Best spots for semaphore signalling in 2016

[LLivery]

Got this picture at Hastings back in the summer. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45801463@N05/20869306892/in/dateposted-public/ Don't believe they've gone anywhere just yet. Can't think of many other places with this many visible at once.

 

[simonw]

Got this picture at Hastings back in the summer. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45801463@N05/20869306892/in/dateposted-public/ Don't believe they've gone anywhere just yet. Can't think of many other places with this many visible at once.

Bognor
http://simonwhittinghamphotography.zenfolio.com/p898254667/hf998e41#hf998e41

And Littlehampton

http://simonwhittinghamphotography.zenfolio.com/p125385471/h320ed6fe#h320ed6fe

 

[evoluzione]

Parbold is a mix of semaphores and colour lights.

Rainford is semaphore One Train Staff working with three fixed distants.

Ashton Moss box is semaphore with shunting discs.

Castleton box is now colour light but still has shunting discs.

 

[LLivery]

Bognor
http://simonwhittinghamphotography.zenfolio.com/p898254667/hf998e41#hf998e41

And Littlehampton

http://simonwhittinghamphotography.zenfolio.com/p125385471/h320ed6fe#h320ed6fe

Ah! Had to be the only two branches of the Southern Network I haven't been along!

 

[wellwhatitis]

Got this picture at Hastings back in the summer. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45801463@N05/20869306892/in/dateposted-public/ Don't believe they've gone anywhere just yet. Can't think of many other places with this many visible at once.

Worcester Shrub Hill is still all semaphore and there are more than this I think.

Just noticed somebody already mentioned it though.

 

[Trainfan344]

East of Norwich (towards Yarmouth and Lowestoft) - Brundall in particular has semaphores and a crossing keeper as well for the hand swung gates.

If you're after a real nostalgia fix, these lines have 37s and Mk3s running in a short set!

 

[bigbadhenry]

Llandudno on the hit list

 

[Andyjs247]

Banbury still has semaphores at the moment - a mix of upper and lower quadrant signals - and some colour lights too. But you will need to be quick if you want photos because it is all due to be resignalled in 2016.

 

[The Planner]

You have got until July to do Banbury.

 

[londonmidland]

Edale on the Hope Valley is a great location, fantastic views in both direction and also retains semaphore signalling both north and southbound.

Here is a 142 approaching the station when I went earlier in the year.

Picture may look a bit weird but had to compress and re-size to keep to the forum limits.

 

[Richard1960]

East of Norwich (towards Yarmouth and Lowestoft) - Brundall in particular has semaphores and a crossing keeper as well for the hand swung gates.

Also Ely North Junction (exclusive) to Peterborough (exclusive) e.g. Manea, March x 2, Whittlesey (or Whittlesea)

Outlton Broad North not far from Lowestoft.

Shortcut to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16205328@N02/8518560219

 

[40907]

Droitwich Spa, including two centre-pivot starters on the northbound platform end.
Droitwich is a little "island" of semaphores, the Worcester semaphores stop at Worcester tunnel junction box a few miles south.

North from the Droitwich junction there are no semaphores either towards Bromsgrove or Kidderminster.

The Hereford-Worcester line has semaphores at a number of locations, including Ledbury, Malvern Wells, and on the approach to Worcester Foregate Street.

 

[Harbon 1]

The Derby to Stoke line still has semaphores for the moment.

Tutbury has 2 distant signal arms and two starters, and Scropton has a full set including a crossover. Sudbury is just colour lights like-for-like.

The others along the line I'm not so sure about.

 

[40907]

I passed through Uttoxeter back in the Autumn, and there were still semaphores there.

 

[74A]

Can't they just use a stop board?
Is there a functional difference between them?
Edit again... I mean a red circle stop board, not an X Car Stop one.,

Stop boards cannot be used to movements that apply to passenger services.

 

[OuterDistant]

The Derby to Stoke line still has semaphores for the moment.

Tutbury has 2 distant signal arms and two starters, and Scropton has a full set including a crossover. Sudbury is just colour lights like-for-like.

