Victoria Line 1st generation signalling

*sharp intake of breath*

[Dramatic pause]


Ooooooooo. Why the red identification plates?

I've often wondered why they used non-standard colours for the signal plates. Perhaps just to emphasis how new and inovative the line was upon opening. I noticed that the old 'count down' plates on the sleepers (numbered 7 to 1), which indicated how many cars remained in the platform (the '8' was the normal station stopping mark) upon departure or an overrun have been removed and been replaced by standard 'count up' markers attached to the tunnel walls (numbered 1 to 8), which show how many cars are beyond the platform (i.e. the same principle but working the other way around). Interesting that the cable bracket ends are still painted red in areas controlled by IMRs and can still be discerned all these years later. No sign of any secret door leading to Buckingham Palace I should add though!

Without letting out too many secrets, it is of course because I have a contact in the right department that some of those 'nocturnal' views of train movements have been possible.

As regards track access in Engineering Hours (EH), the procedure has been simplified (for a change!) in recent years. A member of LU operating staff once had to be qualified as a Protection Master (EH) or accompanied by one, and my 'ticket' expired years ago, thus my previous track walk was in 1996.

The new arrangements do not require this anymore. I also ensured the Victoria Line effort was classed as a 'spare/development' day and I booked on at work first, so I was officially on-duty during it.

Finally I do sleep, but nearly always work late turn during the week. So if I get home at 05:00 or thereabouts, I can still then go to bed until 12:00 at the latest!(In fact I usually find I'd rather edit/review/post the night's photos instead!)

Anyway, too much information...

Red for controlled area signals of course! Also note that to aid in identification of a Vic line controlled area the cable brackets are painted red as well.

Most of the vic line is still cabled in asbestos braided concentric. The new co-acting signals use standard 1pr concentrics I believe.

Sorry Ben, pr=pair

The standard sizes of concentric cable being 1pr, 3pr, 7pr, 19 pr and 38 pr on the Vic AFAIR.

www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/5555918642/in/photostream/

That was signal VF 22 for a while, wasn't it?

I think so - if I were not busy drawing something (coincidentally in light blue) I'd dig out the perils and look - if I get beyond the gas works IYSWIM in a bit I'll have a look.

It would appear not. Supp to TC 5/69 which is the opening to Victoria has it as HP 1022 from opening.

Something odd did happen at Victoria, and I'm blowed if I can find it at the moment; but the general idea seems to be that there were two extra signals planned for: VF 22 and VF 1^B - probably at some point between 1965 and 1967. These signals were never installed as signals, but as headway posts from the start being 1000 + signal number for the NB and 2000 + signal number for the SB - thats why you've got headway posts 1022 and 2001^B at Victoria.

Further evidence for this comes from white peril 42/68 (a very rare beast) where due to alterations at Highbury certain formerly controlled signals became automatics - VL 7 became A1007, VJ 2 becomes A1002 and VK 12 becomes A1012.

Therefore we have at least three separate series of numbering on the Vic - and can be subdivided further

• controlled signals prefixed by location code V[letter] frame number
  
• Automatic signals starting at A475 (Walthamstow) to A373 (Brixton); this includes all original (from inception) headway posts.
  
• signals or headway posts that changed their status - either in actuality (had already been installed) or theoretical - (were never installed) this series has numbers starting 1000 for the NB and 2000 for the SB.

Of this the third item is of interest to this question -

NB headway posts or autos:

2001^B, A1001 (breaks the rules - there has to be one!), 2010, A2002, A1002 (another rule breaker)

SB headway posts or autos:

1022, 1011, 1010^A, 1010^B, A1012, 1005, A1007


Now, of these alterations, we know that in the early days quite a bit of the installation wiring was on prefabricated looms - making sense to keep some form of continuity of labelling. We also know that in the Seven Sisters area at least the head way posts were originally going to be numbered Anumbernumbernumber. Here, perhaps there is a two part 'Rosetta Stone' to the enigma:

[1]In March 1967 headway post VL 2 was renamed A 455 (the A's were removed later)

[2] I've got a note concerning VJ 10^A and VJ 10^B (now 1010^A and 1010^B) from January 1967: 'Headway posts replacing signals as per CSE's instructions'

January 1967 eh? perhaps a shade early for the entire IMRs to be in the fabrication stages (at least with the wiring looms being put in) - certainly sounds like second thoughts no, redesign after construction or approval of all the signalling circuits.

In the absence of any other hard evidence, that's my theory!

When I began my LT career at Whitechapel New works in 1977 I was among many veterans of the Victoria line signal installation work. In fact most of those I worked with had actually been taken on when work on the Vic began. They told me that from the very beginning the signalling was wired and rewired repeatedly and at some sites whole relay rooms were rewired from scratch before the line ever opened. Of course I don't know myself, as it was more than 10 years before my time but they all talked of copious amounts of red, green and blue inks!

Managed to get some decent views of the rare Victoria Line automatic signals last night, including:

www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/5657537170/in/photostream

Also, one of the disused GN&CR tunnels at Finsbury Park.

www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/5656928377/in/photostream