Stations with "Train Approaching" bells (Trivia)

[Midland Man]

What sort of bell was this? Was it more like a ship's bell, or was it a version of a shunting gong? If the latter, it would have smart if it had been operated from the lever frame!

Hebden Bridge had a ship's type bell.

 

[SargeNpton]

Northampton, certainly up to the 1980s had a bell. The number of rings denoting whether it was due in platform 1, 2 or 3.

I believe it was to let the train dispatcher know which platform to go to (and the rail men tasked with loading/unloading Red Star parcels).

 

[45Fox]

Narborough and Hinckley both used to have them, when they had operational signal boxes.
At Narborough the bell was on the end of the box, facing the station, between the up platform and the level crossing.
Hinckley's bell was on the up platform, by the door from the booking office, as the box was a little distance from the station.

Narborough: down: 3 rings, up: 2.
Hinckley: down: 2 rings, up: 1.

I understand that they were both retained until the boxes closed, 2006 IIRC, but fell out of use in the early-mid 1990s.

 

[MadMac]

The 1979 Rutherglen station had a “Train Approaching“ illuminated indicator fitted in the waiting room for trains coming from the Cambuslang direction. The circuitry was very much a pile of ands/ifs/buts due to the number of directions a train could approach from.

 

[The exile]

There used to be one at Bath Spa on the platform 2 side, but I’m not sure of was for approaching trains. I haven’t heard it recently.

I’m there almost every morning and am not aware of hearing it. I know I’m on auto-pilot at that time of day, but even so.

 

[SECR 65]

I’m there almost every morning and am not aware of hearing it. I know I’m on auto-pilot at that time of day, but even so.

When I went to Bath a year or two ago, I do not recall hearing any bell. I feel fairly sure I would have noticed if there was and spoken about it with my family.

 

[philjo]

I don’t know if it is still the case as I haven’t been there recently but Canterbury West had bells ringing shortly before a train arrived from Ramsgate in the early 1990s.

 

[Belperpete]

What sort of bell was this? Was it more like a ship's bell, or was it a version of a shunting gong? If the latter, it would have smart if it had been operated from the lever frame!

It was like a ship's bell. The signalman operated the clapper by hand. There were signalboxes where a gong remote from the signalbox was operated by a lever, such as to communicate with a shunter. However, where a bell could be operated directly by the signalman, then providing an extra lever and mechanical connections would surely have been seen as unnecessary expense.

 

[Merle Haggard]

It was like a ship's bell. The signalman operated the clapper by hand. There were signalboxes where a gong remote from the signalbox was operated by a lever, such as to communicate with a shunter. However, where a bell could be operated directly by the signalman, then providing an extra lever and mechanical connections would surely have been seen as unnecessary expense.

At Roade (closed long ago) there was a gong on the Up Northampton platform face operated by the signalman some distance South and used to indicate the platform number of the approaching train. So not just for shunting. It was operated by a cable, similar to a semaphore signal one, and most of the effort of the signaller's lever movement was taking up the slack between each pulley so the clapper didn't strike the gong very hard. More noise from the flapping cable and squeaking pulleys.

Another station I used (memory hazy but might have been Loughborough mentioned above) where a bell was used to indicate platform number. When faced with evident delays (in the days of no announcements) and waiting on platform 1 there was the anticipation when the bell rang; dashed when, after a pause, it rang again ...

 

[StoneRoad]

IIRC - The Festiniog used to have one on the Cob for Down Trains approaching Harbour Station that rang in the booking office, that had various reasons, depending on who you asked ! - the revised layout shouldn't need it.

There still is one that rings to alert the level crossing operator at Penrhyn for an approaching downhill train - that's for visibility & a warning to shut the road gates. It's quite loud so is a good warning to get back on the platform ...

 

[Belperpete]

I don’t know if it is still the case as I haven’t been there recently but Canterbury West had bells ringing shortly before a train arrived from Ramsgate in the early 1990s.

Was that associated with a barrow crossing? I think the Southern tended to use bells to warn staff to get clear, when there was restricted visibility, rather than white lights as current practice. I can recall a bell at Clapham Junction to warn shunters in the middle sidings of a train approaching on the adjacent mainline.

