Happily, Wrawby Junction box is Grade II listed and kept in good order by local NR volunteer staff. It opened on 7 May 1916, replacing an earlier box that was in situ by 1880. It is classified by the Signalling Record Society (SRS) as a Great Central Railway (GCR) Type 5* and, at 70 feet long, is a very impressive tall structure, with excellent views over the many running lines and sidings. Returning to Barnetby station, we paused to see the recently refurbished Barnetby Up Ground Frame (GF) controlling access to the Up Sidings (out of use on TRACKmaps 2 p30C 2020). 'Up' is towards Cleethorpes. It has two levers, a blue/brown release lever and a black lever controlling two point ends, namely the trailing connection to the Up Slow and a trap point. Although the sidings are not currently used, they may be resurrected. Meanwhile, as one end of the points is on an active running line and the other end protects the running line, it must be maintained in good order. From this 'point' on, we split into two separate groups of eight to avoid overcrowding at the smaller still operational boxes. I②Immingham West Jn:: (TRACKmaps 2 p31B 2020) I was in the group led by Doug Pratt, which went to Immingham West Jn box next. This was exciting as the box is normally impossible to see - even from the outside - because it lies within Associated British Ports' (ABP) Port of Immingham. Driving into the port, we passed 66177 hauling biomass from the Humber International Terminal (HIT) to Drax Power Station. The box is quite small, so we further divided the group, to visit the box two people at a time. Its location (at 105m 06ch) seems odd at first as it is not aligned with any of the nearby tracks. The box originally controlled a triangular junction between the main port access line from Humber Road Jn (hence Ulceby), the branch via Killingholme to Goxhill and the lines to the west side of Immingham Dock. All three routes survive (albeit with Killingholme now the end of a branch and currently out of use), however the northeast side of the triangle (which the box was adjacent to) is no more. The box opened on 25 Mar 1912 - shortly before the Port of Immingham was opened by the Humber Commercial Railway & Dock Company, in association with the Great Central Railway. It is a GCR Type 5 design but the lower half of the box is hidden by a blast wall constructed to protect the box during WWII. Immingham West originally had a British Pneumatic Railway Signal Co Ltd slide frame (similar to Immingham Reception Sidings seen later). However, this was removed in 1979 when the layout was radically changed and signalling is now controlled from two Individual Function Switch (IFS) panels. The larger panel (to the right) controls the area from Western Entrance Level Crossing to the end of the Killingholme branch, plus the connections to the remaining terminals and quays on the west side of Immingham Dock and the Immingham Bulk Terminal. The original panel dated from 1979 but a replacement was supplied by National Rail Supplies (NRS) around 2002, presumably to accommodate the then new Humber International Terminal (HIT). This replacement panel sits in the old 1979 shell. The smaller panel, supplied by LB Foster (TEW) SM48 was commissioned on 7 Jul 2015. This controls the connection to, and lines within, the HIT itself. There is a complex illuminated diagram showing the whole layout (both panels). At first glance it took a little effort to understand because - like many such diagrams - it does not reflect the geographical layout. All the lines and branches run in the same direction (from a junction on the right, to a dead end on the left) on the panel, even though some run geographically in the diametrically opposite direction from each other! (TRACKmaps 2 p31B 2020) :③Oxmarsh Crossing:: (106m 38ch) Leaving the port area, our next visit was to Oxmarsh Crossing. This brick built BR (Eastern) Type 16a box opened around 1960, replacing an earlier Railway Signal Co box. Until 1981, the line here was double track. However, following the closure of New Holland Pier to passenger ferries, the route to the original New Holland station and pier closed and a 'new' New Holland station opened 400yd southeast. The route north of Oxmarsh was singled and the formerly goods/ECS only east west side of New Holland triangle became the 'main line' to Barton-on-Humber. [Some of us went to great lengths to do that curve, suspecting the Barton-on-Humber branch might close when the Humber Bridge opened on 24 Jun 1981. In fact it had a railtour then an hourly service each way - later 'temporarily' cut, due to BR rolling stock shortages, to 2-hourly, which has persisted.] However, this was not the end of the Oxmarsh story. In 1984, the former Up Line from New Holland to Oxmarsh was reinstated as a siding for freight to serve New Holland Bulk Terminal on the site of the
