Bell at Worcester Foregate Street station

[jednick]

When waiting for a train at Worcester Foregate Street station, there's a bell which sounds approximately a minute or so before a train arrives at the station. I don't remember hearing a bell similar to this elsewhere.

Does anybody else know of a bell similar to this at any other station?

What's the reason that Worcester Foregate Street has one and other stations don't?

 

[pdeaves]

A bell like a telephone bell or a bell like a gong? If the former, it's probably a telephone bell! It used to be common at all sorts of places where a phone bell sounded on the platform so that the member of staff knew to go to the office and answer the phone.

 

[Highlandspring]

Dundee has a single strike platform bell controlled from the signalling centre and rung the appropriate number of times to indicate the arrival of a train on each platform. It fell out of use when a new customer information system was installed around 2011/12 but it's still there and useable if needed.

 

[FQTV]

I remember the one at Darlington in the early/mid 1980s. One strike heralded an approaching train.

 

[jednick]

A bell like a telephone bell or a bell like a gong? If the former, it's probably a telephone bell! It used to be common at all sorts of places where a phone bell sounded on the platform so that the member of staff knew to go to the office and answer the phone.

I'm not sure exactly, but it's like an old-style traditional bell sound. It rings for maybe 2 seconds or so.

 

[swt_passenger]

Fratton had a train arrival bell for up trains, before the last resignalling.

 

[philjo]

There was one at Canterbury West that rang a few minutes before the trains towards London arrived. Not been there recently so don't know if it is still in use.

 

[bishdunster]

I presume it is what we used to call a "platform bell", sounded similar to one ring of an old telephone bell, it was operated by a brass plunger on the signal box block shelf, one plunger for the up platform bell and one for the down. A series of codes would be rung about half a minute before the train arrived (depending on how alert the signalman or box boy was !) e.g. at Bournemouth Central it would be 1 ring for train approaching Platform 1, 2 rings for 2, 3 for 3 and 4 for a through train, this would give the announcer a good indication as to when to start his "the train now approaching platform X is the ................" Also if you rang the platform bell 6 times station staff would know that IMMEDIATE Police assistance was required at the signal box. Hope this helps, cheers, Bishdunster. Former Signal box boy and later train announcer at Bournemouth in the 1970s !

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Previously discussed: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/bells-on-stations-question.142280/

I think the Foregate Street one rings a different number of times depending on what direction the train's approaching from (both platforms being bi-di).

 

[takno]

I don't recall the Foregate Street one ever ringing for a westbound train, although I probably gone west from there for 20 years, so I may have just forgotten!

 

[vlad]

The number of rings is a code which tells you which line the next train is arriving on and from which direction, owing to the unusual track layout at Foregate St.

I'm sure I remember a board somewhere on one of the platforms telling you what the code was, although I'm not completely sure about this as I haven't been to Worcester for quite a while.

 

[jednick]

The number of rings is a code which tells you which line the next train is arriving on and from which direction, owing to the unusual track layout at Foregate St.

I'm sure I remember a board somewhere on one of the platforms telling you what the code was, although I'm not completely sure about this as I haven't been to Worcester for quite a while.

Thanks. That's the perfect answer to my question. So, how unusual is the bi-directional track layout? How many other stations, if any, have the same sort of layout?

 

[30909]

IIRC there was a bell/s at Redhill that would ring for some several seconds with the approach of trains off the Reading and Tonbridge lines. This seemed to be to do with wrong direction running e.g. Tonbridge arrivals into the down platform three. It also rang when trains arrived from Reading direction into up platform two, generally electrics to couple to up London trains. Someone here will correct me as I'm recalling from before 1965!!

 

[Kite159]

Thanks. That's the perfect answer to my question. So, how unusual is the bi-directional track layout? How many other stations, if any, have the same sort of layout?

Another station which springs to mine which has a similar layout at Foregate Street which has 2 separate lines is Glenrothes with Thornton with platform 2 only giving access towards Markinch, platform 1 for Kirkcaldy (both giving access towards the inner circle via Lochgelly).

Bare Lane near Lancaster also has 2 separate tracks both bi-di

 

[Deafdoggie]

I remember as a boy, Kidsgrove had a bell. Rang once for a train coming into platform 1, twice for a train coming into platform 2, etc, etc...Guess it was to give people an idea, as no announcements or PIS back then.

 

[jfollows]

There is, or used to be, a significant wall at the Hereford end of the eastern platform, which might restrict visibility to anyone on that platform of trains approaching from Hereford.

