GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill Station: gwrbsh1673

View of another type of GWR route indicator signal deployed at Snow Hill station. This signal had a high level electrical motor mechanism to operate the signal arm and this was electrically linked to the route indicator circuits. This type of route indicator contained no moving parts, but had several separate compartments, which could be individually illuminated when the signal arm was lowered. This particular Starting signal was sighted at the end of bay platform 3. The associated route indicator had five separate route compartments indicating as follows:

SIDING (Down) – Lever 157
RELIEF (Down) – Lever 218
SPUR - Lever 198
MAIN (Down) - Lever 211
Northwood St Sidings - Lever 201

These route descriptions were stencilled on to the translucent panel in front of each route compartment allowing only the description in front of the illuminated compartment to be seen. The hood provided some weather protection for the indicator, but also allowed the illuminated indicator description to be seen in bright sunlight. The use of route indicators reduced complexity by avoiding the need for multiple signal arms, but they were restricted to locations where traffic movement was relatively slow.

Robert Ferris

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