GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
Small Heath and Sparkbrook Station: gwrsh3178
A low resolution version of the Signalling Diagram for Small
Heath North Signal Box showing the arrangement post 1958. This has been
reproduced here courtesy of the Signalling Record Society (S.R.S.). Details of
how to purchase their full resolution content is available here.
Initially the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway had no
Station or Signal Box at Small Heath and the Great Western Railway started to
develop the site as an Engine Shed in 1855. Following the establishment of the
BSA works, Small Heath station was opened in April 1863 and after the Bordesley
branch was constructed to connect to the Midland Railway, exchange sidings were
laid down adjacent to the up main line. As a result of all this activity a
Signal Box had been built at the north end of the up platform at Small Heath
Station by 1875. This was initially called Small Heath Signal Box and had 21
levers. Some typical opening times of this Small Heath Signal Box from Service
Time Tables (STT) are given below:
Service Time Table |
Opening Time on Monday |
Closing Time on Sunday |
Summer 1904 |
4:45 a.m. |
1:30 p.m. |
Winter 1906 |
4:30 a.m. |
1.30 p.m. |
Over the years, increased traffic demands resulted in the
Great Western Railway gradually quadrupling the Birmingham main line between
Handsworth Junction and Lapworth. This was a huge undertaking and the work was
done piecemeal and was only finally completed in 1934. By the time that the
North Warwickshire Railway opened in December 1907, the track had only been
quadrupled between Olton and Tyseley, but with the expansion of Bordesley Yard
a new Signal Box was required at Small Heath and Small Heath North Signal Box
was opened in October 1907 on the other side of Golden Hillock road bridge from
the station. This timber Signal box was 25 feet long by 12 feet wide and the
operating floor was 8 feet above rail height. It contained a three bar
horizontal tappet frame with 33 levers at 5¼ inch centres. At this time
the original Small Heath Signal Box was renamed Small Heath Middle Signal
Box.
With restricted space at Bordesley, it had been decided to
relocated the engine shed from there to between Small Heath and Tyseley and the
new Tyseley Engine Shed opened in June 1908. The Main Line quadrupling was
initially extended to the junction with the new Engine Shed, but within a year
the next phase of the quadrupling through to the north end of Small Heath
Station was planned and order No 261 was placed on 5th May 1909 for the
nameplates for both Small Heath South Signal Box and Small Heath North Signal
Box. Replacing both the Small Heath Middle Signal Box and first Small Heath
North Signal Box, a new timber Small Heath North Signal Box with hipped slate
tile roof was built to the standard Great Western Railway type 27c design and
was opened on Sunday 24th July 1910. The signal box was 49 feet, 8 inches long
by 12 feet wide with an operating floor 11 feet above rail level which was
reached by an internal staircase. The operating floor had the characteristic
three up two down window panes on all sides except a small section on the side
facing the relief lines where a stove was located. The Signal box housed a
standard GW 3 bar horizontal tappet frame with ninety-two levers at four inch
centres and two small two lever frames were added later to control the remote
detonator placers on the main and relief lines.
Some typical opening times of this Small Heath North Signal
Box from Service Time Tables (STT) are given below:
Service Time Table |
Opening Time on Monday |
Closing Time on Sunday |
Summer 1916 |
Open continuously |
Summer 1929 |
4:30 a.m. |
1:00 p.m. |
Winter 1930 |
4:30 a.m. |
1:00 p.m. |
Summer 1938 |
4:30 a.m. |
2:30 p.m. |
Summer 1939 |
4:30 a.m. |
2:30 p.m. |
Winter 1945 |
Open continuously |
Summer 1952 |
Open continuously |
Winter 1955 |
Open continuously |
Small Heath North Signal Box controlled the absolute block
sections on the main and relief double lines and by 1918 the permissive block
sections on the goods double running loop lines. In the 1940s the up
shunting spur siding was extended to Small Heath South Signal box and become
the up goods departure line, also controlled as a permissive block section. 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 August 1928) gave train drivers
advance warning of the status of the next Stop Signal.
Small Heath North Signal Box controlled train movements on
the trailing cross-overs on the main and relief lines and the two compounded
through connections associated with (1) the double goods running loop lines,
main lines, relief lines and Bordesley up (Old/Middle and Baulk) yards and (2)
the double goods running loop lines, down relief line and Bordesley down
(Caledonia) yard. The signal box also controlled the starting signals at the
end of the Bordesley goods pilot line and both the Bordesley up (Old/Middle and
Baulk) yards. The Signalman could set a route with the point switch levers.
These were interlocked with various types of signals (including; the route
indicators and ground disc signals), operation of which informed the locomotive
driver of the selected route and when to proceed. This interlocking with
signals ensured that these indicated to other trains, when they could no longer
proceed safely and had to stop.
Visibility was important in the days before track circuit
indication and the Signal Box was positioned where it could oversee the most
complex trackwork. With the road bridge piers obscuring the switches on the up
goods line, fouling bars were initially fitted to ensure these were clear prior
to operation (in the 1950s these were replaced with track circuit
indication A51T). By November 1915 track circuit indication was installed
through the station platforms to the rear of the up relief home (SN6T) and up
main home (SN8T) and in May 1945 track circuit indication was also added to the
rear of the down relief home (SN85AT) and down main home (SN90AT). These four
track circuits meant that train crew was exempt from the requirements of Rule
55 when detained by the associated home signals. Track circuit indication on
the down relief (75T) was installed in August 1958. Each of these track
circuits are shown as a dotted line on the signal diagram.
Small Heath North Signal Box closed on 1st September 1969
and was replaced by No1 Ground Frame which was electrically locked from Saltley
Power Box. The ground frame was taken out of use on 22nd July 1973.
Robert Ferris
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