GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Rowington Junction & Troughs: gwrrj2248

A low resolution version of the Signalling Diagram for Rowington Junction Signal Box in 1912, showing the track layout before the branch line to Henley-in-Arden was reduced to sidings. This Signalling diagram has been reproduced courtesy of the Signalling Record Society (S.R.S.). Details of how to purchase their full resolution content is available here.

The exact date that this signal box opened is not known, but the branch line to Henley-in-Arden was opened on 6th June 1894 and the order (No 091) for a cast iron nameplate for 'Rowington Junction Signal Box' was placed on 23rd January 1894. Rowington Junction Signal Box was built to the standard GW 5 design introduced in 1890. It had a brick built ground floor locking room, which was 25 feet, 1 inch long by 12 feet wide. The rear brick wall of the operating floor contained a fire place with brick chimney above. The slated gable roof had 'rocket' ventilators on the ridge and decorative finals at each end. There was an outside staircase and no porch. The Signal Box housed a 25 lever frame.

The table below gives the opening hours for Rowington Junction Signal Box for a selection of years:

When open, the Signal Box here controlled the block sections on the main double line in addition to the junction with the Henley-in-Arden branch line. The Signalman sent messages to the preceding Signal Box to give permission for trains to enter the block section on their line and used signals to indicate to train drivers when they were allowed to proceed. Distant Signals, distinguished by their forked tails and yellow colour (post September 1927) gave train drivers advance warning of the status of the next ‘Stop’ Signal. The Signalman could set a route with the point switch levers and these being interlocked with the signals, indicated to the train drivers which route was set and when they could and could not proceed safely and had to stop. The Signal Box also housed the single line token equipment that ensured that only one train could proceed on the single track branch line at any time.

In December 1913, a trailing main line crossover was added before the branch junction, but after the branch was closed in January 1916 the Signal Box was only retained to control the block section and provide control for occasional access into what was now two sidings. The junction to the sidings was simplified to a single connection on the down line in 1925. In December 1956, the trailing main line crossover was removed and in October 1957, the signal box was replaced with a ground frame. The ground frame lasted until June 1968, when the sidings were also taken out of use.

Robert Ferris

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