Leicester Passenger South Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 2 January 1967. I visited 4 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51601553327/in/album-...
My purpose that day was to visit Rugby box. I had arranged that visit officially (see Rugby Signal box text when it is added). The signalman at Rugby had phoned Leicester Goods North (the next box he was working to) and asked if I could visit that box. I then went into this box.
There's a circa 1947 plan, coloured by David Blower, here www.flickr.com/photos/90214143@N04/50821415833/in/album-7...
A 1952 drawing for full layout with all loops and sidings is shown here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52002597636/in/album-...
From 29 January 1967 all loops, bays and sidings were disconnected leaving a fixed Up Distant under Abbey Lane Starter, 11 (with 2) Up Home, 12 Up Starter, dets 10 & 50, crossover 40 with discs 39 & 41 and Down Home 51 with Down Distants 52 & 53.
When they were seriously culling the signalling to the bare minimum required, for some reason they did not decommission position light signal 2, it was still there and shown as operational. However, it's exact purpose is not known to me - can anyone help with that?
UPDATE 16 May 2022.
I decided to post my query about signal no. 2 onto three Facebook Groups. My thanks to those who responded. A number of suggestions were made about the purpose of signal no. 2, along with possibilities for why it was retained. There were also a number of different ways of naming the signal. In the absence of any "official" answers I've produced what I believe to be the most likely answers (unless you have evidence to the contrary?):
I am calling no. 2 signal a "sub". It would have been a very useful shunt signal, certainly in the following situations:
- For loco changing.
- Shunt moves up to signal 12.
- To allow a loco to draw forwards to take water.
- To use crossover 40 from Up to Down
etc, etc.
As to why it was retained it may have been perceived that use of crossover 40 might still be required but also, practically, it might just have been that it was too much trouble and cost to carry out the necessary changes to remove it, given that the writing was on the wall for the future of the line.
Pete Garrard took some photos around Easter 1967 and has kindly allowed me to include them. As well as the ones at the South of the Station there are two of the North. The photos can be seen here:
Leicester Passenger South
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52076933093/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52076925371/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52077156749/in/album-...
Leicester Passenger North
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52077411835/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52075881967/in/album-...
Pete also informed me that signal no. 11, despite appearing to be a 2 aspect signal, was actually a four aspect signal - the upper lens was a single yellow, while the lower lens was a single lens, 3 aspect searchlight signal; it was thus capable of showing Red, single Yellow, double Yellow or Green.
The story goes that during this period Leicester Central station was an unstaffed station and the signalman here had the station keys, opening up for the first train and locking up after the last!
The box closed with line, effective from 5 May 1969 (last train on 3rd). There's a photo here of Signalman Albert Fawkes after closing the box on Saturday 3rd May www.flickr.com/photos/90214143@N04/50989479798/in/album-7...
I didn't take any photos of the box but a selection can be seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/90214143@N04/50822259257/in/album-7...
www.flickr.com/photos/108977492@N02/38011168364
A football special hauled by 34054 "Lord Beaverbrook" on 9 March 1964 is here
www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@N06/39117775810
There are photos courtesy of the Charles Weightman and Alan Bullimore Collection, part of the excellent "Tillyweb" website. tillyweb.biz/index.htm The photos can be seen here
tillyweb.biz/abcw/leicesterpasssth2.jpg
tillyweb.biz/abcw/leicesterpasssth1.jpg
The Sectional Appendix page is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52000475702/in/datepo...
The quite accurate location of the box was 458123 (Easting) 304473 (Northing), seen here on the NLS maps maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=52....
A more detailed 25 inch to the mile map is here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=52....
Leicester Passenger South Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 2 January 1967. I visited 4 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51601553327/in/album-...
My purpose that day was to visit Rugby box. I had arranged that visit officially (see Rugby Signal box text when it is added). The signalman at Rugby had phoned Leicester Goods North (the next box he was working to) and asked if I could visit that box. I then went into this box.
There's a circa 1947 plan, coloured by David Blower, here www.flickr.com/photos/90214143@N04/50821415833/in/album-7...
A 1952 drawing for full layout with all loops and sidings is shown here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52002597636/in/album-...
From 29 January 1967 all loops, bays and sidings were disconnected leaving a fixed Up Distant under Abbey Lane Starter, 11 (with 2) Up Home, 12 Up Starter, dets 10 & 50, crossover 40 with discs 39 & 41 and Down Home 51 with Down Distants 52 & 53.
When they were seriously culling the signalling to the bare minimum required, for some reason they did not decommission position light signal 2, it was still there and shown as operational. However, it's exact purpose is not known to me - can anyone help with that?
UPDATE 16 May 2022.
I decided to post my query about signal no. 2 onto three Facebook Groups. My thanks to those who responded. A number of suggestions were made about the purpose of signal no. 2, along with possibilities for why it was retained. There were also a number of different ways of naming the signal. In the absence of any "official" answers I've produced what I believe to be the most likely answers (unless you have evidence to the contrary?):
I am calling no. 2 signal a "sub". It would have been a very useful shunt signal, certainly in the following situations:
- For loco changing.
- Shunt moves up to signal 12.
- To allow a loco to draw forwards to take water.
- To use crossover 40 from Up to Down
etc, etc.
As to why it was retained it may have been perceived that use of crossover 40 might still be required but also, practically, it might just have been that it was too much trouble and cost to carry out the necessary changes to remove it, given that the writing was on the wall for the future of the line.
Pete Garrard took some photos around Easter 1967 and has kindly allowed me to include them. As well as the ones at the South of the Station there are two of the North. The photos can be seen here:
Leicester Passenger South
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52076933093/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52076925371/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52077156749/in/album-...
Leicester Passenger North
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52077411835/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52075881967/in/album-...
Pete also informed me that signal no. 11, despite appearing to be a 2 aspect signal, was actually a four aspect signal - the upper lens was a single yellow, while the lower lens was a single lens, 3 aspect searchlight signal; it was thus capable of showing Red, single Yellow, double Yellow or Green.
The story goes that during this period Leicester Central station was an unstaffed station and the signalman here had the station keys, opening up for the first train and locking up after the last!
The box closed with line, effective from 5 May 1969 (last train on 3rd). There's a photo here of Signalman Albert Fawkes after closing the box on Saturday 3rd May www.flickr.com/photos/90214143@N04/50989479798/in/album-7...
I didn't take any photos of the box but a selection can be seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/90214143@N04/50822259257/in/album-7...
www.flickr.com/photos/108977492@N02/38011168364
A football special hauled by 34054 "Lord Beaverbrook" on 9 March 1964 is here
www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@N06/39117775810
There are photos courtesy of the Charles Weightman and Alan Bullimore Collection, part of the excellent "Tillyweb" website. tillyweb.biz/index.htm The photos can be seen here
tillyweb.biz/abcw/leicesterpasssth2.jpg
tillyweb.biz/abcw/leicesterpasssth1.jpg
The Sectional Appendix page is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52000475702/in/datepo...
The quite accurate location of the box was 458123 (Easting) 304473 (Northing), seen here on the NLS maps maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=52....
A more detailed 25 inch to the mile map is here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=52....