colour lights at greater distance from the signal box in conjunction with line speed increases or the provision of AWS, where they were found to be under-braked. Also, because they were furthest from the signal box, semaphore distant signals were usually the most difficult to operate and maintain. There are only three semaphore distant signals in the whole of Scotland (heritage lines excluded), despite there still being over fifty mechanical signal boxes.
The replacement of semaphore signals with colour light distants has been going on for many years. For example, at St Albans South we've recently found out that our distant signals were altered to colour lights in the late 1930s. Another factor for their introduction was the elimination of fogmen, as the glow of the CLS could be seen in foggy weather when the semaphore signal light wasn't visible.
 

Rugd1022

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Worcester. aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhh
I swear they took a load of signals up in a plane and just threw them out, wherever they landed thats where they went.

Ah, that old cliche!!! I know what you mean though XCD, but I love going to Worcester, can't get enough of those (ahem) proper signals me!

Golden rule there is you need three arms to get out of the place, just make sure you pick the right ones...! (should add I don't sign round via Foregate Street, so don't know what's beyond the triangle down that way ;)).
 

Minilad

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Ah, that old cliche!!! I know what you mean though XCD, but I love going to Worcester, can't get enough of those (ahem) proper signals me!

Golden rule there is you need three arms to get out of the place, just make sure you pick the right ones...! (should add I don't sign round via Foregate Street, so don't know what's beyond the triangle down that way ;)).

Oh don't get me wrong I love it too. But it has been the scene of many an incident so it's always best to treat the place with respect !
 
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