Southern Signals
Semaphore Signals
| Pre-Grouping Shunt signals. |
| As was explained in the introduction, yellow signals
were first introduced in the late 1920s, so all shunt signals used by the
pre-grouping companies were "red" ones.
The SE&CR favoured miniature arms, although they also used revolving signals. These miniature arms, though, were quite different from those used by the Southern Railway, and shown on the previous page. They looked very "stubby" with the lamp and lenses in the middle of the arm. |
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In this drawing on the left note that the pivot point is just to
the right of the white stripe and that the weight is an integral part of the
arm. The wire from the signal lever is attached to the chain on the left and
when the lever is pulled, pulls the arm down in a lower quadrant movement. To
replace the arm the large weight on the right hand end takes the arm back up to
the horizontal position as the lever is put back, thereby slackening the chain.
One of these signals can be seen at Haven Street on the Isle of Wight Railway. |
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| The signal on the right was at Hawkhurst.
photograph by Chris Knowles-Thomas. |
| The LB&SCR used a revolving signal. This revolving signal showed a red face, with a red light in the centre, towards the driver and, additionally, had a white "hand" arrow indicating the road it controlled. The whole of the body of this signal, including the oil lamp, rotated through 90° to show a green face with a white cross and green light to the driver for the proceed with caution aspect. The photographs below are of one of these signals that was in use at Sheffield Park on the Bluebell Railway. Unfortunately its age was showing and it has been replaced by a standard Westinghouse disc although it is planned that it should be returned to use again somewhere where it will not be used very much! Unfortunately the photograph of the stop aspect of this signal has been mislaid, so what is reproduced here is an image that was reduced and cropped for printing purposes. |
Left: LB&SCR revolving signal showing the stop aspect.
The white hand indicates which road is controlled by this signal.
Right: This signal's proceed with caution aspect. Please note that both these photographs were taken when the signal was "on", so this second one is the side view! photographs by Peter Richards Far Right: Another LB&SCR revolving dummy in the "on" position, this time with the hand pointing to the left. photograph: Mike Morant collection |
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| The L&SWR used a totally different shunt signal from any of those already mentioned. Supplied by Stevens & Co it was known as a Pillar, or Flap, signal. The original design was very simple with the flap, painted red for the stop aspect and including a large red spectacle glass, dropping down to reveal a white light (actually yellow due to the flame) for the proceed with caution aspect. However the red glass was susceptible to damage and if it fell out then there was a risk of a false 'proceed' indication, so in due course the design was altered. The red glass was omitted and a smaller red/green aspect (using blue glass) spectacle plate, which moved as the flap was lowered or raised, was provided between the flap and the signal light. Used throughout the L&SWR, and also on the S&DJR, examples of these signals lasted into the 1950s. |
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| An elevated "flap" signal of the type
used all over the former L&SWR lines, although this was photographed at
Bridgwater (North), on the S&DJR route, in 1952. The "flap" falls
forward through 90° to reveal a green aspect.
photograph: Chris Osment collection |
The modified version showing the spectacle plate
mounted between the flap and the signal light.
photograph by Chris Osment |
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| This second signal was also on the S&DJR at
Highbridge but is seen here as re-erected at the S&DJR museum at Washford
on the West Somerset Railway. An unusual feature of this signal is it was
"slotted", hence the two balance levers. "Slotted" signals
had to be pulled off by two levers, either in separate Signalboxes or in a
Signalbox and a ground frame, though putting back just one of the levers would
reset the signal to stop.
photographs by Chris Osment |
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All photographs are copyright
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Rule 55 | return to main Signalling page
This page was last updated 31 May 2010
