Syston North Junction Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 5 August 1967. I visited 2 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51601553262/in/album-...
An interesting aspect on this diagram is that signals 3/4/17 had an on rail detonator machine in advance of the signal post, taken off the rail by 3 or 4 or 17 lever reversed.
It did mean that you had to make sure the train had passed clear of those dets before replacing to normal any of those signal levers!!
The bottom half of the levers were painted with Up direction black/white chevrons whilst the top half was painted red.
Box story:
xx December 1873 - A box already existed here.
xx October 1891 - (approx date) Replacement box, 24 levers. A photo of the box diagram is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508158664/in/album-...
From an unindexed MR locking book Peter found a set of locking figures for April 1891, which appear to suit that diagram exactly, seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52507376356/in/album-...
24 July 1910, in order to accommodate the new 36 lever frame (replacing the 24 lever 1891 frame) they extended the box by one 10 foot flake to the north and most likely at the same time replaced some of the other panels as well. The Board of Trade inspection diagram 1911 is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508437173/in/album-... and the associated locking chart is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508437158/in/album-...
Between 1910 and 1967 - several things happened - I have no dates:
Unknown date 1: The frame was totally re-locked - to be honest the 1910 numbering was a bit all over the place! Levers 9 and 19 survived with original functions. I hear you say "maybe the frame was renewed", no, BR Nottingham Division lever frame list from 1980 says frame in box is a 70 year old MR 6 inch tappet.
Unknown date 2: Down Goods from South Junction became a Down Slow, this involved fitted facing traps in the Up Branch (18) and trailing traps (15) in the Down Goods.
Unknown date 3: "Derby Siding" alongside Up Goods and connected to Up Branch was removed.
Slightly unknown date 4: EFPL on points 7 became FPL 5 (5 was set back signal Down Goods which reutilised newly spare lever 14). TC 11660 possibly dates from about 1952.
Unknown date 5: EFPL on points 9 becomes FPL 6 (6 was an adjacent clearance bar), EFPL on points 10 becomes 13 (13 was an adjacent clearance bar). Track circuits T1 to T5 probably installed at this time to eliminate depression bars.
Unknown date 6: Up Goods had a unworkable distant prior to 1910 and maybe eventually someone realised it was slowing down trains too much having a fixed distant - so frame extended by 1 lever to left and Up Goods Distant "A" added. This was underbolted by South Junction - Up Goods Distant indicator provided). There was a white band painted onto lever "A" to signify it was released by the underbolt - not sure if this idea caught on at many other boxes?
Unknown date 7: Call on signals 30 & 32 added, reading to occupied Down Goods with permissive Block.
Dates after my visit:
5 December 1968 - North Curve line directions changed (as described under Syston East Jn www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52503652735/in/album-...), now Up to East Junction.
2 September 1973 - Syston East Junction box closed and the junction was worked by motor points from Syston South Junction box.
xx-xx-1974 - Syston South Junction remodelled and semaphore signals replaced with colour lights, lever 28 becomes spare.
After 1974 they provided another Up Passenger Distant as Outer, the original becoming Inner Distant also acting as Outer Distant for South Junction.
Also they provided Switch Diamonds where the Down Slow to Down Passenger connection crossed the Up Passenger. These were motor worked along with the Down Slow facing end and worked by the former FPL lever 13. They kept the trailing end as rod worked by 10.
12 April 1987 - Box closed - Leicester PSB Stage 2 resignalling.
2 January 2012 - Leicester PSB signalling recontrolled by EMCC Leicester Workstation.
I didn't take any photos of the box when I visited in 1967. I did, though, return to the area in 1982 and took a couple of photos which show the box:
1) Box exterior www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508218113/in/album-...
2) 46037 takes the Up Branch www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52507668141/in/album-...
A 1975 external photo of the box can be seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52507925993/in/album-...
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52519371173/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52519098019/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52504338335/in/album-...
The quite accurate location of the box was 461883 (Easting) 311903 (Northing), seen here on the NLS maps maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.0&lat=5...
A more detailed 25 inch to the mile map is here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.0&lat=5...
