Signalbox Equipment and Furniture

Train Register Desk & Stool

A desk to GWR Standard design, with oval stool. The desk is designed to be tall enough for the signalmen to write upon whilst standing, and inside it is kept the rule book and appendices together with all the necessary forms for emergency working etc. On the desk is kept the train register and the essential pens and inkwell. This furniture was original to, and recovered with, Radstock North Box.

(Vaughan. 1984. pp.130-131)

Table & Chair

Standard issue 'kitchen' table, and chair with padded seat. Provided for use at mealtimes i.e. whenever a suitable break in the flow of traffic presents itself. The table was original to, and recovered with, Radstock North Box.

(Vaughan. 1984. p131)

Bench

Standard issue bench, simply made from three pieces of wood, and provided for the use of any extra staff who are needed in the box from time to time. This furniture was original to, and recovered with, Radstock North Box .

(Vaughan. 1984. pp. 131)

Cupboard

Two door locker, with space on top convenient for displaying the working timetable and notices of extra trains, whilst inside are kept the soaps, Brasso, cotton waste and emery cloth required to keep the box spick and span. This furniture was original to, and recovered with, Radstock North Box.

(Vaughan. 1984. pp. 131)

Coal Burning Stove

Often thought to be the most important piece of S&T equipment ever invented - for without it there is no tea!

GWR Clock

Pendulum clock - 12" diameter short case

Telephones

A 4 way omnibus and a wooden case general 'phone are provided.

Signalbox Diagram

Other Equipment

Other period Great Western features of Radstock North box interior, not illustrated above, include;

• an enamel wash basin and stand
• a gas lamp (converted to electricity)
• notice board, mirror and period first-aid kit
• a coal bucket and shovel for the coal stove
• ACME loudhailer, stamped GWR
• two cast shelf brackets with entwined company initials
• signalman's oil hand lamp

Annetts Key Release Instruments

Annetts Key Release Instruments - A and C types

Signal R4 Combined Arm and Lamp Repeater

Wooden Case repeater apparatus type 'G'. Fitted with Flags type 1 and 4

Box Open/Closed Indicator

Wooden Case signalbox open/closed indicator, used to indicate the state of Frome Mineral Junction Cabin.

Block Switch

Wooden Case block circuit switch. Single pole 6-way. These switches entered general use from 1909 with the purpose of permitting signal boxes to be taken out of circuit at certain times of the day or at weekends

(Adams. 1993. p.214)

Track circuit indicators

• Wooden cased
• Brass drum type with 'At Homes' flag

Track circuits were originally devised in America in 1872 but were first used in Britain by Sykes in 1876 at Crystal Palace. The first known use of track circuits on the Great Western was as part of the Basildon (between Goring and Pangbourne) scheme of Intermediate Block Signals in 1907

(Kichenside & Williams. 1998. p.104, 110; Adams. 1993. p.216)

Signal R16/17/19 Combined Arm and Lamp Repeater

Wooden Case repeater apparatus type 'B' fitted with Flags types 1 and 11 and 'Lamp Out' warning bell

Signal R20 Slot Repeater

Wooden Case repeater apparatus type 'A' fitted with Flag type 4

Signal R20 Arm Repeater

Wooden Case 'miniature signal arm' repeater apparatus. Used to repeat the indication of Signal R20 which is out of sight of the box.

Block Bell

This is a Non-Tapper wooden case block bell instrument with 'Cow' type bell. Non-tapper bells are used in this installation as the bell keys are integral with the Webb-Thompson single line equipment.

See also information under 'Frome Cabin', below.

Webb-Thompson Electric Train Staff Instrument

This type of Instrument, developed by the L&NWR's engineers, was first used on the Great Western between Parsons Tunnel and Dawlish boxes in 1891, and was to be found in general use on single line sections between Exeter and Penzance by 1893. The Staffs themselves are iron tubes of nearly 2ft length, and are of such weight as to preclude any kind of high, or even moderate, speed exchange. Such staff apparatus ceased to be installed on Great Western following the invention by their then Chief Signal and Telegraph Engineer, Alfred Thomas Blackall, of the Key Token in 1912. However like much railway equipment, once installed it could be very long-lived indeed.

