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Hampton Court Junction
The box has been designed to take an eight section Westinghouse miniature power frame making 96 levers in total.
Forty eight levers came from White City signal box, located in West London, and 35 levers came from North Kent East signal box, near
London Bridge.
Two extra sections have also been added, these came from components salvaged from Crewe, Euston and Gloucester Road Junction signal box's. |
| The name is taken from the British Rail signal box that was only 100yds away and closed in 1973. We have the original signal box name board mounted on our clubhouse wall. |
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Signal box diagram - Double click on diagram above get a detailed zoom able diagram in a new window.
The site is fully track circuited which is used to control the signaling, and the points are electrically air operated |
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| This large lever frame will allow us complete control of the whole railway if needed. Currently all the external signaling system is complete and work is progressing on completing the installation of the lever frame mechanical and electrical systems. We will then concentrate on moving the external system onto the lever frame in due course. |
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| We are currently installing the lever frame, this has involved a lot of reconditioning as a great many parts were very very rusty. As you can appreciate this all this reconditioning takes time to achieve especially as it relies on volunteer labour.. We have also had to manufacture a lot of missing parts for the locking. The electrical wiring has now been started, which is a major piece of work in its own right. |
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Left shows the 96 levers comprising of eight 12 lever segments, the vertical panel with holes behind the levers is for the lamp holder units. A brass fascia will be fitted over each column behind each lever to retain the lens units and to cover any holes not used.
All the lever segments are now painted with their function colours, e.g. Red for signals, Black for Points
The sloping panel in front of the levers is for the lever description plate support panel that hold the 96 description plates which have yet to be fitted
Picture on left taken on the 15 September 2011
Immediately left we have a close up of the refurbished levers showing the restored levers. All levers have now reached this standard of restoration.
Lever 1 is nearest the camera, and being a Red colour this defines the lever as being a signal lever.
There are more detailed photographs taken
during installation, these are available via
the link in the green box below.
Picture on the left taken on the 21 June 2009
All pictures can be double clicked for a larger format
All pictures below taken on the 15 September 2010 |
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There are more detailed photographs taken
during installation, which run as a slide show please select via one of the link below
Pictureon the left taken on the 12 September 2010
Click on picture left for larger format picture
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North Kent East signal box was installed in 1929. This pictures shows the frame in the early years. The track diagram is clearly seen behind the lever frame. Behind the miniature levers are the point and signal indications and above them are the Walkers rotary train describers for each route. The sending units are on top of the frame the receiving units are located each side of the track diagram. At this time the signals lenses from the bottom up, were originally Y, R, YY, G.
Picture from the Railway Engineer, reproduced by kind permission of Middleton Press, from their London Bridge to Addiscome book in the London suburban railways series published in 1993 ISBN 1873793200 |
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White City lever frame is pictured on the left courtesy of John Cottrell, this show the signal box in its last years of use, this was a 48 lever frame, we now have 36 levers, the other 12 levers were retained by London Transport for their use either at a museum or training school
The track diagram is clearly seen above the lever frame.
You can click on the picture to get a larger version of the picture in a separate window.
Unfortunately we do not have any pictures of the North Acton lever frame |
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North Kent East A more detailed view of the lever frame obviously taken in later years, maybe around the 1960's of North Kent East when the more modern electric light style train describers have replaced the majority of the walkers rotary train describers above the levers. The illuminated 'N' and 'R' indicate the points as either being Normal or Reverse, the 4 glass roundels showed the signal aspect, being Red, Yellow, Green & 2nd Yellow. The train describers are fitted on top of the frame box, with the Sykes Block instrument and its bell plungers followed by the Walkers Rotary Train describer to Bricklayers Arms Junction. |
| Emergency bell plungers are provided next to adjacent signal boxes, followed by yet more train describers. |
| More historical information on Westinghouse Miniature Power lever Fames is available by following this link to Westinghouse miniature lever frames web site |
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Outer Home Signal gantry
This is the fist signal gantry in the Hampton Court Junction Signaling system and contains two 4 aspect coloured light signals. Each signal is fitted with two junction indicators containing white route lights, therefore each signals is capable of showing 3 separate routes, If the main route was selected only the coloured light aspects would clear without the white route lights. If a diverging route is set the main aspect would clear with the respective junction indicators lights illuminated
The left hand signal is the Up Local line outer home signal.
The right hand signal is the Up Main line outer home signal. At this point two track become three tracks towards the next signals shown below. |
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Home Signal gantry
These signals are located at the most complicated part of the railway. There are three 4 aspect coloured light signals on this gantry and all are fitted with 5 light white route indicators. The left two signals have three sets of white junction indicator lamps, whilst the right hand signal has only one set of white junction indicator lamps
The Up Local Loop home signal is on the far left, trains can be routed in 4 directions at this signal.
The middle signal is the Up Local home signal, again trains can be routed in 4 directions.
Lastly on the far right is the Up Main home signal, trains can only be routed in two direction.
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Up Main Line - Tunnel signal gantry
This signal gantry protects the Up Main Loop exit points, and access to the tunnel.
The Up Main Signal is the left hand signal.
The Up Main Loop line signal is on the right.
both signals are showing a red aspect.
The Up Main becomes the Up Local line in the middle of the tunnel at the lowest point..
The next signal is Angel Road Up Local Outer Home signal No.10 which is located inside the tunnel.. |
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Up Local Line signal - Alps line
This is located towards the top of the Alps incline where the Up Local and Up Local Loop line tracks coverage.
This signal is the Up Local Alps Junction signal showing a clear aspect..
The Up Local line becomes the Up Main line at the summit.
The next signal is Angel Road Up Main Outer home signal No10. |
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Locomotive shed shunt signals
These are the two exit shunt signals from the locomotive sheds area.
The left hand signal enables access to to the Up Local and Up Local loop lines, this is at danger
The right hand shunt signal allows access to the Up Local, Up Main and Up Loop lines, this has been cleared to allow an engine to proceed. |
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Main Line Shunts
Looking back towards the carriage shed at Hampton Court Junctions with Hampton Court Junction signal box on top of the sheds.
The left hand shunt signal is cleared for the carriage shed road via the Up Main Loop line.
The Up Main line shunt is at danger. |
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Tunnel junction shunt
Looking from inside the tunnel mouth the position light shunt signal can be see showing a danger do not proceed aspect.
This signal protects the Up Main Loop exit points |
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Local Line shunts
Looking back towards the carriage sheds which are in the far background with H\Hampton Court Junction signal box on top of the sheds.
These shunt signals allow access to the Locomotive Roundhouse on the right hand side and the Up Local Line and Up Local Loop line. |
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Alps Line Shunt signal
At the top of the ALPS incline is a position light shunt signal this time showing a clear or proceed aspect.. |
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Main Line, Local Line & North Pole position light shunt signals.
These three position light shunt signals are located immediately adjacent to the carriage sheds near Hampton Court Signal box.
They control shunting across the junction immediately past these signals towards Willow bank level crossing.
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To learn more about UK Railway Signaling, I would strongly recommend the following site The Signal Box
and Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co. Ltd. miniature power lever frame's in UK Signal box's |
Comments, feedback and corrections are welcome. Please use the 'Contact us' link above..
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