Tickets sold by Signallers

[Jan Mayen]

Just wondering if this still happens anywhere?

If not, anyone know where the last place it happened was?

 

[Gloster]

Templecombe?

 

[Man of Kent]

Just wondering if this still happens anywhere?

If not, anyone know where the last place it happened was?

I think at Wye - where it was a crossing keeper rather than a signalman - that the role was split when Railtrack was set up.

 

[frankmoh]

Between 1993 and 1996, Addiscombe station had tickets sold by the person in the signal box until its untimely arson attack. Not sure about what happened at Woodside. Permit to Travel machine?

 

[Narrowgauge725]

Levisham on NYMR

 

[Bletchleyite]

I recall it being done at Rufford but stopped at privatisation.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

I don’t know about tickets, but there is a box in the north west where the signalman sold free range eggs until recently.
For obvious reasons I can’t name the location, but it is very scenic.

 

[DesDobramento]

Martin Mill (who he?!) and Stone Crossing were other stations where, pre-Railtrack, the signalman sold tickets into the APTIS era.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2026 ==

Between 1993 and 1996, Addiscombe station had tickets sold by the person in the signal box until its untimely arson attack. Not sure about what happened at Woodside. Permit to Travel machine?

Woodside ticket office was manned into the APTIS era.

 

[Gloster]

I think Amberley was another example as I believe that the the block instruments were in the Booking Office.

 

[Swedenorer]

I think Amberley was another example as I believe that the the block instruments were in the Booking Office.

I don't know if he sold tickets I can't recall ticket selling facilities there for years and the box was only manned regularly to shorten the section between Arundel and Pulborough - in recent years when the split was made at Horsham. But the box is actually within the station building and projects onto the platform but I think it was always a separate unit. At Littlehaven the crossing keeper also manned the booking office.

 

[Harpo]

There was previously a grade called Porter-Signalman.

 

[Gloster]

There was previously a grade called Porter-Signalman.

I think that Porter-Signalmen were abolished when the new system came in at the end of the 1960s. Thereafter they were Signalmen who were paid a bit extra if the duty involved selling tickets.

I don't know if he sold tickets I can't recall ticket selling facilities there for years and the box was only manned regularly to shorten the section between Arundel and Pulborough - in recent years when the split was made at Horsham. But the box is actually within the station building and projects onto the platform but I think it was always a separate unit. At Littlehaven the crossing keeper also manned the booking office.

I think that many of these were originally just a lever frame on the platform near the booking office and surrounded by metal railings, but later on they put up small huts around the levers to allow the signalmen to work in peace.

There appear to have been a total of ten SR locations with the lever frame on the platform (Source: SRS Signal Box Register). Breamore and Sheffield Park were two.

 

[swt_passenger]

Templecombe?

How long ago though, as it’s been resignalled into Basingstoke (West of England panel) since ???? (Does anyone know date for sure?)

 

[Swedenorer]

I think that many of these were originally just a lever frame on the platform near the booking office and surrounded by metal railings, but later on they put up small huts around the levers to allow the signalmen to work in peace.

There appear to have been a total of ten SR locations with the lever frame on the platform (Source: SRS Signal Box Register). Breamore and Sheffield Park were two.

That would make complete sense. Until 2008 waiting for a train there was like going back fifty years just the birdsong and the bells and a BIG

 

[island]

Martin Mill (who he?!) and Stone Crossing were other stations where, pre-Railtrack, the signalman sold tickets into the APTIS era.

Was still going at Stone Crossing well into privatisation until eventually being replaced by a chap with an Avantix for four hours on weekday mornings and a PERTIS machine for the rest. The latter since gave way to a card only TVM.

 

[Gloster]

How long ago though, as it’s been resignalled into Basingstoke (West of England panel) since ???? (Does anyone know date for sure?)

I think that Templecombe signal box continued to sell tickets until the signalling was taken over by Basingstoke ROC in early (March?) 2012. I would have hated to deal with the passengers, so it is a good thing I didn’t get the job when I was made redundant in 1985.

 

[reb0118]

I'm sure Barrhill in Ayrshire had a similar system.

 

[izvor]

There appear to have been a total of ten SR locations with the lever frame on the platform (Source: SRS Signal Box Register). Breamore and Sheffield Park were two.

Hever and Cowden certainly had signal levers on the platform, directly accessible from the ticket office.

Warnham's signalman used to sell tickets directly from the box. I think Isfield had a similar system: certainly the signalman unlocked the ticket office to sell me a ticket.

 

[Bogallan]

The signalman at Nairn used to issue tickets after the clerkess had gone off duty, as well of course, as cycling along the platform to change the road at the ground frames in the signal cabins. The block instruments to Forres and Invernesss SC were in the station SB adjacent to the booking office. The signalman also swept the station and mopped the floors! This was the case until around 1994 from memory.

The signalmen (apart from Muir of Ord, Dingwall & Kyle of Lochalsh) on the Far North & West lines out of Inverness also issued tickets until the introduction of RETB in 1984-86 on the lines.

