Tuxford North Station Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 28 October 1966. I visited 9 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51601553327/in/album-...
I have been told that my drawing is rare because no one else seems to have recorded the altered layout which was valid from 30 June 1963 to 30 November 1969 - unless you know differently ?? !!
There is a slight problem with my drawing in that I have shown the junction points too close to the box. They were actually at the far end (south) of the closed station platforms. The junction points were originally intended to be motor worked but someone must have worked out that they were within permitted rodding worked distance and it was cheaper than motors! The points to the Down Sidings were motor driven though. Owen has drawn a plan showing the junction points correctly, seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52561308090/in/album-...
There is a photo showing the pre 30 June 1963 layout, when this box worked south to Tuxford Junction, within this article, the 9th photo down (captioned incorrectly as Tuxford Dukeries Junction) www.signalboxes.com/tuxford-signalboxes.php
A drawing of the track layout for this box (1950s), when it worked south to Tuxford Junction can be seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52560383747/in/album-...
The layout as it was when I visited can be seen in this photo www.flickr.com/photos/66202473@N04/48967341791/in/photoli...
Dates etc:
1871 - opened.
July 1885 - New frame - S&F 5" Spring Catch Rocker.
30 June 1963 - Tuxford Junction box closed, 2 sidings converted to running lines to extend the chord line from LD&EC to a new junction, as per my drawing.
3 February 1968 Dukeries Junction box closed - Loops and sidings closed.
30 November 1969 - Chord from LD&EC closed.
2 May 1976 - Box closed - was destined to be a Gate Box under Doncaster resignalling scheme but the adjacent road bridge was completed just in time.
You might be interested to know that the route onto the LD&EC line was used by two fish trains from Hull, travelling to join the Great Central line at Kirkby South Junction. I know the first of these certainly ran between 1948 and 1959 with a Hull departure time of 1.10pm, heading for Swindon (and beyond). During the 1950s this train generally passed through Mansfield just after 4.0pm and was known by the locals as the "Four o'clock fish". There was an engine change at Doncaster and Bill Taylor tells me "Some Doncaster built Standards put in appearances on it and I saw 76104 and 73101 brand new while they were running in on the fish train. Other new Standards appeared, as also did engines newly repaired at Doncaster. Specifically B17s were seen, including 61635 "Milton" and 61638 "Melton Hall". The mainstay in the 1950s were B1s, notably 61127" That was a Doncaster allocated engine from new in 1947 until 1962. The train was a favourite with local schoolboys who would rush from their schools to various vantage points to observe the train passing through.
By late 1959 the train had been re-timed to leave Hull at 3.30pm and, in 1960, was given the reporting code 3V05. The destination was Plymouth. It's a train I saw many times at Kirkby-in-Ashfield, hauled by a Hull Dairycoates EE Type 3 diesel (later known as Class 37). Researching that train has been most fascinating because, unlike the other Cross Country fish trains which used the Great Central, it didn't take the Banbury line at Culworth Junction - it carried on to Calvert. At this point it was steam hauled, the EE Type 3 being replaced at Leicester Central, generally by a BR Standard. At Calvert the train was propelled onto the ex LNWR line at Claydon L&NE Junction. The loco would be replaced with a "Hall" to be taken forwards to Marston Sidings (just east of Swindon) where it would meet other fish trains and be re-marshalled prior to continuing onto Plymouth. I've not been able to find out why the train took that route. I have a theory that it might have been to keep up the GC crew's route knowledge but I don't know - anyone got suggestions? Certainly it was operated that way from September 1960 until at least September 1964.
I never saw the 2nd fish train from Hull - that was the 6.45pm departure which, by 1960, combined at Mansfield Concentration Sidings with the 6.25pm departure from Grimsby, going forwards as train 587, later 3M02 to Banbury. Fish traffic on the GC finished February 1965.
If you want to see a lot more detail/photos/etc relating to the 1st Hull fish train please take a look at my flickr Album here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51133010658/in/album-...
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52561102014/in/album-...
In June 1968 I took 2 photos of 4472 "Flying Scotsman" heading south:
1) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52560806891/in/album-...
2) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52560806981/in/album-...
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51681788775/in/photos...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51733231274/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 474719 (Easting) 371424 (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...
