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GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
Olton Station: gwro4008
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A view of the completed quadrupled track alongside Olton
Mere looking towards Solihull. The location is near milepost 123½. The
two Down Distant Signals for the Main and Relief lines were 2390 yards from
Solihull Signal Box, so were electrically operated. Unusually the signal motors
were at high level bolted directly to the semaphore arm. The white cabinet
adjacent to the down relief line contained the batteries and control equipment.
In the Solihull Signal Box frame lever 61 (for the Main line) and lever 69 (for
the Relief line) operated the respective Home Signal at Olton Station and as
well as the associated Distant Signal here. Detection circuits ensured the
Distant Signal would only move to clear once the position of the Semaphore Arm
on the Home Signal was confirmed. On the signal box diagram (see 'gwrs2622'), the Distant Signals were identified as 61R
and 69R. The R indicated that they were what was termed a
Repeater (i.e. a repeat of the associated Home Signal).
To dispense with Olton Signal Box a Semi-Automatic
Signalling Scheme had been installed along the newly quadrupled section of
track with Track Circuits indicating when trains passed into or out-off
sections. The Signal Box Record of Amendments Drawing has an entry
for 25th June 1933 Down Main & Relief IB Home & Distant
Signals into use in connection with closure of Olton SB. This refers to
the commissioning of an Intermediate Block Signalling scheme on these lines. If
the track circuits on the Down Main and Relief lines beyond the Olton Home
signals (T61 and T69) detected the presence of a train, this would
automatically operate the relevant Home signal at Olton together with the
Distant Signal (once the Home Signal's arm had moved). This would also activate
a buzzer in the Signal Box, which needed to be acknowledged by pressing a
Plunger on the Block Shelf. Because the frame lever (either 61 or 69) would not
have moved, this lever had to first be replaced to the Stop / Caution position
by the Signalman, before it could be used again to operate the signals to
Clear. This operation would however remained electrically locked until both the
relevant track circuit indicted that the line was clear and the Line
Clear indication had also been received on the relevant Block Instrument
from the Signal Box in advance.
The small black painted hut adjacent to the signals provided
some protection from the weather for a Fogman, when they were required. No
doubt the proximity of the reservoir would frequently cause fog to lay at this
location. The bridge in the background carries Grange Road Lane over the
railway.
This photograph is Solihull Central Library record reference
No 1784, courtesy R Waring.
Robert Ferris
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