59CosG95
Established Member
Eastfield Yard in Peterborough is the last bastion of AB (Absolute Block) on the ECML, and also the last area of semaphores under OLE on the Eastern Region AIUI.
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Remaining operation semaphore signals on the U.K. Railway Network
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Belperpete
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Still some in North Wales: Llandudno, Deganwy, Bangor, Llanrwst for starters. Bangor may only have semaphore shunts, not main arms, not sure, but the others all still had semaphore main arms last week. The ones at Llanrwst not getting much exercise lately.
There’s plenty of semaphores at Eastfield, but no Absolute Block.
Deepgreen
Established Member
Now THAT's planning!
paul1609
Established Member
Still there last Wednesday and Littlehampton as well.
Whistler40145
Established Member
How much of the line between Carnforth and Barrow-in-Furness is still semaphore signals?
Pinus contorta
Member
Arnside to Ulverston is semaphore signals the bit round Dalton in Furness I don't think is. Then Barrow is semaphore.
Whistler40145
Established Member
Many thanks
Areas I sign with in use semaphore.
Helsby station.
Beeston castle signal box.
Pen-y-ffordd
Gobowen
Shrewsbury
Llandudno
Bangor (shunt discs only)
Gaerwen
Ty Croes (with a working semaphore distant)
Holyhead.
I don’t think I’ve missed any out but I have just woke up.
Helsby station.
Beeston castle signal box.
Pen-y-ffordd
Gobowen
Shrewsbury
Llandudno
Bangor (shunt discs only)
Gaerwen
Ty Croes (with a working semaphore distant)
Holyhead.
I don’t think I’ve missed any out but I have just woke up.
Islineclear3_1
Established Member
JBuchananGB
Member
Semaphore at Rainford Junction on the Kirkby Branch, and proper old fashioned token exchange for the single line from there to Kirkby.
TheSel
Member
Indeed! And as if by magic ...
Also, Ellesmere Port has a couple of semaphores, though not passed by Merseyrail electrics (see the semaphore starter for which the Class 150 is waiting).
NoMorePacers
Established Member
North Humberside. The area of the county of Humberside north of the Humber.Where?!
Humberside hasn't existed for more than a generation.
NoMorePacers
Established Member
Well it should be re-established, but that’s another topic.
Can't remember the last time I saw an actual gantry (except the one at Bury Bolton Street) - must have been several years ago.
Belperpete
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There's also one at Llandudno. It is the prototype for the Ratio model (but I doubt that has much bearing on its survival).
Humberside meaning the land flanking the Humber has existed since long before the 1970s and will continue to exist as long as the river does. To be really pedantic one could say that North Humberside (the local government area) doesn't exist, but north Humberside (the geographical reality) does.
lyndhurst25
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I thought that a big fuss was made about the semaphore gantry at Falsgrave (Scarborough) being the last one on the national network when it was removed, for preservation on the NYMR, a few years back?
Belperpete
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There may have been a big fuss made about its preservation, but it certainly isn't/wasn't the last semaphore gantry on the national network.
I see that in the special coronavirus timetable on the EMR website at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/reduced-timetable it says the last trains on a number of routes will run earlier than usual because those lines have "legacy signalling" so only having the signal boxes staffed at the busiest times of day will make the best use of available manpower. Obviously in the case of Crewe-Derby and Sleaford-Skegness this means semaphores, but it also mentions Lincoln-Grimsby and Mansfield Woodhouse-Worksop. I would guess that in some cases this means older forms of colour light signalling that still require smaller signal boxes rather than the more modern regional control centres.
It mentions the Nottingham-Derby-Matlock line as having "legacy signalling" but Matlock still has a reasonable service with the last trains being 19.47 Newark-Matlock (arr Matlock 21.26) and 21.41 Matlock-Derby whereas most of the other lines to which this applies have no service after about 17.00 or even earlier.
See also the thread on the effects of coronavirus on train services at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/drop-in-passenger-numbers-sees-train-services-cut.202145/
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High Dyke
Established Member
Whilst the operator has cut the number of services the Network Rail signallers are still, in the most part, booked to work the normal shift. I wouldn't consider that "legacy signalling" was a causal factor in this. However, having sufficient staff to operate signal boxes is going to have a predominant effect on some routes. As for the Derby- Matlock service that seems odd. Yes there is the token system in place on that route, but other than that there's semaphore signals to operate.
Derby - Matlock is, of course, wholly under the control of the Derby workstation in the EMCC too so staffing shouldn't be a specific concern.
Between Mansfield and Worksop there's Shirebrook Junction SB and Norwood Crossing (plus Elmton & Creswell normally switched out), so a little bit more to worry about if they start to struggle. Presumably Norwood Crossing could be closed to road traffic if there's no-one to operate it though? There are three boxes (absolute block but no mechanical signalling) between Lincoln and Barnetby, but I'd have thought that it'd be a priority for keeping open continuously anyway given the number (and importance!) of freight trains over there unless they're considering diverting them as a contingency.
satters
Member
I think the situation regarding signalling staff is rather more dire than may be expected, i have colleagues that are former signalmen that have been contacted directly and asked to return
LOM
Member
Depends where you are in the country. We are not really noticing any difference so far in my area.
Deepgreen
Established Member
Have the mods given up correcting erroneous thread titles, even when they've been pointed out? This is one of many.
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