Tuxford North Station Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 28 October 1966. I visited 9 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51601553327/in/album-...
I have been told that my drawing is rare because no one else seems to have recorded the altered layout which was valid from 30 June 1963 to 30 November 1969 - unless you know differently ?? !!
There is a slight problem with my drawing in that I have shown the junction points too close to the box. They were actually at the far end (south) of the closed station platforms. The junction points were originally intended to be motor worked but someone must have worked out that they were within permitted rodding worked distance and it was cheaper than motors! The points to the Down Sidings were motor driven though. Owen has drawn a plan showing the junction points correctly, seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52561308090/in/album-...
There is a photo showing the pre 30 June 1963 layout, when this box worked south to Tuxford Junction, within this article, the 9th photo down (captioned incorrectly as Tuxford Dukeries Junction) www.signalboxes.com/tuxford-signalboxes.php
A drawing of the track layout for this box (1950s), when it worked south to Tuxford Junction can be seen here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52560383747/in/album-...
The layout as it was when I visited can be seen in this photo www.flickr.com/photos/66202473@N04/48967341791/in/photoli...
Dates etc:
1871 - opened.
July 1885 - New frame - S&F 5" Spring Catch Rocker.
30 June 1963 - Tuxford Junction box closed, 2 sidings converted to running lines to extend the chord line from LD&EC to a new junction, as per my drawing.
3 February 1968 Dukeries Junction box closed - Loops and sidings closed.
30 November 1969 - Chord from LD&EC closed.
2 May 1976 - Box closed - was destined to be a Gate Box under Doncaster resignalling scheme but the adjacent road bridge was completed just in time.
You might be interested to know that the route onto the LD&EC line was used by two fish trains from Hull, travelling to join the Great Central line at Kirkby South Junction. I know the first of these certainly ran between 1948 and 1959 with a Hull departure time of 1.10pm, heading for Swindon (and beyond). During the 1950s this train generally passed through Mansfield just after 4.0pm and was known by the locals as the "Four o'clock fish". There was an engine change at Doncaster and Bill Taylor tells me "Some Doncaster built Standards put in appearances on it and I saw 76104 and 73101 brand new while they were running in on the fish train. Other new Standards appeared, as also did engines newly repaired at Doncaster. Specifically B17s were seen, including 61635 "Milton" and 61638 "Melton Hall". The mainstay in the 1950s were B1s, notably 61127" That was a Doncaster allocated engine from new in 1947 until 1962. The train was a favourite with local schoolboys who would rush from their schools to various vantage points to observe the train passing through.
By late 1959 the train had been re-timed to leave Hull at 3.30pm and, in 1960, was given the reporting code 3V05. The destination was Plymouth. It's a train I saw many times at Kirkby-in-Ashfield, hauled by a Hull Dairycoates EE Type 3 diesel (later known as Class 37). Researching that train has been most fascinating because, unlike the other Cross Country fish trains which used the Great Central, it didn't take the Banbury line at Culworth Junction - it carried on to Calvert. At this point it was steam hauled, the EE Type 3 being replaced at Leicester Central, generally by a BR Standard. At Calvert the train was propelled onto the ex LNWR line at Claydon L&NE Junction. The loco would be replaced with a "Hall" to be taken forwards to Marston Sidings (just east of Swindon) where it would meet other fish trains and be re-marshalled prior to continuing onto Plymouth. I've not been able to find out why the train took that route. I have a theory that it might have been to keep up the GC crew's route knowledge but I don't know - anyone got suggestions? Certainly it was operated that way from September 1960 until at least September 1964.
I never saw the 2nd fish train from Hull - that was the 6.45pm departure which, by 1960, combined at Mansfield Concentration Sidings with the 6.25pm departure from Grimsby, going forwards as train 587, later 3M02 to Banbury. Fish traffic on the GC finished February 1965.
If you want to see a lot more detail/photos/etc relating to the 1st Hull fish train please take a look at my flickr Album here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51133010658/in/album-...
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52561102014/in/album-...
In June 1968 I took 2 photos of 4472 "Flying Scotsman" heading south:
1) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52560806891/in/album-...
2) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52560806981/in/album-...
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51681788775/in/photos...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51733231274/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 474719 (Easting) 371424 (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...