Upper Portland Sidings Signal Box Track Diagram
I first visited this box on 5 October 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-...
The only time I ever broke a signal wire was during one of my visits to this box. The signal was no. 4, the Down Distant. I knew that it could be a bit of a heavy pull so, to get the extra leverage, I put my right foot onto the frame cover. Well, the lever came across all right and the indicator went to "Off", then quickly dropped back to "Wrong" I said to the Signalman "This doesn't seem right". He looked and then tried pushing the lever. "Ah, you've broke the wire bod" (Those people who knew the box will immediately recognise the Signalman! - he called everyone "bod").
I suppose I was lucky because I've heard that some nasty bruises (and worse if there was a hot stove behind) could occur after the wire broke because the counterweights would throw the lever towards you with tremendous force. The wire must have broke just as I was on the final part of the pull.
It turns out that particular wire run could get clogged with slurry from the pit waste. Anyway, that was the end of my visit that day because the Signalman was on the phone to call out the S&T - I didn't want to be there when they turned up!
A striking feature of this box were the crossing gates. There were only 2 gates and they were long! As you wound the huge gate wheel one gate would move to its new position before the other one started.
I remember the sequence for the operation after a train had passed - the gate alongside the up line was hinged at the "Pinxton end post" and would move towards the post nearest signal no.5. Then the other gate, hinged at the "Bentinck Colly Sdgs end post" would move across to the post nearest the box.
Dates:
1 November 1875 - A box was already in existence here - it may have been named "Upper Portland Junction" at this time. The renaming to "Sidings" is not known but was before 1897.
A diagram showing the 1897 layout is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52574198902/in/album-...
19 March 1905 - Replacement box - this one - 20 lever MR 6" tumbler frame.
xx November 1968 - All points except crossover removed.
xx May 1970 - Crossover removed.
24 October 1976 - Frame shortened from 20 to 12 levers. I don't know when the gates were converted to barriers, it may have been on this date.
3 February 1988 - Box closed - Automatic Half Barriers (supervised by Pinxton). A drawing of the layout at closure is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52575193963/in/album-...
The top of the box survives as "Holt" signal box on the North Norfolk Railway. The box is mentioned on page 32 of the Network Rail "Redundant Signal Box Strategy" www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NR_GN_CI...
and is seen on another web site here ukrailways1970tilltoday.me.uk/NNR_Holt_signal_box.html
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573456879/in/album-...
There are 3 more of my photos:
1) A colour shot of RDB977020 BRE-Leyland Railbus (LEV3) as it approaches the box, heading towards Pye Bridge in 1982 www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573184231/in/album-...
2) RDB977020 BRE-Leyland Railbus (LEV3) passing the box, heading towards Pye Bridge in 1982 www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573634055/in/album-...
It's interesting to compare that view of the box to the view I took at Holt in 2014:
3) Holt station www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573456824/in/album-...
There are photos courtesy of the Peter Churchman Collection, part of the excellent "Tillyweb" website. tillyweb.biz/index.htm The photos can be seen here:
1) tillyweb.biz/pmc/upperportlandsdgs1981pmc1.jpg
2) tillyweb.biz/pmc/upperportlandsdgs1974pmc1.jpg
Additional links about this box can be seen here
signalbox.org/photo-gallery/midland-railway/upper-portlan...
www.signalboxes.com/upper-portland.php
2) A YouTube video of stills "Rest Day Worked: Sleights East to Sutton Junction in the 80s and 90s" by madmax200769. The box features at 8:22 to 10:50 www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=eggJOwrkLOo
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51695016088/in/datepo...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51693948442/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 448314 (Easting) 354531 (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...
Upper Portland Sidings Signal Box Track Diagram
I first visited this box on 5 October 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-...
The only time I ever broke a signal wire was during one of my visits to this box. The signal was no. 4, the Down Distant. I knew that it could be a bit of a heavy pull so, to get the extra leverage, I put my right foot onto the frame cover. Well, the lever came across all right and the indicator went to "Off", then quickly dropped back to "Wrong" I said to the Signalman "This doesn't seem right". He looked and then tried pushing the lever. "Ah, you've broke the wire bod" (Those people who knew the box will immediately recognise the Signalman! - he called everyone "bod").
I suppose I was lucky because I've heard that some nasty bruises (and worse if there was a hot stove behind) could occur after the wire broke because the counterweights would throw the lever towards you with tremendous force. The wire must have broke just as I was on the final part of the pull.
It turns out that particular wire run could get clogged with slurry from the pit waste. Anyway, that was the end of my visit that day because the Signalman was on the phone to call out the S&T - I didn't want to be there when they turned up!
A striking feature of this box were the crossing gates. There were only 2 gates and they were long! As you wound the huge gate wheel one gate would move to its new position before the other one started.
I remember the sequence for the operation after a train had passed - the gate alongside the up line was hinged at the "Pinxton end post" and would move towards the post nearest signal no.5. Then the other gate, hinged at the "Bentinck Colly Sdgs end post" would move across to the post nearest the box.
Dates:
1 November 1875 - A box was already in existence here - it may have been named "Upper Portland Junction" at this time. The renaming to "Sidings" is not known but was before 1897.
A diagram showing the 1897 layout is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52574198902/in/album-...
19 March 1905 - Replacement box - this one - 20 lever MR 6" tumbler frame.
xx November 1968 - All points except crossover removed.
xx May 1970 - Crossover removed.
24 October 1976 - Frame shortened from 20 to 12 levers. I don't know when the gates were converted to barriers, it may have been on this date.
3 February 1988 - Box closed - Automatic Half Barriers (supervised by Pinxton). A drawing of the layout at closure is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52575193963/in/album-...
The top of the box survives as "Holt" signal box on the North Norfolk Railway. The box is mentioned on page 32 of the Network Rail "Redundant Signal Box Strategy" www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NR_GN_CI...
and is seen on another web site here ukrailways1970tilltoday.me.uk/NNR_Holt_signal_box.html
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573456879/in/album-...
There are 3 more of my photos:
1) A colour shot of RDB977020 BRE-Leyland Railbus (LEV3) as it approaches the box, heading towards Pye Bridge in 1982 www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573184231/in/album-...
2) RDB977020 BRE-Leyland Railbus (LEV3) passing the box, heading towards Pye Bridge in 1982 www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573634055/in/album-...
It's interesting to compare that view of the box to the view I took at Holt in 2014:
3) Holt station www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52573456824/in/album-...
There are photos courtesy of the Peter Churchman Collection, part of the excellent "Tillyweb" website. tillyweb.biz/index.htm The photos can be seen here:
1) tillyweb.biz/pmc/upperportlandsdgs1981pmc1.jpg
2) tillyweb.biz/pmc/upperportlandsdgs1974pmc1.jpg
Additional links about this box can be seen here
signalbox.org/photo-gallery/midland-railway/upper-portlan...
www.signalboxes.com/upper-portland.php
2) A YouTube video of stills "Rest Day Worked: Sleights East to Sutton Junction in the 80s and 90s" by madmax200769. The box features at 8:22 to 10:50 www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=eggJOwrkLOo
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51695016088/in/datepo...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51693948442/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 448314 (Easting) 354531 (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...