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Traditional Signalling A Brief Design History by Michael A. Vanns Soft Cover
Traditional Signalling A Brief Design History by Michael A. Vanns
Soft cover
Copyright Michael A. Vanns 2001
128 pages
Contents
Foreword 4
Introduction 5
1. The London, Midland & Scottish Railway 10
2. The London & North Eastern Railway 47
3. The Southern Railway 95
4. The Great Western Railway 116
Foreword
This book is an excursion around the huge variety of equipment that was developed to control the movement of trains throughout England, Scotland and Wales in the age of the steam-hauled train. The subject matter is considered predominantly from a design perspective, not a procedural one. It is a broad yet focused view, looking at signalboxes, signals and lever frames, electrical telegraph and block instruments. Inevitably, in a book of this sort, it is impossible to consider every aspect of signalling. There have to be limits and this author interprets 'traditional' signalling to be what was typical and representative of the period roughly extending from 1830 to 1960 when individual signalboxes controlled a layout that a signalman could see from his windows, and when the block telegraph provided the communication between signalboxes.
In many ways this work is a companion to my two previous general signalling books - abc Signalling in the Age of Steam, Ian Allan Publishing, 1995 and An Illustrated History of Signalling, Ian Allan Publishing, 1997. The former looked at the components of traditional signalling and put them into the context of procedures. An Illustrated History examined developments and the evolution of equipment in chronological order. This current work takes yet another view, focusing on each post-Grouping company in individual chapters and examining various aspects of the company's signalling and that of most of its constituent companies. (Some smaller pre-Grouping companies have had to be omitted due to lack of space.) The advantage of this approach is that it acts as a handy one-volume reference for enthusiasts, particularly when specialist company signalling histories do not exist. Where those detailed works are available, this book is a useful introduction to the subject. The disadvantage is the inevitable repetition of
information because, contrary to what might be assumed, the signalling of pre- and post-Grouping companies had much in common.
The signalboxes, signalling equipment and procedures of every company seem, at first sight, to have been as individual and different as their locomotives and rolling stock. But very few pre-Grouping railway companies were completely self-sufficient when it came to designing, manufacturing and installing their own signalling hardware. Signalling contractors prospered during the Victorian era because they had so many British customers. Not only did they supply their own designs of signalboxes, lever frames, signals, point rodding, cranks, pulleys, level crossing gates, etc to railway companies, they also manufactured, and often installed, a range of products designed by their clients. In addition, they manufactured and installed equipment designed by rival signalling contractors if a particular railway wanted a 'standard' product. Stevens & Sons' tappet lever frame, for example, was manufactured at one time or another by Saxby & Farmer, McKenzie & Holland, The Railway Signal Co, Dutton & Co, Evans O'Donnell and Tyer & Co.
Once again I am grateful to all those signalling enthusiasts who have published their research, from which I have extracted most of the information for this work. It was also good to be given the opportunity by Ian Allan Publishing to produce a book with a selection of colour photographs. Unlike any other branch of railway operation, colour remains vitally important for the interpretation of signalling equipment. The colour of locomotive controls really made little difference to the work of footplate crews, but the difference between a red lever and a black one to a signalman was a matter of some importance.
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