Edgware Road crossover

Page 39 of Jimbo's fascinating doc says that Edgware Road (Bakerloo) signal cabin had 11 levers (2p,5s,4c) – does that mean 2 point levers, 5 shunt signals, 4 colour light signals?



Guessing that means the signaller could not allow a northbound train to depart, or a southbound one to arrive if the crossover was active.

I don't know much about this, but I'm wondering if it was a trailing crossover?

If facing crossover: doesn't make sense to me - there wouldn't be a reason to hold a northbound train in the platform. The following train would be routed into the southbound platform.

If trailing crossover: prevents signaller clearing the northbound starter while the crossover is active – makes sense as that train would be intended to be sent south using the crossover. May also prevent following southbound train proceeding into the crossover

I presume that when the Bakerloo service first started between current Lambeth North and Baker Street, trains continued empty to reverse at current Marylebone station until that opened to the public a year later.. Edgware Road station opened only three months on, so it seems odd that the cost of constructing facilities was undertaken at both. But perhaps this matched the same at the other end of the line at now Lambeth North and also Elephant, the former with a single crossover whilst the final terminus has a scissors crossover. The line beyond to Paddington did not open for another six years, and beyond that a year later.

The original post seems certain that current Marylebone had a trailing crossover, as did Lambeth North. Mike Horne's table shows Marylebone had 1 point lever, 5 signal levers and 1 control lever. So the trailing crossover was worked by one point lever, the signals being home and starter on each road, and a wrong road starting signal. Perhaps the control lever permitted automatic working when the box was locked out of use? Else, a locking lever on the crossover.

So how do we explain that Edgware Road had 2 point levers, 5 signal levers and 4 control levers? Well, 2 point levers suggest a scissors crossover to match provision at the south end of the line. The same number of signal levers suggests that the northbound home signal cleared according to the crossover setting. The number of control levers is a mystery to me.

The provision of signals at the Paddington end of the station, which would have been overrun tunnels at that time, appears to be rather odd. They seem prepared for onward extension of the line, which didn't happen for six years. If the southbound home signal allowed a stabled train back from the overrun tunnel, there is no such provision for the northbound overrun tunnel, although the northbound starter could have permitted a train to enter it!

Thanks Harsig for the diagrams can I ask the source of them, I did use to volunteer at the LT museum depot sorting out Signal plans but don’t remember finding ones for GC and ER cabins.