Post by Harsig on Oct 11, 2006 20:45:06 GMT
barney said:
I would like to ask Pat or Tom if they know where the oldest signals are still operating on LUL? I know the signals from Saint Marys to Bow Road date from the 1920's in layout and operation having been re cabled a couple of times in the interim. That was told me by an old lineman at Whitechapel donkeys years ago. Similarly the signalling on the ELL is equally old but has been modified in the years between. I should think the south end of the Northern line is also ancient as there are still 'S' signals down there. But aside from those locations where are the oldest?By 'oldest' I mean the positioning of the signals and the type of signal head. The old lineman told me that some actually have a date stamped on them but I don't know if that is correct
I don't have any sort of definitive answer to this. There are so many signals around that have survived for a very long time. I believe that there are some in the Golders Green area that date from the opening of the line from there to Edgware. As one of my former colleagues once said, the difference between BR and LT when it comes to resignalling is that BR replaces everything while LT will reuse signals if they are located in the right place, are in reasonable condition and easily lend themselves to being adapted to their new role.
As an example of the many survivors it might be interesting to relate the history of the signal that has the honour to be the LUL signal located closest to my house.
It was installed new by the Metropolitan Railway as a three aspect colour light signal, numbered A80, ready for the start of traffic Sunday 20th July 1930.
In 1948 the line was resignalled and the signal head was reused in its original position but converted to a two aspect signal, number A739, by blanking off the lower aspect. This work was done ready for start of traffic Sunday 12th December 1948.
Owing to the commissioning of Ruislip Siding IMR, A739 was renumbered to MUX741 from start of traffic Sunday 28th September 1975.
Sunday 15th May 1994 the signalling in the area was renewed for a second time and once again the signal head survived this time acquiring the new number MUX743. Interestingly the traffic circular notes that it was renumbered from MUX753 so it appears that there might have been another change of number between 1975 and 1994. Also of course the signal became controlled for the first time in its history as the signal operator at Rayners Lane was provided with the facility to maintain the signal at danger should he choose to do so.
This is the history of just one old signal but there must be countless others about the system, many of which will be older than this 76 year old survivor.