 

[4COR]

Upper Warlingham certainly had one in the late 80s/early 90s, but had lost it by the early 2000s when I commuted...

 

[rower40]

I used to operate the one at Bodmin General. One ring for trains from Parkway, two rings for trains from Boscarne, three for empty trains from a siding. Not sure I ever gave three rings.

 

[Dougman]

Dundee used to have this - at least for arrivals into platform 4.

Not sure when it stopped, perhaps 5-10 years back.

I think it had it for 1 and 4 as both could be used in either direction? Last time I got the train regularly from there was back in 2008 and it the bells were still working then.

 

[Belperpete]

I can understand why big stations might have a signaller-operated bell to warn staff of an approaching train, if the staff needed to be on the platform to assist with train despatch. But I am wondering why a fairly small wayside station like Deganwy would have needed one?

 

[Gloster]

I can understand why big stations might have a signaller-operated bell to warn staff of an approaching train, if the staff needed to be on the platform to assist with train despatch. But I am wondering why a fairly small wayside station like Deganwy would have needed one?

At Bodmin Road there were, I think, two reasons. One was that the wooded surroundings, curves and gradients meant that trains only came into view a few seconds before they arrived. The other was that the booking office was on the Up platform and the staff would need to use the footbridge to get across to the Down to give the Right Away.

 

[Dave S 56F]

Is there or was there still a bell in operation at malton railway station N. Yorks I seem to recall as late as last year when I came back from the N.Y.M.R. It was in use when I waited for the Scarborough Leeds T.P.E. train?

 

[wellhouse]

On The Brighton & Dyke Railway (1887-1938) a bell was provided in the club house at Brighton & Hove Golf Club, to advise members that a train had departed Devils Dyke station, and would shortly arrive at Golf Club Halt.

 

[matchmaker]

It was like a ship's bell. The signalman operated the clapper by hand. There were signalboxes where a gong remote from the signalbox was operated by a lever, such as to communicate with a shunter. However, where a bell could be operated directly by the signalman, then providing an extra lever and mechanical connections would surely have been seen as unnecessary expense.

Green painted lever, I believe.

Going back many years, Dalry in Ayrshire had a platform bell.

 

[Ballyheigue]

It (Mill Lane Jct box) and the bell at Hebden Bridge were taken out of use after resignalling. I recall operating both.

That's a shame as it came in very handy after a night out in Saltaire, used to get the late bus to Bradford for the last train to Leeds and if I felt tired, I could nod off for a bit knowing the bell would wake me up lol.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I can understand why big stations might have a signaller-operated bell to warn staff of an approaching train, if the staff needed to be on the platform to assist with train despatch. But I am wondering why a fairly small wayside station like Deganwy would have needed one?

Talking only of my experience of using Roade with the gong. The four platforms there did not have signs indicating platform number so the gong wasn't a lot of use to the normal passenger. As the great majority of waiting passengers were spotters returning home it was of some value to them - they had deduced what it meant and how the platforms were numbered.
Roade was probably not unlike many wayside main line stations of the day (it was an early Beeching closure). Walking through the booking hall and down onto then platform in time for a train the whole station was eerily quiet, with no sign of staff. Even the booking office window was closed until about 2 minutes before a train was to arrive.
What the gong did do was to summon a member of staff from wherever they were hiding to stand on the platform as the train rolled in. Presumably in case anyone on the train was from Higher Authority and looking out.

 

[Rikki Lamb]

Bradford interchange - Bell was still used until Mill Lane SB closed in late 2018.

 

[Gloster]

Working from memory and general opinion, I think there are two or three different categories here. There are no doubt exceptions, different practices between companies and changes over the years.

Gongs worked from levers in the signal box were mainly used to communicate with shunting staff and ground frames. They were seen as part of the signalling system and equipment, rather than an early Passenger Information System (PIS).

Bells and buzzers used to inform staff of arriving trains and the like were, even if operated from the signal box, really a PIS. There were also station telephone circuits using various codes of bell ring to contact other parts of the station: some of these had external bells (outside the staff room or station supervisor‘s office was popular) which could have some unofficial but tolerated codes.

