Birmingham New Street - Southern Approaches: mrbhm_sa2331
View of the main line from Derby passing beneath the former
London to Birmingham L&BR lines with the remains of the connecting viaduct
on the right. On the embankment above the bridge is a fogman's hut adjacent to
the signals. During foggy weather, especially at night, visibility could be so
poor that the crews of the locomotives would not be able to see whether the
signal was clear (safe) or on (at danger). To facilitate the safe movement of
traffic, fog men would be deployed from other jobs to place detonators on the
line, the number of which denoting whether trains should stop or proceed. Fog
men needed to be kept warm and dry and therefore these huts were erected to
allow them to sit next to important signals.
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