Washington South Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 5 August 1966. I visited 5 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51603033999/in/album-...
Dates (as always these dates are as correct as I can establish):
Don't know the date when the box was provided - possibly 1887? It had a Stevens 53 lever frame. The Leamside line to Penshaw North had been progressively opened from 1838. A drawing of the 1887 layout is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614952123/in/album-...
and a list of the lever descriptions is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614403899/in/album-...
A sketch of the lines in the area is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612363744/in/album-...
In 1939 the Stevens lever frame was replaced, still with 53 levers.
A drawing of the 1956 layout is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521415/in/album-...
12 November 1965 - Washington Station box burnt down so control of that section of line passed to this box. At that time Washington South was very tight for space at the ends of the 53 lever frame. So 4 switches were added (I seem to recall that at least some of them resembled little more than light switches). A Station Ground Frame was installed. On my diagram that is shown in its first position within the station buildings. Later on the station buildings were demolished and the GF was moved to the other side of the tracks. A photo of the GF in its 2nd position is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521350/in/album-...
Also on my diagram you can see the four push/pull levers nos 17, 22, 23 and 46, again provided because of the lack of frame space. Push/Pull levers stood in the centre position in the frame and were either pushed or pulled!
4 December 1966 - The route to South Pelaw (via Stella Gill on my diagram) closed - but I don't know what was retained at the Washington South end for train reversal and shunting purposes - there may have been no changes to the layout with tracks just ending at Biddick Lane?
6 October 1972 - Tyne Dock line (via Chemical Works) route closed - stub of route retained for train reversal purposes. A diagram showing the layout, which also includes preparation for the South Pelaw line to re-open, is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586853/in/album-...
In 1972 the box was renamed to be "Washington" (There were no other boxes left in the area).
14 October 1973 - South Pelaw route re-opened with no intermediate boxes (Biddick Lane reopened as a released Gate Box). Ore trains came from Redcar (via Penshaw into the Chemical Sidings to reverse and then take the Stella Gill route going via South Pelaw to Consett.
Also going to Consett were the hot metal trains. An article about those trains is here southpelawjunction.co.uk/wp/?page_id=1511
The hot metal trains were classed as Out-of-Gauge and the relevant bell codes and instructions can be seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614403894/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614403859/in/album-...
A page from the Train Register Book for 23 June 1976 shows the Out-of-Gauge bell signalling, along with other interesting workings (3-2-5, Freightliner and 5 bells for the Ore trains hauled by a pair of Class 37s) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614631483/in/album-...
31 October 1978 - Victoria Bridge singled (because of the weight of 2 trains on the bridge) - Acceptance lever working to/from Penshaw North (TCB).
A diagram showing the layout at that date is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521400/in/album-...
The lever descriptions are here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612101311/in/album-...
The Instructions for working are here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586743/in/album-...
and three photos of the lever frame are here:
1) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586763/in/album-...
2) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596162/in/album-...
3) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596157/in/album-...
29 September 1980 - South Pelaw route closed again. (May have been the 22nd???).
A photo of the 1980 diagram which shows what was left is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596227/in/album-...
14 October 1981 - South Pelaw route reopened for one day for diverted freight trains due to a derailment at Ouston.
24 April 1982 - Box closed - Resignalled with colour lights, points and signals worked from new IFS panel in Usworth box.
18 May 1991 - Line closed (mothballed for a while).
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586978/in/album-...
Other photos:
1) 1960 view from 48 signal www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596147/in/album-...
2) 1965 "East Durham Ltd" brake van tour hauled by 90445 www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614248846/in/album-...
3) Post November 1965 photo of DMU www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586718/in/album-...
4) 1972 view www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596267/in/album-...
5) My 1980 photo of the box from "The Tyne-Tees Ltd" Railtour www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521635/in/album-...
6) My 1980 photo of 37114 running round "The Tyne-Tees Ltd" www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612101441/in/album-...
7) 1980 view of the box and the reversing loop lines www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612101176/in/album-...
During preparations for this Signal Box Track Diagram entry I found a lot of other photos on flickr which are worthy of viewing.
To include all the links within this Track Diagram text would be a bit unwieldy so I've created an additional album - you can click and view at your leisure.
The Album is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612426219/in/album-...
There are two Disused Station articles which may be of interest:
Washington Station 1st site - disused-stations.org.uk/w/washington_first/index.shtml
Washington Station 2nd site - disused-stations.org.uk/w/washington_second/index.shtml
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52185936929/in/datepo...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51694743596/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 431684 (Easting) 555241 (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...
Washington South Signal Box Track Diagram
I visited this box on 5 August 1966. I visited 5 boxes that day, see my "boxes visited" log.
