Kirkby Station Junction Signal Box Track Diagram
I first visited this box on 28 September 1965. It was the only box I went in that day, see my "boxes visited" log
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51602593738/in/album-...
Dates and additional trivia...
This was the 3rd box at Kirkby MR station.
1874 - A box called "Kirkby Station" was provided for a new Up side siding - the Box was sited a short distance towards Mansfield from the north end of platforms. Must have been a crossing keeper at the level crossing with some form of indicator worked from lever frame presumably to tell him to open/close road gates.
18 February 1889 - a replacement box called "Kirkby Station" was provided at the level crossing opposite site of the later box - 16 levers.
14 August 1892 - 2nd Box is renamed "Kirkby Station Junction" because it now controls the junction of deviated Pye Bridge line - Box was known to have 24 levers in 1910 but must have either had a new frame or relocked and extended old frame in 1892 because 16 levers were not enough for functions required to control new 1892 junction.
17 April 1910 - Down Reception added and platforms extended.
17 September 1922 - New replacement box (this box) provided opposite - 28 levers.
The old box had working Down distants, new box did not, it had fixed Down distants and not only that, the numbering scheme did not allow for them to be added. Reason unknown but it might have been because of the closeness of Kirkby Sidings Down Home from Kirkby Station Junction starter (430yards).
2 December 1958 - Kirkby Sidings new box scheme provided splitting inner distants on a new Kirkby Sidings Up starting signal, existing splitting distants on Kirkby Sidings home became outer distants - both inner and outer on same lever as previously - 17 to Up Branch, 18 to Up Main.
We can only speculate that they were difficult to pull because within months the Up main outer distant became 19 (previously a spare lever), the Up branch outer distant arm was removed.
11 October 1970 - Annesley line closed. The facing and trailing points were retained as worked trailing catch points/facing trap points.
Levers 4,5,13,15,18,19 were added to spares, The Up Branch inner distant arm was removed, Up Main inner distant renumbered 17, Up Main outer distant became fixed at caution.
2 April 1972 - Box & line closed, line diverted via GNR route.
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51974799433/in/album-...
There is additional information about the area, contained in a mining heritage article here miningheritage.co.uk/summit-circular-a-look-into-kirkby-i...
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51607126625/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51693948442/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 450411 (Easting) 356058 (Northing), seen here on the NLS maps maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=53....
A more detailed 25 inch to the mile map is here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=53....
Kirkby Station Junction Signal Box Track Diagram
I first visited this box on 28 September 1965. It was the only box I went in that day, see my "boxes visited" log
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51602593738/in/album-...
Dates and additional trivia...
This was the 3rd box at Kirkby MR station.
1874 - A box called "Kirkby Station" was provided for a new Up side siding - the Box was sited a short distance towards Mansfield from the north end of platforms. Must have been a crossing keeper at the level crossing with some form of indicator worked from lever frame presumably to tell him to open/close road gates.
18 February 1889 - a replacement box called "Kirkby Station" was provided at the level crossing opposite site of the later box - 16 levers.
14 August 1892 - 2nd Box is renamed "Kirkby Station Junction" because it now controls the junction of deviated Pye Bridge line - Box was known to have 24 levers in 1910 but must have either had a new frame or relocked and extended old frame in 1892 because 16 levers were not enough for functions required to control new 1892 junction.
17 April 1910 - Down Reception added and platforms extended.
17 September 1922 - New replacement box (this box) provided opposite - 28 levers.
The old box had working Down distants, new box did not, it had fixed Down distants and not only that, the numbering scheme did not allow for them to be added. Reason unknown but it might have been because of the closeness of Kirkby Sidings Down Home from Kirkby Station Junction starter (430yards).
2 December 1958 - Kirkby Sidings new box scheme provided splitting inner distants on a new Kirkby Sidings Up starting signal, existing splitting distants on Kirkby Sidings home became outer distants - both inner and outer on same lever as previously - 17 to Up Branch, 18 to Up Main.
We can only speculate that they were difficult to pull because within months the Up main outer distant became 19 (previously a spare lever), the Up branch outer distant arm was removed.
11 October 1970 - Annesley line closed. The facing and trailing points were retained as worked trailing catch points/facing trap points.
Levers 4,5,13,15,18,19 were added to spares, The Up Branch inner distant arm was removed, Up Main inner distant renumbered 17, Up Main outer distant became fixed at caution.
2 April 1972 - Box & line closed, line diverted via GNR route.
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51974799433/in/album-...
There is additional information about the area, contained in a mining heritage article here miningheritage.co.uk/summit-circular-a-look-into-kirkby-i...
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51607126625/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51693948442/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 450411 (Easting) 356058 (Northing), seen here on the NLS maps maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=53....
A more detailed 25 inch to the mile map is here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=53....