Signalling between Horsham and Christ's Hospital

[Colin1501]

Does anyone have full details of the signalling arrangements between Horsham and Christ's Hospital until closure of the latter box following an arson attack around 2000?

Horsham was resignalled with colour-light signals at the time of the Mid-Sussex line electrification in 1938. Christ's Hospital was a mechanical box - it had once worked a complex layout and the junction with the former line to Guildford, but by 2000 was a simple block post with only two semaphore signals, the up home and down starter. By this time, it was generally switched out.

As far as I know, absolute block was in operation between Horsham and Christ's Hospital, but I seem to remember that there was - or appeared to be - continuous 3-aspect colour-light signalling on both up and down lines between the two boxes. Can anyone tell me what the exact arrangements were?

 

[pdeaves]

Does anyone have full details of the signalling arrangements between Horsham and Christ's Hospital until closure of the latter box following an arson attack around 2000?

For interest's sake, official closure was 16 February 2000.

According to a 1990 plan I have:
Down line trains passed three aspect signal 32, then three aspect 29. Mechanical 28 was at the platform end with 28R (banner) mid-platform.
Up line trains passed two aspect distant 6, then mechanical 8 outside the box not quite at the platform end. Then, three aspect 11 and three aspect 13 before reaching Horsham's 59/90 (three aspect with position 1 and 4 feathers plus 'cats eyes').

Does this answer your requirement?

 

[Colin1501]

For interest's sake, official closure was 16 February 2000.

According to a 1990 plan I have:
Down line trains passed three aspect signal 32, then three aspect 29. Mechanical 28 was at the platform end with 28R (banner) mid-platform.
Up line trains passed two aspect distant 6, then mechanical 8 outside the box not quite at the platform end. Then, three aspect 11 and three aspect 13 before reaching Horsham's 59/90 (three aspect with position 1 and 4 feathers plus 'cats eyes').

Does this answer your requirement?

Thanks - that's really helpful. Just to confirm, signal 32 was controlled by Christ's Hospital? Do you know if the preceding signal was the down platform starter(s) at Horsham or did Horsham have another controlled signal between its down starters and 32?

 

[pdeaves]

Reading the plan properly shows 32 as, also, numbered CBP33 (Horsham). The closest equivalent Horsham plan I have shows that its signal 33 is the first (and only shown) after leaving the platforms and clearing all the crossovers. So, we have platform signals, then Horsham 33 (that also appears to be Christs Hospital 32), then Christs Hospital 29 (all colour lights), then Christs Hospital 28 (mechanical at station).

 

[Colin1501]

Reading the plan properly shows 32 as, also, numbered CBP33 (Horsham). The closest equivalent Horsham plan I have shows that its signal 33 is the first (and only shown) after leaving the platforms and clearing all the crossovers. So, we have platform signals, then Horsham 33 (that also appears to be Christs Hospital 32), then Christs Hospital 29 (all colour lights), then Christs Hospital 28 (mechanical at station).

Thanks - that all makes sense. So - to use AB nomenclature - 33/32 was effectively Horsham's down advanced starter (lever 33 in Horsham box) combined with Christ's Hospital's down distant (lever 32 in Christ's Hospital box).