Trivia: Manual staffed signalboxes with few trains?

[Bald Rick]

Yes, and Neasden Junction?

Quiet for trains perhaps. Rather noisy because of the neighbours.

 

[Deepgreen]

Wainfleet sees 2 an hour if its lucky.

That's like Clapham Junction compared with some mentioned here!

 

[robbeech]

hi rob, I was actually offered an interview for a Crossing keeper job there last year. Apparently the previous chap took to sticking up the road closed sign then going to the pub - he got caught and sacked! Its fully manned 24/7 apart from Sunday when they don't start till 14:00.

Now i come to think of it i might have seen a road closed sign there once, and maybe this is what prompted me to think it probably isn't in use anymore, or maybe i'm just imagining things now you've said it. It doesn't surprise me to be fair. It's a job i'd consider when iv'e had enough of my current job but i suspect it WILL be closed by then.

 

[LowLevel]

Now i come to think of it i might have seen a road closed sign there once, and maybe this is what prompted me to think it probably isn't in use anymore, or maybe i'm just imagining things now you've said it. It doesn't surprise me to be fair. It's a job i'd consider when iv'e had enough of my current job but i suspect it WILL be closed by then.

It's not long had some money spent on replacing the (very unusual) groundframe with a switch panel so I assume it isn't due to close imminently.

 

[bramling]

Quiet for trains perhaps. Rather noisy because of the neighbours.

Yes can’t be a particularly nice box to work because of that.

 

[High Dyke]

It's not long had some money spent on replacing the (very unusual) groundframe with a switch panel so I assume it isn't due to close imminently.

Blimey! I haven't been there for years. Had to do a Health and Safety visit there a number of years ago. Got a few photos of the small frame. A re-org of the area a number of years ago saw the administration/rostering of the location pass from Doncaster to York.

 

[Donachie]

Longannet?

Think I read somewhere Longannet was only open as required.??

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2020 ==

Craig Hall, Boulby Branch?

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes can’t be a particularly nice box to work because of that.

It was one of the few boxes where’s you could only visit with the LOM, and the van had to go in the compound. Otherwise it was likely to get damaged.

 

[66Yorks]

Freemans SB on the North Blyth route.

Realtime Trains | Departures from Freemans L.C. all day on 19/08/2020

Train information at Freemans L.C. all day on 19/08/2020. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[LowLevel]

Blimey! I haven't been there for years. Had to do a Health and Safety visit there a number of years ago. Got a few photos of the small frame. A re-org of the area a number of years ago saw the administration/rostering of the location pass from Doncaster to York.

As I understand it the frame was unpopular with it's operators as you had to push the levers normal to clear the signals which is a particularly unnatural movement. The stop signal on the down needed replacing anyway so it got a horrible new semaphore worked for a short period off the frame and then it all went on a panel, the down distant being motor worked anyway, shortly afterwards. So now it is unusual again for having semaphores worked off a panel

 

[High Dyke]

As I understand it the frame was unpopular with it's operators as you had to push the levers normal to clear the signals which is a particularly unnatural movement. The stop signal on the down needed replacing anyway so it got a horrible new semaphore worked for a short period off the frame and then it all went on a panel, the down distant being motor worked anyway, shortly afterwards. So now it is unusual again for having semaphores worked off a panel

Thanks for that. An unusual location in its own right.

 

[thenorthern]

I think the ones on the Burton to Leicester line are interesting as they see a lot of overnight traffic but not much daytime traffic.

 

[MadMac]

Even in pre-Covid timetables, there weren’t that many trains between Girvan and Stranraer which is still manual signalboxes despite the more remote highland and west highland routes being RETB (Radio Electric Token Block)

That was the first one that I thought of. I think that RETB was looked at a long time ago, but the technology of the time wasn’t suited to the local topography.

 

[8stewartt]

Given that a train in the High Level platform can be signalled towards Alrewas (by Trent Valley Junction box) or towards Birmingham (by Aston box) presumably the signaller at Trent Vallley Junction has to be aware of terminating Cross City trains on the track circuit for the northbound signal.

the signalman at the high level box will DEFINITELY be aware of the train arriving and approaching. If there is a train signalled onto or off of the chord then any train approaching high level station must be double blocked.

 

[Eloise]

Think I read somewhere Longannet was only open as required.??

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2020 ==

Craig Hall, Boulby Branch?

Crag Hall. Still a fair few trains down there, lot of Q / Y paths though.

Belasis Lane mentioned earlier must be a contender.

 

[Rob_76]

Garsdale must be quiet now. Only 4 each way at the moment, and no freight that I have noticed. There again some days there are the Skipton-Appleby excursions. or is it switched out?

Still pretty busy and manned full time. Was up there twice in the last fortnight. The following are currently running along the S&C at Garsdale:
- Northern Sprinters (currently one every two hours each way between Leeds and Carlisle);
- "The Staycation Express" (three movements each way between Skipton and Appleby) is running most days;
- "The Dalesman" and "The Fellsman" excursions have been running a couple of days;
- DRS run at least one daily departmental train in each direction between Carlisle NY and Crewe Bas Hall;
- GBRf run three or four cement trains per week in each direction from Carlisle NY to Clitheroe Castle Cement;
- DBC run two or three gypsum trains per week in each direction between New Biggin and Tees Dock.