KSE Signalling Project

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 ...

Looking back over recent work and previous blog posts, there is more to report on the North Eastern Railway, Central Division signals. A lot of research and a lot of physical work has been taking place in order to get the arms themselves sorted. As you may remember, or have noted from previous entries, the Central Division was unusual on the NER in NOT having slotted posts, with the arms inside. Very few bits of CD signals remain, and we were lucky enough to have a complete set of castings for the masthead.  When it came to the length of the arms, however, things got a little trickier, since initially we did not have any drawings or specifications. Fortunately, at Kew, there are various documents and drawings. We were given a photograph of one of these drawings, which contained what we thought was a definitive answer: the arms are shown as being 4'6" long, beyond the end of the arm weight casting. Having tried to source these in Cedar without any success (they are rather large...

The Moles have been hard at work again; this time burying the benches that have previously been built up, as well as the new concrete bench legs for the rest of the crank and compensator benches we require. Since all the materials are all to hand for this job, we can fit it in as the weather cooperates. 

A new progress update from Tim:  Readers of my ramblings may well remember the posts alluding to all the new castings of NER Central Division signal components. They may also recollect the preparations carried out to the wooden signal posts in order to accommodate the said castings... Routing out the signal posts Well, after much avoidance of setting to and drilling out the castings, ready for f tting up, things got serious! In the machine shop, the radial arm drill has been commissioned, and appropriate training carried out. The raw castings, as collected from the foundry, but left to weather, slightly. The castings were cleaned up and marked for the hole centres whilst suitable clamping arrangements were devised for the work. The first front bearing casting, clamped down onto a couple of spacers to raise up from the bed and prevent damage drilling through. The four mounting holes were drilled in one go, once the centres were marked and double (triple!) checked, but the centre piv...

Hot on the heels of the previous update as to the optimal working conditions for the Moles of Kirkby Stephen, more digging has occurred! The signal box requires power and other cables running to it. These are carried in ducts. The ducts need burying underground. The digger had issues trying to dig a trench as the water table was too high. So it's a case of the Moles' talents being required! A lot of the run has already been completed, the ducts dropped in and the trench filled accordingly with sand. The last section under the bridge and into the box itself needed tackling once the rodding run was in place and before the lead out bench and walkway could be completed. So, the Moles set to; having established the fixed points in the run, and the best route between them. This wasn't set in stone: rather, stone was found that caused slight diversions!! Thanks for reading. More news soon..

The second day of the frame installation saw the primary focus being on bolting the frame down to the girders, so as to ensure nothing could be pushed out of alignment with the rest of our work above. The mag drill in position to drill the mounting holes for the stanchion. A great deal of eyeing up, measuring and double checking followed, to ensure the frame WAS, in fact, in the correct position. We then marked round the foot of each stanchion, as well as drawing through the mounting holes to give the location of the hole. The marking out is obvious, as is the lack of clearance for drilling... Sadly, the shape of the stanchions, depth of the holes etc precluded the use of the mag drill directly through the holes... So, once everything was marked up (and double-checked), we once again jacked the frame down to one end of the box, along the girders, to allow the mag drill to be positioned, ready to drill the holes we required. Because of the clearances, we could only drill half the holes ...

The fitting of the steps of the S&DR Signal Box signifies that we are fast approaching the final stages of the build. We have yet to complete the wheelchair access platform at the top of the steps which will allow access to the ‘box from the newly constructed footpath.  Some cosmetic work at the foot of the steps will have to wait until Tim and his redoubtable signalling team have installed a plethora of point rodding, pulley wheels and bell cranks, all of which, will eventually determine exactly where we need to place the first step.  We hope as many of you as possible will visit over Easter when you can see at first-hand the work we have been doing.

The semi-permanent web of scaffolding that has shrouded the box for so long has at last been removed revealing this 1860’s signalbox in all its glory. A sight anticipated for so long by all those of us who yearn for the sights and sounds of days gone by. Much remains still to be done in the finessing of the structure with Tim and the team beavering away amongst a mountain of rods, bell cranks and pulleys – all beautifully refurbished and awaiting installation. Preliminary work has already begun on the entrance steps and the wheelchair platform (which will be accessed from the back of the ‘box from the new footpath) that will provide all our disabled visitors with direct entrance to the ‘box enabling them to witness the workings at first-hand. As you can see from the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures, we have come a long way since we started and, although winter is slowing us down as usual, I hope to report further progress and pictures very soon. S&DR Signal Box - In Original Condition...

Just a quick post this time before Christmas: the first step towards putting the NER Central Division frame into the signal box! Having produced various drawings after lots of measurements in the early days of the project, we finally offered up the first components to the floor joists to check everything fitted nicely before we got too carried away. Here we see Steve and Matt offering up a single quadrant, with the two brackets attached. These brackets both steady the frame and support the floor over the locking trays. Bob looks on in despair at our interruption to his work! He should be very content indeed, having built the box to suit the frame perfectly! We were trying to ascertain the exact level for each component, so that it all ties into the floor seamlessly. Once the remaining internal scaffolding comes out, we will be setting up the stanchions on the girders, so everything must end up at the correct height!

After many months of battling the weather to erect the signal box, the time has come to introduce a little refinement to the build by starting to fit out the interior. We have begun by fitting a stone hearth to complement the fireplace and laying the floor joists for the area that borders the lever frame aperture between the doorway and the fireplace. Work is hindered at the moment by the scaffolding as we wait for it to be removed which should happen shortly allowing us to begin work in earnest. There is much to do outside yet with the steps to construct and also the platform at the top of the steps which will allow wheelchair access to the interior of the ‘box for our disabled visitors. I think this will be the last blog of the year, so have a Merry Christmas and I will keep you all posted with developments in the New Year. 

The lattice main post for the bracket signal was the last to be planted during the week with the Road Railer and was installed in the dark. As it was positioned, some material was dragged into the hole. At the time, we knew it hadn't settled properly and wasn't vertical, but due to the conditions, we decided to revisit it later. The signal post was on its studs, secured with nuts, and stable. The post: not looking too bad from this angle, but it was definitely worse from the side. Another day arrived, and the post was inspected. There was a clear lean away from the station and slightly towards the Tebay line, suggesting something was under one corner. Ratchet straps were used to take the strain (after loosening the securing nuts) to safely investigate the cause. Sure enough, a few trowels' worth of spoil was removed from the edge of the foot, but none of it caused the issue, as it was all small or soft lumps. A podger (a metal tool for lining up holes and applying leverage)...