Short Story

[Uphollandlatic]

Hello everyone,
This is my first post.
For a couple of months I've been going along to a U3A Creative Writing group. Each month we gather and read what we've written and then are given a starting point for the next month. Last month it was The Prophecy or Caught in the Act. For next month we were given 'The bell rang...'. This doesn't have to be the start of the story but must appear in it somewhere.
All the place names are real as is the geographical position of the Ditton Brook signal cabin. I have researched the signal bell-codes used at the time and tried to be as accurate as I can. It was not my intention to be slavishly accurate, although that would be nice, I really wanted to convey the routines and atmosphere of the signal cabins in that period.

It's about 1200 words so won't take long to read.

My dad worked on the railways in signal maintenance immediately before and after WW2. Then in 1949 he went into the family grocery business. When I was a small boy I used to go with him on his rounds. One of his customers was at a farm that was only accessible by going over the level crossing at Ditton Brook. As it wasn't that long after he had left the railways he would leave me would leave me in the care of the signalman with whom he was friends. Can you imagine that happening today?

 

[WesternLancer]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting that!

I enjoyed reading it - very evocative I thought. Hopefully a few signalers who frequent the forum might have a chance to read it.

Your writing about the activity in the box reminded me of my youth in the early 80s when occasionally the signal man at the box at my local station in Sussex would allow me into the box as a good vantage point, with the south downs as a backdrop, to photograph trains coming up the line, especially if it was something unusual on the route to take a picture of. I can't imagine that happening today either!

Best wishes, and good luck with your next assignment.

Hello everyone,
This is my first post.
For a couple of months I've been going along to a U3A Creative Writing group. Each month we gather and read what we've written and then are given a starting point for the next month. Last month it was The Prophecy or Caught in the Act. For next month we were given 'The bell rang...'. This doesn't have to be the start of the story but must appear in it somewhere.
All the place names are real as is the geographical position of the Ditton Brook signal cabin. I have researched the signal bell-codes used at the time and tried to be as accurate as I can. It was not my intention to be slavishly accurate, although that would be nice, I really wanted to convey the routines and atmosphere of the signal cabins in that period.

It's about 1200 words so won't take long to read.

My dad worked on the railways in signal maintenance immediately before and after WW2. Then in 1949 he went into the family grocery business. When I was a small boy I used to go with him on his rounds. One of his customers was at a farm that was only accessible by going over the level crossing at Ditton Brook. As it wasn't that long after he had left the railways he would leave me would leave me in the care of the signalman with whom he was friends. Can you imagine that happening today?

 

[Uphollandlatic]

Western Lancer, Thank you for your kind words. It sounds as though you were lucky enough to also go into a signal cabin and experience that unique atmosphere.
Kind regards.

 

[WesternLancer]

Western Lancer, Thank you for your kind words. It sounds as though you were lucky enough to also go into a signal cabin and experience that unique atmosphere.
Kind regards.

Thanks. Yes, very much so, and I recall it well, tho it was your story that brought the memories back this evening - which was nice.

One occasion I recall was probably early 1984 as BR were testing the 'new' intercity trains for use on the Gatwick Express by running them to the coast, which was an unusual sight to be able to go and see and photograph from the elevated position of the box.

 

[4069]

A switchboard is for phone calls, not bell signals. You press a key on an instrument on the block shelf to ring the bell, and turn a commutator (often on the same instrument) to send the "line clear" signal. The "train out of section2 signal is two (pause) one, not 2-1-2.

 

[Uphollandlatic]

Thank you I will edit accordingly.
Regards