The Arms Race Is On! (Part III)

Following on from the previous two posts concerning Central Division signals, we now have Part 3..

This concerns a trip Matt and I made, up to Fighting Cocks Station, near Darlington, to meet up with Norman Hugill. The original (Central Division!) signal from the station has been returned there, to (hopefully) be re-erected as a reminder of the line. However, for the time being, it lies in its component parts, and includes various parts we have not seen anywhere else! Particularly of note is the landing and the balance lever arrangement. Both of which we need to duplicate in order to complete our signals at KSE!

We duly headed up, armed with tape measures, pens and a clipboard.

The arm.

First of all, we discovered the original wooden arm was only 4' in length (which would give 3'6" beyond the post), although it does look shorter than most from the photos in situ. Secondly, the edges were all rounded off, which answered a question I'd had rumbling around in the back of my mind for some time. Consequently, as noted in Part 2, we did the same!

The landing.

The landing was not quite what I'd expected, being a casting. Details were noted, measurements taken, and a proper drawing is in production, to allow a pattern to be made! It is basically a grid of parallel bars, which is D-shaped. There's a slightly raised edge as a concession to prevent feet slipping off, and a bracket to mount it on to the post.

The handrail uprights clamp to this landing, as opposed to bring fastened directly to it, supporting the handrail itself.

The handrail.

These can all be copied, in bulk to suit our requirements.


The balance lever components.

The balance lever is fairly distinctive, and rough sketches had been produced from photographs. Having one available to study allows a far better drawing to be done, which will hopefully permit 1, 2 or 3- armed variants to be made!

Now to produce all the drawings, get patterns, castings and fabrications contracted out, and we can assemble everything to suit, knowing that we have faithfully reproduced Central Division signals to the best of our abilities! However, judging by what other photos have revealed in the past, I suspect it wasn't a 'one size fits all' type of affair, and that other designs were used!!! This does seem to be the only complete one to work from though!

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