former station. The freight traffic never really got going and had completely dried up by the late 1990s with the end of Speedlink, so only the passenger branch is active. The former freight siding had been derelict but intact between Oxmarsh and the terminal boundary gate for many years and only in the last couple of years has the physical junction been disconnected from the main line at Oxmarsh. The box works Absolute Block over the double track to Goxhill; the single line to Barton-on-Humber is worked by a train staff. Rather than handing the staff directly to train drivers, the signaller now hangs it on a hook outside the signal box for the driver to collect. This procedure was originally introduced in response to Covid-19, to maintain 'social distancing' between the signaller and driver. However, the practice was found to be convenient and remains in use. To warn the Barrow Road crossing keeper of an approaching train from Oxmarsh, a 'Passenger Plunger' is provided. There is a similar 'Freight Plunger' which was used for the former New Holland siding but this is of course now redundant. Oxmarsh has a now very rare example of a traditional wheel operated level crossing with four gates. In fact, only five remain on the national network and we visited two of them on this trip - Oxmarsh and Goxhill (!). The others are Holywood (north of Dumfries), Kirkham Abbey and Weaverthorpe, both on the York to Scarborough line. The crossing is controlled by a gate wheel which converts the winding action of the signaller into a rotating vertical shaft down to ground level, which indirectly drives the gate rods forward and back out of the front of the box to move the gates. A single brown Gate Stop lever (N o 2) has three positions-normal, normal check and reverse. Among its many functions, it primes the complex auto-raising gear (visible at the lineside) for the road gate stops and ultimately releases the protecting signals. A small hand lever on the side of the gate wheel completes the controls for the crossing; this locks the wheel (and therefore the gate rods) and releases the Gate Stops lever when in a specific position. Separately, brown N o 1 lever locks both wicket (pedestrian) gates closed to the road. The signaller understood that the gate wheel had been removed from an earlier box here, the top half of which was said to have been destroyed by fire. Indeed, tucked away in a corner in the box, was a remarkable if heavily faded photo which appeared to show the signalman on duty, standing on an 'open air operating floor' next to the still installed gate wheel and lever frame. It was said that the vaguely recognisable gate wheel continued to be operated from the remains of the old box, apparently diagonally opposite the replacement (current) box, while the latter was being constructed. All of the previously quite elderly semaphore stop signals were recently renewed with modern, mechanically worked, semaphores. When, separately, the level crossing roadbed here was recently upgraded, the former freight line was completely removed from the crossing and the area tarmacked, although the gates still close across all of the double track formation. It also appears that the box diagram will be upgraded, as a new mosaic-style diagram was seen, apparently awaiting installation. :④Barrow Road Crossing:: (106m 57ch) This has been a Gate Box only since 1981 (ie not a block post); its only function is to control the adjacent crossing which accesses the industries on the former New Holland Dock, Pier and surrounding area. The long disused track to New Holland Bulk Terminal was also removed from the roadbed at the level crossing in Summer 2020 to make road maintenance easier, prior to the hand operated co-acting gates being replaced by lifting barriers in early 2021. There are only three working levers, one releases the barriers for road traffic and there is one for each of the two semaphore stop signals protecting the crossing. The signals are slotted with Oxmarsh, so a signal only clears if both the Oxmarsh signaller and Barrow Road crossing keeper have pulled their relevant levers. The box operates within the staff worked section between Oxmarsh and Barton. Annunciators and 'Train Approaching' indicators are provided in both directions. These give the crossing keeper notice to lower the barriers, normalise the barrier lever and pull off the appropriate signal. The annunciator and indicator for approaching Down trains (from Oxmarsh) are activated manually by the Oxmarsh signaller. However, for Up trains (from Barton-on-Humber), they are activated automatically when the train strikes a treadle at Barrow Haven station. With an interesting nod to the much busier past, on the back wall of the box was displayed a signalling diagram of Barrow Road from the days when it controlled a busy junction and had 28 working levers