The machines at Didcot were originally from the Ross-on-Wye area and were purchased in February 1979.

(Adams.1993. p.30; Vaughan. 1984, pp.12-13; GW Echo No. 67. Autumn 1979. p.16)

Fireplace

Open fire with small warming oven, and fire surround together with a GWR cast iron fender and a suitable coal scuttle. The fire surround was original to, and recovered with, Frome North Box.

Table and Chairs

Table, writing slope, wooden stool and bench (not illustrated). The table and writing slope were original to, and recovered with, Frome North Box whilst the bench, similar to that in Radstock Box (illustrated above) was recovered from Bruton Signalbox.

Signal Box Cupboard

Original to, and recovered with, Frome North Box.

Signal Box Diagram

Of the older style with much darker inks and showing mixed gauge trackwork. This is based on an original diagram for Slough East which is in the Society’s collection

GWR Clock

Oil Lamp

The hanging variety. The lamp was original to, and recovered with, Frome North Box.

Telephones

Both an omnibus phone and a general phone are provided, the latter having bells in a separate enclosure.

Single Needle Telegraph Instrument

These instruments, invented in the 1850's were used to communicate by flicking the needle to left or right to produce letters in a similar fashion to Morse code (invented in 1844 by Samuel Morse), using left for dot and right for dash. This type of instrument was invented by Charles Ernest del Diana-Spagnoletti, first Telegraph Superintendent of the GWR, from 1855 to 1891. The instrument at Didcot has no signalling function, being merely intended to facilitate communication with the Goods Office in the Transfer Shed.

(Adams. 1993. p.222; Kichenside & Williams. 1998. pp.44-45; Vaughan 1984. p.10)

Block Bell

The single strike electric bell was developed for railway use by Charles Walker, Telegraph Superintendent of the SER, by 1851. Such bells have been the primary method of communication between signalboxes ever since, being less open to misinterpretation than telephone messages. Non-tapper bells are used in this installation as the bell keys are integral with the Webb-Thompson single line equipment. This particular bell was purchased from Cefn Junction (Junction of the GW and the Port Talbot Railway on the Tondu to Port Talbot line).

(Kichenside & Williams. 1998. p.45)

Webb-Thompson Electric Train Staff Instrument

This type of Instrument, developed by the L&NWR's engineers, was first used on the Great Western between Parsons Tunnel and Dawlish boxes in 1891, and was to be found in general use on single line sections between Exeter and Penzance by 1893. The Staffs themselves are iron tubes of nearly 2ft length, and are of such weight as to preclude any kind of high, or even moderate, speed exchange. Such staff apparatus ceased to be installed on Great Western following the invention by their then Chief Signal and Telegraph Engineer, Alfred Thomas Blackall, of the Key Token in 1912. However like much railway equipment, once installed it could be very long-lived indeed.

The machines at Didcot were originally from the Ross-on-Wye area, and were purchased in February 1979

(Adams. 1993. p.30; Vaughan. 1984, pp.12-13; GW Echo No. 67. Autumn 1979. p.16)

Other Equipment

Other period Great Western features of Frome Signal Cabin interior, not illustrated above, include;

• a water carrier
• a jubilee photograph of Queen Victoria
• signalman's oil hand lamp

Adams, William, ed. 1993. Encyclopaedia of the Great Western Railway. Patrick Stephens Limited. Sparkford, Somerset. ISBN 1 85260 329 1

Kichenside, Geoffrey. & Williams, Alan. 1998. Two Centuries of Railway Signalling. Oxford Publishing Company, Sparkford, Somerset. ISBN 0 86093 541 8

Vaughan, Adrian. 1984. A Pictorial Record of Great Western Signalling (Revised). Oxford Publishing Co. Poole, Dorset. ISBN 0 86093 346 6