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Southern Signals
Semaphore Signals
| Some bracket signals. |
| The fine array of bracket signals that used to grace Lewes
station. Note the elegant finials adorning each signal.
photograph courtesy of Glen Woods |
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Left: The reverse of the Lewes Distants seen on the first page,
clearly showing the black fish-tail stripe.
photographs by Glen Woods Right: Another fine example from Lewes which is a little unusual for the Southern in having tubular metal dolls. The two arms on the left are of equal status whereas that on the right is the primary route. This main doll also has a shunt signal mounted beneath the running arm. |
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| A fine bracket signal at Newhaven, now sadly long gone.
photograph by Glen Woods |
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A pair of brackets that do remain, photographed in the early morning light
at Hastings. Each arm is a starting signal from one of the platforms and has a
Westinghouse shunt dummy beneath. The white diamonds on the signalposts advise
a driver that the signal is exempt from Rule 55.
photograph by Paul Ferbrache |
| A fine mix of signals on a bracket at Hove. A semaphore running
signal, a semaphore shunt signal and a two aspect distant for an automatic C/L
signal ahead in the section to Portslade, photographed during May 1984.
photograph by Mark Westcott |
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An interesting bracket signal at Worthing. The Calling On arm on the left is off for, no doubt, the train from which the photograph was taken to enter an occupied road (Worthing Up Loop) and be joined to a unit (or two) waiting in the platform. This photograph was taken in September 1986; in earlier years there had been Distant arms where the Calling On arms are, with the Calling On arms lower down. The fixings for these lower arms can clearly be seen. The signal only had a short while to go before being replaced when the Worthing (named Worthing Central from 5th July 1936, Worthing "B" from 4th March 1968 and just plain Worthing from 30th December 1975) Signalbox was closed on 5th May 1988 and its functions then controlled from a panel in Lancing Signalbox.
photograph by Mark Westcott |
| 34095 paused for water in front of the gantry signals at
Basingstoke. The date is not certain but it is thought to be 1965. The engine
and gantry are long gone now!
photograph by Dick Morant |
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More long-gone signals on a long-gone line! Bracket signals
at Halwill Junction. Note that in each case the signal on the taller doll
refers to the route diverging to the left (when facing the signal) which was
the main line to Launceston, Wadebridge and Padstow. The lower signals refer to
the branch to Bude. Halwill was always busy with trains arriving, dividing,
shunting and joining as well as departing! There was frequently a light engine
here for shunting purposes and to provide a train engine when a down train
divided into two.
photograph by Alan Robinson |
| An interesting pair of signals that used to be at Sutton.
Note that whereas a Signalman or S&T engineer would have to climb to the
top and then down to the platform behind the signal arms, the wires to operate
the signals take the short route!
4-SubNº4117 is crossing from the main up platform to the Epsom platform. photograph by Mike Morant |
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A good view "behind the scenes", taken from Kings Lane bridge,
Sutton. The train below gives a good idea of how high the Signalman would have
to climb to fill his oil lamps. As a general rule these were good for a little
over a week providing the wicks were trimmed well. In later years, of course,
many signals were converted to electric lighting. Similarly, many wire operated
signals were converted to electric operation and the apparatus visible here at
the bottom of the main doll is the motor for operating one of the the signal
arms, probably the Distant (Caution) arm.
photograph by Mike Morant |
| This equal bracket signal once stood at Sandown, IoW. The
left arm is off for a departure from the bay platform towards Merstone and
Newport whilst the right arm is off for a departure from the up platform
towards Brading and Ryde. The bay platform also had access to a couple of
sidings in the 'Vee' of the junction, as well as the up line, though the
left arm was not used for this latter purpose. Movement from the bay towards
either the sidings or the up line was by means of the dummy shown below.
Without this arrangement a third arm, or a route indicator, would have been
required. The date of this photograph is uncertain, though it has to be before
1956 as that is when the line to Merstone closed.
photograph by Geoff Higgins |
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The equal bracket signal that once stood at Eridge signalling departures
from the Down Bay and Down main Line platforms. This, along with all the other
signals at the station, was removed when the line was reduced to single track.
photograph by Terry Heeley |
| A fine signal, believed to have been at Ashford, that has a route
indicator alongside. When the signal is pulled off then a letter or number
that illuminates in the round window tells the driver to which route the signal
applies. Using a route indicator kept the number of dolls and signal arms
required down to a minimum.
photograph by Mike Morant |
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A fine three-doll bracket signal that used to be at Waddon Marsh. The
centre doll carries a standard SR arm, 4 ft 4 1/2 ins from the end to the
line of the pivot pin, whilst the other two are shunt signals some 3 ft 7
3/8 ins from end to pivot pin. This signal consists a modern rail-built post
with older lattice dolls carrying the signals.
The buffer in the foreground is on one of the recently withdrawn locomotives from the nearby gas works. Looking towards Wimbledon, this photograph was taken in 1965. photograph by Mike Morant |
| This signal was photographed at Barnstaple Junction in 1970 and
was for trains approaching from Fremington. The higher arm (signalNº38)
controlled movements into the up platform whilst the ringed arm (º37)
controlled movements into the middle siding. What doesn't show in the
photograph is that the red aspect of signal 37 was very small. The lefthand
Westinghouse shunt signal is at the base of the signal whilst the righthand one
is on the far side of the main siding. Curving away in the background is the
line to Barnstaple Town. From 26th April 1971 the west connection to the
middle siding was removed and this signal was subsequently replaced by an
ex-GWR lower quadrant.
photograph by John Bradbeer |
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Two pairs of bracket signals on the long platform at Littlehampton.
photograph by Glen Woods |
Note that whereas the SR frequently used second hand bullhead rail forthe main posts, the majority of dolls continued to be lattice as otherwise the weight would have been too great. |
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This page was last updated 2 January 2011
