Busiest Semaphore home signal(s) left on national rail.

[RichardN]

Unless it has been switched to a colour light signal, then Pulborough gets 4 trains per hour, in each off peak hour. Which other semaphore signals have more state changes per day?

 

[Tomnick]

The home signal on the main each way at Barnetby must be a contender! Some of the boxes between Gilberdyke and Hull too.

 

[dk1]

In East Anglia I would say Manea, March & Whittlsea as plenty of freight too. Further East Brundall can see upto 5 trains an hour in any one direction.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Unless it has been switched to a colour light signal, then Pulborough gets 4 trains per hour, in each off peak hour. Which other semaphore signals have more state changes per day?

Those at Shrewsbury, surely.
Especially those at either end of P4, the busiest platform.
The signallers must be very fit.

 

[Llanigraham]

If the criteria is going to be 4 trains per hour, then all of the boxes between Shrewsbury and Craven Arms could fall into that category

 

[RichardN]

Not so much a criteria, more a minimum level that has to be exceeded to be busiest. The Arun valley semaphores haven't got long left.

 

[Bald Rick]

Whittlesea is certainly the busiest AB 'box I've been in. It has AB both ways, and the siggy is constantly on the block bells and instruments. Loads of engineering trains and light engines to/ from Whitemoor as well as scheduled passenger and freight traffic.

 

[driver_m]

The ones on the blackpool line must be quite busy too.

 

[MK Tom]

What about Banbury where new semaphores were recently installed?

 

[TDK]

The semaphores on the NW coast are busy

 

[swt_passenger]

What about Banbury where new semaphores were recently installed?

They aren't used for routine movements, the main normal direction routes through the main platforms are all signalled with colour lights.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Whittlesea is certainly the busiest AB 'box I've been in. It has AB both ways, and the siggy is constantly on the block bells and instruments. Loads of engineering trains and light engines to/ from Whitemoor as well as scheduled passenger and freight traffic.

I should think the notorious "Stockport 5" are the busiest AB boxes (ie Edgeley Nos 1/2, Stockport Nos 1/2 and Heaton Norris).
They handle at least 12tph through Stockport.
The signals are colour lights though.
They survive as a result of Railtrack bungling in the 90s.

 

[The Planner]

What about Banbury where new semaphores were recently installed?

They all go next year anyway.

 

[Crossover]

In East Anglia I would say Manea, March & Whittlsea as plenty of freight too. Further East Brundall can see upto 5 trains an hour in any one direction.

Brundall, though not that busy whilst I was there, had more movements than I was expecting. All with manual gates too!

 

[dk1]

Brundall, though not that busy whilst I was there, had more movements than I was expecting. All with manual gates too!

Although driving trains through now, I was bobby there back in late 80s. Actually managed to keep gates across the road for 35 minutes one Summer Saturday morning due to sheer amount of rail traffic.

 

[Bald Rick]

Brundall, though not that busy whilst I was there, had more movements than I was expecting. All with manual gates too!

The gates are controlled by a separate gate box, not the signal box. And you always get a decent cuppa there.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Rochdale area - Castleton ?

 

[TheEdge]

I'll add my voice to vote for signals controlled by Severn Bridge Junction box, it must be up there. Wiki gives a figure of 300 movements a day, so on average 12.5 (!) movements an hour.

 

[Railsigns]

Rochdale area - Castleton ?

All the signals on the main lines are colour lights.

 

[Tomnick]

I'll add my voice to vote for signals controlled by Severn Bridge Junction box, it must be up there. Wiki gives a figure of 300 movements a day, so on average 12.5 (!) movements an hour.

That's spread over various routes into and out of the station though, so individual signals (which is what the OP seems to be after) wouldn't see as much use as that figure would suggest. Being pedantic, it also makes a difference if it's really meant to be limited to home signals only, or whether any other semaphore stop signal would do .

 

[RichardN]

I said that more to take shunt signals out of scope..

 

[Tomnick]

Thanks for clarifying - the home signal is defined as the signal controlling the exit from the block section into station limits (though the term has been used more loosely over the years, often to define any stop signal in rear of the box). A home signal is a stop signal, but a stop signal isn't necessarily a home signal.

 

[RichardN]

I was thinking about a typical length of line where a home and starter will see approximately the same amount of traffic. I can see how much traffic the Arun valley gets from Realtimetrains, but what I can't be sure of is which boxes get switched out early.

What started this was a signalman, talking about how busy the Arun valley was and me idly wondering where was busier. He also said that somewhere with mechanically operated points which were switched frequently would be the most physical effort, which is something that wouldn't be the case on the Arun valley.

 

[scotraildriver]

Stirling North and all the ones between Perth and Aberdeen are busy all day long.

 

[talltim]

How about something controlled by Woodburn Road box at present with the MML diversions?

 

[LowLevel]

Woodburn Junction box is a portakabin and I believe is all electronic. Wood house Junction box doesn't have any semaphores that I've noticed which the EMT/XC services pass, they all seem to be at the Retford end of the junction.

 

[matchmaker]

Stirling North and all the ones between Perth and Aberdeen are busy all day long.

I was going to say Stirling North as well. The Middle is a busier box, but all the signals are now colour light, although still controlled from the lever frame (apart from the Kincardine line).

 

[Philip C]

May I lob the splitting signals at Willingdon Junction and worked by Hampden Park box into the fray? These are not long for this world and whilst not strictly home signals are certainly well used. The left hand arm, for Polegate and the west, is cleared four times per hour and the right hand arm, for Pevensey and the east, is cleared three times per hour. Given the long traffic day I would suggest that the left hand arm is the benchmark against which other contenders should be judged.

May I remind all interested that the demise of boxes between Bexhill and Plumpton (inclusive) approaches ever nearer. If you wish to take photos delay not long.