 

[45Fox]

Working from memory and general opinion, I think there are two or three different categories here. There are no doubt exceptions, different practices between companies and changes over the years.

Gongs worked from levers in the signal box were mainly used to communicate with shunting staff and ground frames. They were seen as part of the signalling system and equipment, rather than an early Passenger Information System (PIS).

Bells and buzzers used to inform staff of arriving trains and the like were, even if operated from the signal box, really a PIS. There were also station telephone circuits using various codes of bell ring to contact other parts of the station: some of these had external bells (outside the staff room or station supervisor‘s office was popular) which could have some unofficial but tolerated codes.

Agreed.

Of the two locations that I knew well and previously posted about, Narborough and Hinckley, neither had a green (gong/bell) lever in the frame; to be honest, I'm not aware of any of the boxes that were in the Leicester area (since I've been on the job in 1984, anyway) having one although others at stations appear to have had platform bells.

The platform bell at Narborough was rang from a plunger on the front, inside, wall of the box next to the front windows; the one at Hinckley from a button on the front of the block shelf.

 

[Belperpete]

Working from memory and general opinion, I think there are two or three different categories here. There are no doubt exceptions, different practices between companies and changes over the years.

Gongs worked from levers in the signal box were mainly used to communicate with shunting staff and ground frames. They were seen as part of the signalling system and equipment, rather than an early Passenger Information System (PIS).

Bells and buzzers used to inform staff of arriving trains and the like were, even if operated from the signal box, really a PIS. There were also station telephone circuits using various codes of bell ring to contact other parts of the station: some of these had external bells (outside the staff room or station supervisor‘s office was popular) which could have some unofficial but tolerated codes.

Back in semaphore signalling days, knowledgeable passengers could have all sorts of clues that a train would be coming. Listening for particular block bell codes, seeing a semaphore arm move, hearing the signal wire being pulled even if you couldn't see the signal, were all signs that something was happening.

A third category of bell I would make was those bells provided as warnings for people using barrow crossings, foot crossings and the like (before BR standardised on the use of white lights). These bells were operated automatically by track circuits, not by the signalman. Staff and passengers on the platform may have unofficially used them as advice of an arriving train, but that wasn't the reason they were provided. I would include that at Streatham Common and perhaps some of the other SR examples mentioned above in this category.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Aug 2026 ==

The platform bell at Narborough was rang from a plunger on the front, inside, wall of the box next to the front windows

I wonder if that may have replaced an earlier, external bell that the signalman had to open the window to ring by hand? Otherwise, why not put the plunger on the block shelf, where it would be much more convenient to operate?

 

[j37401]

On a similar theme, Warrington Bank Quay always has a 'this train does not stop here' announcement which appears to trigger automatically when a freight or non stopping train approaches. I've never noticed one at other stations although it's probably quite common and I've never noticed.

 

[najaB]

Dundee used to have this - at least for arrivals into platform 4.

Not sure when it stopped, perhaps 5-10 years back.

Doesn't seem as long ago as ten years. Fairly sure that it was around the time that the new PA system went in since that does improved "The next train at platform..." announcements.

I also may be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure it rang for all four platforms, not just platform 4.

 

[duffield]

Back in semaphore signalling days, knowledgeable passengers could have all sorts of clues that a train would be coming. Listening for particular block bell codes, seeing a semaphore arm move, ...

Ahh, that takes me back...to last Monday, at Gainsborough Central.



And no, I wasn't there specifically for the 1tpd Sheffield-Cleethorpes service and return along that line, I'd already done that; I just fancied a few hours including a short riverside walk in Gainsborough, and the trains to and from Gainsborough Central fitted my timing absolutely perfectly!

 

[317666]

There used to be one for down trains approaching Ipswich, I always assumed due to there being a barrow crossing at the London end of the station right next to Ipswich Tunnel. Not sure if it’s still there.

 

[45Fox]

I wonder if that may have replaced an earlier, external bell that the signalman had to open the window to ring by hand? Otherwise, why not put the plunger on the block shelf, where it would be much more convenient to operate?

Going by childhood memory, I think you're right.
I have vague recollection of a bell hanging outside, with a chord attached to the clapper.