Metropolitan Railway 1933 Signalling

Thanks for these- very much appreciated! One little thing- on your shot showing the Harrow station area and east end approaches part of the plan is obscured by what looks like a fold-down flap. Would it be possible to re take this shot with the flap folded down please?

Finally does the book only contain the 'main line' or are the Uxbridge and Watford branches included and the Hammersmith and City?

EDIT: Just looked at the scan of the cover in the first shot which says it is 'Harrow to Great Missenden.' Do you have equivalent books for other sections of the Met (as your 'to do' list suggests?)

Thanks again!

Thanks, this is great stuff!

Thank-you very much! Exceptionally interesting - something odd seems to happening with the Preston Road sheet: is that how the document folds?

Below Neasden there seems to be more than a passing similarity with the style of drawings used by the Interboro' - there are obviously several generations of symbols in use, eg. at West Hampstead and Kilburn where the normally clear UQ auto signals have been drawn over with 3-aspect colour lights.

Out of interest, what are the half black/half white symbols - are they short-range outdoor signals? Looking at Finchley Road - Swiss Cottage, there seems to be a change into what was the 'standard' symbols for tunnel signals (RS16, RS14/S16 for example); with the symbols for C16, C18/RC17 being the same, but half-shaded.

*penny drops* - Is the half-shading semi-automatic? Obviously the 'S' signals are autos, but the half-shading is also present on the normally 'ON' semaphores C2/RC3 and C17/RS 68.
I wonder if any of these signals could be 'fleeted'?

Other interesting snippets are the emergency crossover on the Stanmore branch, during CTC days: I've a vague memory of seeing a mention about that somewhere (*not* on Gunnar's site); the siding to the substation on the same page, and also the pointed-end auto semaphore A79 on the down fast south of Wembley Park. That in itself is quite unusual, as I can't immediately remember any use of those on the UndergrounD apart from the E&SB.

Fascinating!

Nice to see something from Morkill's era, rather than Dell. (runs away very quickly!)

Excellent to see these old diagrams - many thanks for making them available.

I've noticed a ground frame and short stub between Northwood and Pinner (image 17). Does anyone know what this was for? Might it have been a siding used in the construction of Northwood Hills, which would have been in progress in 1933?

The drawing has a new section pasted in between Preston Road and Neasden. It looks to me as though the Wembley Park area has been modified for the addition of the Stanmore Line. If you look at the Baker Street section you will see that the drawing was originally produced in 1923 and has a list of dates showing it had been altered 7 times since then.

The signals with shading (both colourlight and semaphore) are classed as semi-automatic. I think this means they are returned to danger automatically. For a signal to be capable of auto working then an 'A' light would be provided.

The drawing obviously shows a partial transition from semaphore to colourlight. Looking carefully at the original I can see where the symbols have been changed over time.

You have referred to 'Gunnars' site. Do you have a link for this please?

There will be a delay in scanning the remainder of the books as my scanner has just packed up

Oh well off to Staples/PC world then................

Thanks for that. I had forgotten about the link in the other place

As I was unable to attend the Xmas meet at the (very) last minute (having to remain on-call for an overrunning project) I have taken the time to post the next installment showing South Kensington to Aldgate:

cbhistoricphotos.fpic.co.uk/c1791258.html

Enjoy

TVM. I know I've mentioned this in the other place - but I find the bell catenary fascinating - different lengths and positioning on every platform. I'm sure there is a non-building-related story behind the positions.

Ooo! And you can see which TCs were going to be used at Edgware Road for the connection from Willesden Green (or whereever)

Yes - unfortunately I'm snowed under with accessioning recent TTNs into the database-of-much-confusion to check in detail; but the general principle is that of train length, train origin(look at Aldersgate - where the outer rail catenary is much longer than the inner rail: this would cater for through trains, reversing moves over 32 crossover and moves out of the sidings) and train make-up where there would be a 'serving suggestion' for the guards' likely location.

Although this isn't 1933 - the detail here comes from 1925 and 1930, and covers the Uxbridge branch.

I've made an executive decision to put it in this thread, so all the Met. signalling of a similar vintage is in one place.

to AI for the use of her FTP.

Right then, these are all extracts from Traffic Notices, covering the Rayners - Uxbridge section - as they are UERL notices the information isn't quite as detailed as it would be if they were Met. notices, but there is still plenty of gen. (TN XX/XX are the links) Abolition of block working and three-aspect signalling.

• Rayners Lane 1925:
  • TN 45/25 Alterations at Rayners Lane, 14th October 1925
    
  • TN 47/25 Diagram of Rayners Lane, 31st October 1925
  
  
• Uxbridge - Ruislip 1930:
  • TN 30/30 Alterations Uxbridge - Ruislip WEF 19th July 1930
    
  • TN 30/30 Diagram Uxbridge - Ruislip, 26th July 1930
  
  
• Ruislip - Eastcote (Rayners Lane) 1930:
  • TN 35/30 Alterations Ruislip - Eastcote, WEF 23rd August 1930
    
  • TN 35/30 Diagram Ruislip - Eastcote 30th August 1930

Note the use of this marker light - I'm pretty sure that this was the first surface use of a marker light by UERL trains [1] note too that the light is in the + formation, rather than the x favoured on the Northern and Central new works extensions of some 10 - 20 years later.

[1] the first underground marker light is a subject for another thread! (and I need to try and find where I put that bit of information).

Oops - when I cut and pasted this text I didn't lift the edited version of the marker light......

Note also the use of this marker light [size2]instead of a yellow as U 13 was yellow over red over marker light [/size][/i]I'm pretty sure that this was the first surface use of a marker light by UERL trains [1]......

The marker light was installed on U 13 - the exit signal from Ruislip Goods Yard; rather than the fog lights: which were two-and-a-half aspect. I'm not sure exactly what the aspects comprised, but I'm guessing that they were green over yellow with a FOG on a third white fresnel: the 'FOG' being the half-aspect as a reminder to the Motorman. Ruislip branch repeaters were on a gallows bracket or suspended from the canopy.



Looking at my original copy and winding up the looking glass: the answer seems to be that three aspect main signals have a double line in the red, as do red aspect associated with the reduced size yellows bracketed off the side. Shunt signals on their own (W14/23, W27, W18/5, W1, W4 at Uxbridge and V2 at Hillingdon) do all have the double line; yet in the second diagram from TN 35/30 follows a different convention: U11 (Ruislip) and T6 (Eastcote) only have a single line.

Some of the questions might be answered if a copy of the Met. signalling notices could be found - I shall see what else I can find.

Of interest, and not explicitly enumerated in the Traffic Notices is that signals T4 (Eastcote) and V3 (Hillingdon) have the marker light; the virtually identical symbol for a fog repeater has the vertical and horizontal bars running out and touching the circumference, together with a black dot in the centre of the circle.

I shall have a look in my 1933 copy of the Met. Rule book (and more particularly the supplements at the back) to see if there are any snippets of information therein.

There is also a few drawings/mentions in the Winters and Lancaster book about the Uxbridge installation.

The fog repeater arrangement and other details of the aspect colours/route indications etc. are also shown in the document linked in my previous post above.

Did you spot the words about the route indicator at Uxbridge (It showed G for the yard and 1 or 2 for the platforms with a main yellow aspect for all moves). I assume that when routed to the goods yard that the road had to be set to what looks like a reception road at the back of the platform only

Notice also that the existing retained ground discs showed a yellow light for off

The fog repeaters etc. are described in another document published by MRFS and found here:

www.256.eclipse.co.uk/tube/DSCF5137%20copy%20.jpg