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51603033999/in/album-...
Dates (as always these dates are as correct as I can establish):
Don't know the date when the box was provided - possibly 1887? It had a Stevens 53 lever frame. The Leamside line to Penshaw North had been progressively opened from 1838. A drawing of the 1887 layout is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614952123/in/album-...
and a list of the lever descriptions is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614403899/in/album-...
A sketch of the lines in the area is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612363744/in/album-...
In 1939 the Stevens lever frame was replaced, still with 53 levers.
A drawing of the 1956 layout is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521415/in/album-...
12 November 1965 - Washington Station box burnt down so control of that section of line passed to this box. At that time Washington South was very tight for space at the ends of the 53 lever frame. So 4 switches were added (I seem to recall that at least some of them resembled little more than light switches). A Station Ground Frame was installed. On my diagram that is shown in its first position within the station buildings. Later on the station buildings were demolished and the GF was moved to the other side of the tracks. A photo of the GF in its 2nd position is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521350/in/album-...
Also on my diagram you can see the four push/pull levers nos 17, 22, 23 and 46, again provided because of the lack of frame space. Push/Pull levers stood in the centre position in the frame and were either pushed or pulled!
4 December 1966 - The route to South Pelaw (via Stella Gill on my diagram) closed - but I don't know what was retained at the Washington South end for train reversal and shunting purposes - there may have been no changes to the layout with tracks just ending at Biddick Lane?
6 October 1972 - Tyne Dock line (via Chemical Works) route closed - stub of route retained for train reversal purposes. A diagram showing the layout, which also includes preparation for the South Pelaw line to re-open, is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586853/in/album-...
In 1972 the box was renamed to be "Washington" (There were no other boxes left in the area).
14 October 1973 - South Pelaw route re-opened with no intermediate boxes (Biddick Lane reopened as a released Gate Box). Ore trains came from Redcar (via Penshaw into the Chemical Sidings to reverse and then take the Stella Gill route going via South Pelaw to Consett.
Also going to Consett were the hot metal trains. An article about those trains is here southpelawjunction.co.uk/wp/?page_id=1511
The hot metal trains were classed as Out-of-Gauge and the relevant bell codes and instructions can be seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614403894/in/album-...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614403859/in/album-...
A page from the Train Register Book for 23 June 1976 shows the Out-of-Gauge bell signalling, along with other interesting workings (3-2-5, Freightliner and 5 bells for the Ore trains hauled by a pair of Class 37s) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614631483/in/album-...
31 October 1978 - Victoria Bridge singled (because of the weight of 2 trains on the bridge) - Acceptance lever working to/from Penshaw North (TCB).
A diagram showing the layout at that date is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521400/in/album-...
The lever descriptions are here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612101311/in/album-...
The Instructions for working are here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586743/in/album-...
and three photos of the lever frame are here:
1) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586763/in/album-...
2) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596162/in/album-...
3) www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596157/in/album-...
29 September 1980 - South Pelaw route closed again. (May have been the 22nd???).
A photo of the 1980 diagram which shows what was left is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596227/in/album-...
14 October 1981 - South Pelaw route reopened for one day for diverted freight trains due to a derailment at Ouston.
24 April 1982 - Box closed - Resignalled with colour lights, points and signals worked from new IFS panel in Usworth box.
18 May 1991 - Line closed (mothballed for a while).
My external photo of the box is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586978/in/album-...
Other photos:
1) 1960 view from 48 signal www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596147/in/album-...
2) 1965 "East Durham Ltd" brake van tour hauled by 90445 www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52614248846/in/album-...
3) Post November 1965 photo of DMU www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612586718/in/album-...
4) 1972 view www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52611596267/in/album-...
5) My 1980 photo of the box from "The Tyne-Tees Ltd" Railtour www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612521635/in/album-...
6) My 1980 photo of 37114 running round "The Tyne-Tees Ltd" www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612101441/in/album-...
7) 1980 view of the box and the reversing loop lines www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612101176/in/album-...
During preparations for this Signal Box Track Diagram entry I found a lot of other photos on flickr which are worthy of viewing.
To include all the links within this Track Diagram text would be a bit unwieldy so I've created an additional album - you can click and view at your leisure.
The Album is here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52612426219/in/album-...
There are two Disused Station articles which may be of interest:
Washington Station 1st site - disused-stations.org.uk/w/washington_first/index.shtml
Washington Station 2nd site - disused-stations.org.uk/w/washington_second/index.shtml
The Sectional Appendix pages are here
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52185936929/in/datepo...
www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/51694743596/in/photos...
The quite accurate location of the box was 431684 (Easting) 555241 (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...