Syston North Junction Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 5 August 1967. I visited 2 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51601553262/in/album-...
An interesting aspect on this diagram is that signals 3/4/17 had an on rail detonator machine in advance of the signal post, taken off the rail by 3 or 4 or 17 lever reversed.
It did mean that you had to make sure the train had passed clear of those dets before replacing to normal any of those signal levers!!
The bottom half of the levers were painted with Up direction black/white chevrons whilst the top half was painted red.
Box story:
xx December 1873 - A box already existed here.
xx October 1891 - (approx date) Replacement box, 24 levers. A photo of the box diagram is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508158664/in/album-...
From an unindexed MR locking book Peter found a set of locking figures for April 1891, which appear to suit that diagram exactly, seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52507376356/in/album-...
24 July 1910, in order to accommodate the new 36 lever frame (replacing the 24 lever 1891 frame) they extended the box by one 10 foot flake to the north and most likely at the same time replaced some of the other panels as well. The Board of Trade inspection diagram 1911 is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508437173/in/album-... and the associated locking chart is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508437158/in/album-...
Between 1910 and 1967 - several things happened - I have no dates:
Unknown date 1: The frame was totally re-locked - to be honest the 1910 numbering was a bit all over the place! Levers 9 and 19 survived with original functions. I hear you say "maybe the frame was renewed", no, BR Nottingham Division lever frame list from 1980 says frame in box is a 70 year old MR 6 inch tappet.
Unknown date 2: Down Goods from South Junction became a Down Slow, this involved fitted facing traps in the Up Branch (18) and trailing traps (15) in the Down Goods.
Unknown date 3: "Derby Siding" alongside Up Goods and connected to Up Branch was removed.
Slightly unknown date 4: EFPL on points 7 became FPL 5 (5 was set back signal Down Goods which reutilised newly spare lever 14). TC 11660 possibly dates from about 1952.
Unknown date 5: EFPL on points 9 becomes FPL 6 (6 was an adjacent clearance bar), EFPL on points 10 becomes 13 (13 was an adjacent clearance bar). Track circuits T1 to T5 probably installed at this time to eliminate depression bars.
Unknown date 6: Up Goods had a unworkable distant prior to 1910 and maybe eventually someone realised it was slowing down trains too much having a fixed distant - so frame extended by 1 lever to left and Up Goods Distant "A" added. This was underbolted by South Junction - Up Goods Distant indicator provided). There was a white band painted onto lever "A" to signify it was released by the underbolt - not sure if this idea caught on at many other boxes?
Unknown date 7: Call on signals 30 & 32 added, reading to occupied Down Goods with permissive Block.
Dates after my visit:
5 December 1968 - North Curve line directions changed (as described under Syston East Jn www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52503652735/in/album-...), now Up to East Junction.
2 September 1973 - Syston East Junction box closed and the junction was worked by motor points from Syston South Junction box.
xx-xx-1974 - Syston South Junction remodelled and semaphore signals replaced with colour lights, lever 28 becomes spare.
After 1974 they provided another Up Passenger Distant as Outer, the original becoming Inner Distant also acting as Outer Distant for South Junction.
Also they provided Switch Diamonds where the Down Slow to Down Passenger connection crossed the Up Passenger. These were motor worked along with the Down Slow facing end and worked by the former FPL lever 13. They kept the trailing end as rod worked by 10.
12 April 1987 - Box closed - Leicester PSB Stage 2 resignalling.
2 January 2012 - Leicester PSB signalling recontrolled by EMCC Leicester Workstation.
I didn't take any photos of the box when I visited in 1967. I did, though, return to the area in 1982 and took a couple of photos which show the box:
1) Box exterior www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52508218113/in/album-...
2) 46037 takes the Up Branch www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52507668141/in/album-...
A 1975 external photo of the box can be seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52507925993/in/album-...
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52519371173/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52519098019/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52504338335/in/album-...
The quite accurate location of the box was 461883 (Easting) 311903 (Northing), seen here on the NLS maps maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.0&lat=5...
A more detailed 25 inch to the mile map is here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.0&lat=5...