 

[Gloster]

The signalman at Nairn used to issue tickets after the clerkess had gone off duty, as well of course, as cycling along the platform to change the road at the ground frames in the signal cabins. The block instruments to Forres and Invernesss SC were in the station SB adjacent to the booking office. The signalman also swept the station and mopped the floors! This was the case until around 1994 from memory.

The signalmen (apart from Muir of Ord, Dingwall & Kyle of Lochalsh) on the Far North & West lines out of Inverness also issued tickets until the introduction of RETB in 1984-86 on the lines.

This was a hangover from the pre-group Highland Railway which adopted the practice because of its large amount of mileage with a low frequency: with so little work for each of the various roles it was considered practical to combine them into one. Other companies used the same system here and there, but as block signalling spread it became less practical for them to have such exceptions, but the Highland had so many locations where it was still suitable that it adapted its practices to fit.

 

[Rescars]

IIRC, at locations like Taynuilt, the token instruments were in the station office (which also sold tickets), whilst the points and signals were operated by lever frames at each end of the platform.

Returning to Southern territory, the signalman at Beddington Lane sold tickets from the box. An unexpected treat in suburban Greater London which survived until the gates were replaced with automatic barriers. All very different now with Tramlink of course.

 

[67016]

Paignton Panel is in the back of the booking office at the station, it's not uncommon for the signaller to assist the public at the ticket window.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Paignton Panel is in the back of the booking office at the station, it's not uncommon for the signaller to assist the public at the ticket window.

Do they, where do they find the time? They are employed by NR not GWR.
The original idea of putting the box at the back of the booking office was that the signalman would sell tickets between trains as a cost cutting measure. In reality that never happened.

 

[67016]

Do they, where do they find the time? They are employed by NR not GWR.
The original idea of putting the box at the back of the booking office was that the signalman would sell tickets between trains as a cost cutting measure. In reality that never happened.

There are plenty of gaps in the service. If the booking office staff are temporarily away from the window and there is time away from operational duties, most signallers will at least go out advise that someone will be with them shortly, 9 times out of ten they can answer the question by saying yes the train that's in the platform goes to Newton Abbot or The steam trains leave from Queens Park!

 

[Ashley Hill]

There are plenty of gaps in the service. If the booking office staff are temporarily away from the window and there is time away from operational duties, most signallers will at least go out advise that someone will be with them shortly, 9 times out of ten they can answer the question by saying yes the train that's in the platform goes to Newton Abbot or The steam trains leave from Queens Park!

I’ve not experienced this, that’s not to say it doesn’t happen. I thought you meant they also sold tickets! Depends who’s there I suppose.

 

[Egg Centric]

I don’t know about tickets, but there is a box in the north west where the signalman sold free range eggs until recently.
For obvious reasons I can’t name the location, but it is very scenic.

It's not obvious to me. Is there some reason that signallers shouldn't sell eggs (so long as they're not neglecting their safety critical duties)?

Seems to me, perhaps naively, it ought to be perfectly possible to sell eggs (as long as they were poultry rather than crocodile) safely in a sufficiently quiet box. And given the amount they'd be making versus what was at risk I can't imagine they'd have been doing it if it weren't permitted.

 

[Watershed]

It's not obvious to me. Is there some reason that signallers shouldn't sell eggs (so long as they're not neglecting their safety critical duties)?

Seems to me, perhaps naively, it ought to be perfectly possible to sell eggs (as long as they were poultry rather than crocodile) safely in a sufficiently quiet box. And given the amount they'd be making versus what was at risk I can't imagine they'd have been doing it if it weren't permitted.

Generally employment contracts forbid you from carrying on any unrelated business during working hours. It's a bit messy with signallers because at smaller/quieter boxes, they don't have fixed breaks and are instead expected to take breaks as and when the train service allows. But probably still something NR would frown upon if they found out.

 

[EYFanatic]

Although it had a manned booking office, if for some reason it was closed then it was possible to get a ticket from the signaller at Hatley station who was, if I remember rightly, a grumpy sod

 

[WesternLancer]

Hever and Cowden certainly had signal levers on the platform, directly accessible from the ticket office.

Warnham's signalman used to sell tickets directly from the box. I think Isfield had a similar system: certainly the signalman unlocked the ticket office to sell me a ticket.

Falmer was a prominent one in my younger days.
Not sure when it was taken out of use (late 80s?) but the ticket office staff looked after the redundant kit for quite some years after until it was all demolished to make more room for the football crowds when stadium built there.
All the poorer architecturally as a result.

Used to fascinate me as a youth to see it in action from close up when waiting for a train.

I’m assuming the signaller would never sell tickets at the adjacent booking office window but maybe I’m wrong to assume that.

 

[Gloster]

Not sure when it was taken out of use (late 80s?) but the ticket office staff looked after the redundant kit for quite some years after until it was all demolished to make more room for the football crowds when stadium built there.
All the poorer architecturally as a result.

Falmer lever frame and was taken out of use and it was closed as a block post on 30 March 1985.