with none spare. Then there were three tracks towards New Holland Town: Up Main, Down Main and a Middle Siding which had a double slip part way along it, The New Holland 'avoiding line' was double track (Up Goods and Down Goods - now the single bidirectional passenger line, of course). There were various sidings and even a 'Loco Depot' with a crossover and single slip at its access. Contemporary diagrams for New Holland Town and New Holland Pier boxes were also shown; the latter still stands near the end of the pier that now forms part of the Bulk Terminal, although its lever frame is said to have been removed many years ago. Much disused track (latterly a coal depot) remains half buried at the Bulk Terminal and indeed, some survives on the pier itself, under the terminal conveyor system. :Details must be checked: 1432 CONNECTIONS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] .Please mention BLN . 2182] Corris Railway, new steam loco: (MR p29) When the workmen of the Henry Hughes Co in Loughborough completed work on a trio of small narrow gauge steam locos in 1878 and saw them depart for the Corris Railway in Mid Wales, they could not have anticipated that there would be a similar engine built, and entering traffic, over 140 years later. They may well have laughed at the idea. However, on Fri 8 Sep the revived section of the Corris Railway welcomed the new member of this distinctive group of locomotives, as Corris Railway N o 10 worked its first passenger trains between Corris station and Maespoeth Junction. It was the culmination of over a decade of fund raising to pay the £400,000 it has cost to bring N o 10, also known as a 'Falcon', to working life in the Dulas Valley. 'Falcon' has been largely built by Alan Keef Ltd, a specialist engineering company based in Lea near Ross-on-Wye although some components, such as the boiler, were made by other specialist firms. Corris Railway Society volunteers with engineering skills also produced some parts of the new loco. The passengers on the first trains were by invitation, including VIPs, journalists and those who donated to the costs of manufacture. Also present were Talyllyn Railway (TR) representatives who have been supportive of the project from inception. The TR is a home to the survivor of the original trio of 19th century locos, N o 3, which was purchased by the Talyllyn after the closure of the original Corris line. There were many happy smiles on the faces of those present and countless pictures and videos were taken during the day. There was even an informal fly-past as an RAF aircraft flew down the valley. Visitors could also see the Museum at Corris station and look around the workshops and loco shed at Maespoeth Junction. One of the journalists was impressed enough to join the Corris Railway Society. Pupils at Corris School, adjacent to the station, had a view of the activity during the day and, when lessons were over, the Railway took them for a round trip behind Number 10. Seated in recreated Victorian carriages, built by Corris volunteers, they were able to sample how the inhabitants of their Valley travelled a century ago. Those who would like to travel behind Britain's currently newest steam loco, can do so from Corris station at 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30 & 15.30 on 23, 24 & 30 Sep and 7, 14 & 21 Oct. See www.corris.co.uk you might even find our Bar Steward Andrew Rawlins driving! :2183] ABOVE: Of course I can help, the ticket machines are over there. (By Peppy Scott): 2184] Free to an appreciative home! 4.41m x 1.21m First Great Western whiteboard with a track map of the entire operating area to Fishguard, Hereford, Banbury, Penzance, Weymouth, Brighton and London. Collection only (needs a van or car with roof-rack). Vince O'Rafferty [email protected] (Derby area). CONTACT DETAILS: On website Contacts page and a full BLN & Committee directory was provided with BLN 1415 ●Editor: Paul Stewart [email protected] 4 Clarence Close, MALVERN, WR14 3HX 01684 562862 07790 652351. Sales: Darren Garnon [email protected] 3 Reader Drive, Marden, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 9FD. ●Printed by Willow Printing & Design Ltd [email protected] 75/79 Back Cross Lane, NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS, WA12 9YE 01925 222449. ●Published by the Branch Line Society, 10 Sandringham Rd, STOKE GIFFORD, BS34 8NP.
BELOW: FREE to an appreciative home - flower pots and decorative wall no
ot included - see Item 2184 (previous page) for details. (Vince O'Rafferty.)
BELOW: (Item 2182) Corris Railway, Maespoeth (Machynlleth right, Corris lef
ft) left to right are N os56, 10, 7 & 11 (BINGO!).The Carriage Shed is prominent.
BELOW: Approaching Maespoeth with N o 10 'Falcon'. NEXT: Our mem
mber and well known railtour bar steward Andrew Rawlins driving…
BELOW: (item 2161) If you can work out why this is here you can be the next BLN Editor! (Simon Mortimer)