The others along the line I'm not so sure about.

AFAICR, Foley Crossing has three semaphore stop signals and one semaphore distant, but for photography, I'd personally only bother with one of them!

 

[Francis]

Carnforth:

The stone building behind the dmu was apparently Carnforth's original signal box, built to match the railway station architecture.

 

[craigybagel]

Stop boards cannot be used to movements that apply to passenger services.

What about all those places on RETB, NSTR and a few other types of remote single track line where they exist? Plus places with train crew operated crossings and the like? There's five locations I sign (as a passenger guard) where we have them so I'm not sure what you mean by that?

 

[dk1]

East of Norwich (towards Yarmouth and Lowestoft) - Brundall in particular has semaphores and a crossing keeper as well for the hand swung gates.

Also Ely North Junction (exclusive) to Peterborough (exclusive) e.g. Manea, March x 2, Whittlesey (or Whittlesea)

Brundall has only ever had one colour light & that's tucked out of the way at the Gardens. Everything else has always been 'a pull' & long may it continue.

 

[DaveHarries]

Edale on the Hope Valley is a great location, fantastic views in both direction and also retains semaphore signalling both north and southbound.

Here is a 142 approaching the station when I went earlier in the year.

Picture may look a bit weird but had to compress and re-size to keep to the forum limits.

Thanks for sharing that photo: ncie shot! Edale goes on my list of locations to visit therefore.

Dave

 

[TDK]

Pen - y - Fford on the Wrexham Bidston line is all semaphore apart from the up distant that is an LED colour light signal.

At Hollywell Junction on the up you can actually leave the section on a disc shunt signal from the loop - I wonder if there is anywhere else where a disc shunt signal acts as the section signal?

Gobowen still has semaphores on the Wrexham to Shrewsbury line, on the down they are lower quadrant and on the up they are upper quadrant, maybe another unique one?

 

[eastwestdivide]

No-one mentioned Peak Forest yet? Admittedly no station and a limited number of trains, but accessible on foot, a mile and a half from Dove Holes.

 

[craigybagel]

Gobowen still has semaphores on the Wrexham to Shrewsbury line, on the down they are lower quadrant and on the up they are upper quadrant, maybe another unique one?

Not to far from there at Dorrington (between Shrewsbury and Church Stretton) on the up there are two consecutive semaphores, one upper and one lower. From the cab you can see the two at the same time for a few seconds, it does look rather odd when they're both off.

 

[387star]

Got this picture at Hastings back in the summer. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45801463@N05/20869306892/in/dateposted-public/ Don't believe they've gone anywhere just yet. Can't think of many other places with this many visible at once.

Wonder why the ore end of hastings has semaphores but the london end colour lights

 

[timj]

Prudhoe and Bardon Mill on the Tyne Valley Line (Newcastle to Carlisle) have a good few semaphores still.

Bardon Mill has an unusual pair of half gantries holding signals out across the tracks for both directions. They're normally kept in the clear position though as the box is normally switched out.

 

[trainmania100]

In the beginning of my video here there are some semaphores at the beginning at hastings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03vRizYeyQk apologies for the advertising but this was filmed not that long ago and as far as im aware they are still there, you can get some great photos of them by the trains

 

[mailbyrail]

And if you're going to Peak Forest, take the train from Hazel Grove to Buxton, plenty of semaphores along the way and interesting layout at Buxton itself

 

[Parallel]

Liskeard and St Erth have them in Cornwall.

As mentioned, there's a fair few on the Marches route between Abergavenny(?) and Shrewsbury.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Norton Junction near Stockton.

Where the Stillington branch to Ferryhill and the ECML meets the Durham Coast route.

Traffic is mainly 66 hauled freight alongside Northern 142 and 156 units with occasional flying banana, diverted VTEC HST or mk4 drags. You may see a light engine 67 which is used for route learning

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

The Llandudno branch still has some great semaphore signals.

This website is clearly very outdated but apart from the siding clearance and track relaying and general tidying up not a lot has changed. The signals are still the same today.

http://roscalen.com/signals/Llandudno/index.htm