Black and blue levers were also used on mechanical signalling systems where the mechanism for changing the point also locked it, as can be found at Orton Mere on the Nene Valley Railway.
Train reporting numbers can be a minefield as each region used letters internally for locations on their own regiom and a neighbouring region would use them for their own internal destinations, along side the inter regional letters. What was worse in the early days the letter A could refer to trains to and from London. In some areas, like Teesside, the letter assigned to a freight train referred to the destination between Tees Yard and Skinningrove steel works independent of the route taken (prior to the 1960s there were 2 routes). These letters had to be displayed or removed when passing Tees signal box. M would normally indicate a train heading the the Midland region, but east of Tees signal box it meant a train heading for Cargo Fleet Inner Junction or the Eston branch. Theyvwere still in use into the 1980s but as the industry on Teesside reduced these headcodes were no longer needed and they used the letter indicating trip workings. The letters used were A, K, M, S, g, P, J and O. In the days before the alphanumeric headcodes lamps were used for tye same purpose the equivalent lamps to the letter M was centre and above left hand buffer. As for the numbers 00 was also used for certain classification of trains (mainly see on parcels trains) and for the following destination letters F, G, X or Z on the Eastern Region (and maybe on other regions well). Limit of shunt and the Barrowmore MRG have documents available for looking at for more details. If the headcodes starts 0 then the next letter indicates the region or district a light engine is travelling to and the last 2 numbers indicate the shed it is going to, for example 0N20 indicates a light engine movement to Gateshead depot. When the locomotive is heading from a depot to work a train the headcode starts with 0 but the rest of the headcodes is the train headcode do if the train headcode is 1A34 then the light engine to work thus train would be 0A34 (the empty coaching stock movement would have the headcode 5A34.
Yes head codes are a topic all on their own. I came across some of the white headcode disks in the office with numbers on them, after asking a few people what the numbers were for, and getting the "I don't know, why are you even asking" reply one of the older guys told me they were used on a project years ago to identify trains within a possession. Great idea but not in any of the rulebooks I have seen.
You can still find the pre-groupimg mile posts on some line. The NER used posts with points to indicate the quarter miles - one on top for 1/4 mile, 2 points (one in either side) for half mile and all 3 points (top and both sides) for 3/4 mile. Where the lines of different companies ran parallel to each other the lines would have their own mile markers with co many boundary markers. You can still see Midland Railway boundary markers on the ECML in Peterborough between the former MR tracks that go to Leicester and the former GNR tracks of the ECML. However, the ECML down slow is also the, IIRC, the former up line to Leicester. PS that was one of the more succinct definitions of of Up and Down I've heard in a long while.
Thank you, for your comments, it's certainly true that you learn something new everyday on the railway. I know of a couple of lines where the mileage goes through 0 but the up and down doesn't change, it does get a little confusing sometimes.
Good question, the distant (caution) signals apply to both the home & section signal (the stop signals). You can only clear 1 & 5 if both associated stop signals are in the off position (clear / go). If the section signal is on (showing stop), we would leave the home signal on until the train was at or almost at a stand before pulling it off. That ensures the train is going slow & doesn't pass the section signal at danger. Hope that helps and makes sense. Signalling can be a bit confusing to start with but stick with it and it will all drop into place eventually. TUN
@@TrainsUpNorth so if we could clear the home signal, but not the section signal, we would keep all signals on, until the train approaches the home signal and then we can release it and it only to allow the train to proceed up to the section signal?
@@theblockybanana5537 that's correct for current absolute block rules. It may have been different in the past as before BR different companies had different rules.
Black and blue levers were also used on mechanical signalling systems where the mechanism for changing the point also locked it, as can be found at Orton Mere on the Nene Valley Railway.
That's why I love this aspect of signalling, it makes perfect common sense.
Train reporting numbers can be a minefield as each region used letters internally for locations on their own regiom and a neighbouring region would use them for their own internal destinations, along side the inter regional letters. What was worse in the early days the letter A could refer to trains to and from London.
In some areas, like Teesside, the letter assigned to a freight train referred to the destination between Tees Yard and Skinningrove steel works independent of the route taken (prior to the 1960s there were 2 routes). These letters had to be displayed or removed when passing Tees signal box. M would normally indicate a train heading the the Midland region, but east of Tees signal box it meant a train heading for Cargo Fleet Inner Junction or the Eston branch. Theyvwere still in use into the 1980s but as the industry on Teesside reduced these headcodes were no longer needed and they used the letter indicating trip workings. The letters used were A, K, M, S, g, P, J and O.
In the days before the alphanumeric headcodes lamps were used for tye same purpose the equivalent lamps to the letter M was centre and above left hand buffer.
As for the numbers 00 was also used for certain classification of trains (mainly see on parcels trains) and for the following destination letters F, G, X or Z on the Eastern Region (and maybe on other regions well). Limit of shunt and the Barrowmore MRG have documents available for looking at for more details.
If the headcodes starts 0 then the next letter indicates the region or district a light engine is travelling to and the last 2 numbers indicate the shed it is going to, for example 0N20 indicates a light engine movement to Gateshead depot. When the locomotive is heading from a depot to work a train the headcode starts with 0 but the rest of the headcodes is the train headcode do if the train headcode is 1A34 then the light engine to work thus train would be 0A34 (the empty coaching stock movement would have the headcode 5A34.
Yes head codes are a topic all on their own. I came across some of the white headcode disks in the office with numbers on them, after asking a few people what the numbers were for, and getting the "I don't know, why are you even asking" reply one of the older guys told me they were used on a project years ago to identify trains within a possession. Great idea but not in any of the rulebooks I have seen.
@@TrainsUpNorth some things are done on adhoc basis but never make the rule books.
You can still find the pre-groupimg mile posts on some line. The NER used posts with points to indicate the quarter miles - one on top for 1/4 mile, 2 points (one in either side) for half mile and all 3 points (top and both sides) for 3/4 mile. Where the lines of different companies ran parallel to each other the lines would have their own mile markers with co many boundary markers. You can still see Midland Railway boundary markers on the ECML in Peterborough between the former MR tracks that go to Leicester and the former GNR tracks of the ECML. However, the ECML down slow is also the, IIRC, the former up line to Leicester.
PS that was one of the more succinct definitions of of Up and Down I've heard in a long while.
Thank you, for your comments, it's certainly true that you learn something new everyday on the railway. I know of a couple of lines where the mileage goes through 0 but the up and down doesn't change, it does get a little confusing sometimes.
Green lane signal box (and similar situation on others), why do signals 2 and 6 have caution signals (1 and 5) but signals 4 and 7 do not?
Good question, the distant (caution) signals apply to both the home & section signal (the stop signals). You can only clear 1 & 5 if both associated stop signals are in the off position (clear / go).
If the section signal is on (showing stop), we would leave the home signal on until the train was at or almost at a stand before pulling it off. That ensures the train is going slow & doesn't pass the section signal at danger. Hope that helps and makes sense.
Signalling can be a bit confusing to start with but stick with it and it will all drop into place eventually.
TUN
@@TrainsUpNorth so if we could clear the home signal, but not the section signal, we would keep all signals on, until the train approaches the home signal and then we can release it and it only to allow the train to proceed up to the section signal?
@@theblockybanana5537 that's correct for current absolute block rules. It may have been different in the past as before BR different companies had different rules.
This video should have 2 likes from me, but won't let me.