I think I remember this wall completely removing a rear door on a Mark 2 coach which was left open when the train was dispatched, which must have been embarrassing. I can't recall why the error was made!

 

[duffield]

Another station which springs to mine which has a similar layout at Foregate Street which has 2 separate lines is Glenrothes with Thornton with platform 2 only giving access towards Markinch, platform 1 for Kirkcaldy (both giving access towards the inner circle via Lochgelly).

Bare Lane near Lancaster also has 2 separate tracks both bi-di

If/when weekday services From Exeter to Okehampton resume (currently only summer Sundays) there is (or at least was) an intention for Yeoford to have a new bi-di platform for the Okehampton service in addition to the current bi-di platform for the Barnstaple services.

 

[John Webb]

In St Albans South signal box we have a bell push marked "Platform Bell" which was used to alert station staff to the approach of a stopping train to a particular platform. Went out of use when the box closed on installation of the colour light signalling and better information displays on the platforms.

 

[trebor79]

Kings Cross used to have bells which rang for 30 seconds or so prior to departures. They seemed to disappear when the place was tarted up. I quite liked them, dunno what purpose they served.

 

[Rick1984]

I've definitely heard them. think Kilmarnock had one

 

[district]

There was one at Canterbury West that rang a few minutes before the trains towards London arrived. Not been there recently so don't know if it is still in use.

That’s just an emergency phone on the London bound platform.

 

[Welly]

I remember Lincoln used to have a bell ringing when a train approached from either direction but I vividly remember the bell near the end of the Waterloo line platform at Clapham Junction ringing non-stop during evening peak time (as well as the cops coming in so thick and fast I could not scribble all of them down!)

 

[LowLevel]

A lot of older mechanical boxes still have them (or at least the button/plunger, I doubt they're maintained) but with the platform screens and demise of platform staffing in many locations it's quite rare to still have them in use. Melton Station box at Melton Mowbray has one but it's pointless ringing it as the only staff are in the booking office and only then part time. The box itself is usually closed and switched out of the circuit on Sundays.

 

[John Webb]

Kings Cross used to have bells which rang for 30 seconds or so prior to departures. They seemed to disappear when the place was tarted up. I quite liked them, dunno what purpose they served.

I think these were triggered when the train was ready to depart so that platform staff could close the gates to stop belated attempts to board the train (slam-door stock then, of course). I recall similar bells at the main-line Waterloo and at Charing Cross.

 

[Bedpan]

I think these were triggered when the train was ready to depart so that platform staff could close the gates to stop belated attempts to board the train (slam-door stock then, of course). I recall similar bells at the main-line Waterloo and at Charing Cross.

yes, the system at Waterloo was for a member of platform staff to push a plunger to alert the signal box that the train was ready to depart (ie that the driver and guard were ready), this being about two minutes before the departure time. The signalman would then set the road for the train and the signal would clear. The, the member of staff would push a different plunger which rang a bell at the platform gate, whereupon the ticket inspector/collector would close the gate to stop more passengers coming on to the platform, and then, after a lot of whistle blowing to get the stragglers on the train, the guard would give the right away. This bell was an electric bell of the sort that used to ring at the end of a lesson when I was at school.

The platform bell sound was much shorter but I can't recall whether or not it was a single ding. It warned staff and passengers that the train was about to arrive so that passengers could come out of the waiting room and the staff member could get into position at the exit to collect the tickets of alighting passengers. It was useful in its time, although noe superseded by PIS etc - I'm surprised that there are any still in existance at National Rail stations although I did hear one (I think) at Ropley (MHR) recently.

 

[Parallel]

Bath Spa had a bell on platform 2 that rang on and off every few seconds for about 3 minutes a time until about a year ago. Might still be there but haven’t heard it used for some time. No idea what purpose it served.

 

[tsr]

IIRC there was a bell/s at Redhill that would ring for some several seconds with the approach of trains off the Reading and Tonbridge lines. This seemed to be to do with wrong direction running e.g. Tonbridge arrivals into the down platform three. It also rang when trains arrived from Reading direction into up platform two, generally electrics to couple to up London trains. Someone here will correct me as I'm recalling from before 1965!!

This hasn’t been anything like that at Redhill for a very, very long time. (This is possibly a symptom of the fact that the station was a reasonably early adopter of CIS screens and auto announcements, plus it’s been controlled from Three Bridges for some time as well.)

Passenger trains haven’t been able to run from Tonbridge into Platform 3 for many years, in fact I’m not sure at what point in history the signalling would have readily allowed this for passenger services!