Welwyn Garden City NX panel 1973-76

[Mickey]

The following is from (my) first-hand memories from 39 years ago.

The NX panel was sited in the s/box at Welwyn Garden City about 4-6 weeks before the commissioning and was then 'wired up' by the S&T installer's.

The panel faced overlooking the up & down fast & up & down slow running lines in the south end of the box near to the door. The panel was fairly long and stood about 3-4 feet off the box floor and had a grey background rather then a green background with all the lines shown on it that was under Welwyn Garden City's control.

On the down fast & down slow lines trains were 'picked up' south of Hatfield (Redhall) and left the panel on the down fast & down slow lines just north of Woolmer Green Junction. On the up lines trains were 'picked up' on the up fast & up slow lines on the approach to Knebworth station and left the panel on the up fast & up slow lines just south of Hatfield station.

There were x4 small buttons set in the panel for the block bells which read left to right-

1.Slow line to/from Langley Junction
2.Fast line to/from Langley Junction
3.Fast line to/from New Barnet (north box)
4.Slow line to/from New Barnet (north box)

The re-signalling weekend took place in September 1973 starting around 2:pm on the Saturday afternoon and going through to the Sunday evening. A much reduced train service was still run during the re-signalling with 'temporary block working' inforce over the up & down slow lines starting & terminating at Welwyn Garden City (believe it or not??).

At Welwyn Garden City once the S&T had taken possession at 2:pm on the Saturday afternoon all the semaphore signals and disc signals worked from the box were abolished plus thoughs semaphore signals at Welwyn north s/box as well. The Welwyn Garden City lever frame, block instruments/track diagram & block shelf was de-commissioned and taken out of the box during the Saturday night/Sunday morning.

1.Welwyn north s/box closed (for good) on the Friday evening before the re-signalling the following day at approximately 10:pm.

2.Woolmer Green & Knebworth s/boxes closed 3 weekends after the NX panel was installed in Welwyn Garden City s/box when TCB (Track Circuit Block signalling) was extended from Woolmer Green to Langley Junction s/box (south of Stevenage new station) on all 4-roads.

[R. pike]

Cambridge Junction gained a similar panel for a while. It migrated to the relay room across the tracks one weekend just before King's Cross took over the whole job. I imagine the Welwyn panel is still about in the relay room there?

The ex Cambridge Junction panel..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N ... 467432313/

A little toy for me to wire up one day. Funnily enough i spent last week on a course to do with Route Relay Interlocking. Finding space for the panel is just possible. Finding space for the relays is the problem.

[Mickey]

Cambridge Junction gained a similar panel for a while. It migrated to the relay room across the tracks one weekend just before King's Cross took over the whole job. I imagine the Welwyn panel is still about in the relay room there?

The Welwyn Garden City NX panel did go into the relay room back in September 1976 when the box closed but about 10-12 years ago i remember something being said about that panel was being moved out of the relay room and was going somewhere else?.

Stevie probably knows more about this??.

[R. pike]

There was a fire a few years back near KX and the box had to be evacuated. I was a bit slow on the uptake as i had heard trains running but didn't realise KX was still shut. I got to see Hitchin, Letchworth, Royston and Biggleswade panels in use. If i'd been on the ball Welwyn would have been my next choice..

[Mickey]

It would be funny (for me) to see that WGC panel again cos the last time i saw it was way back in March 1974 when i left the box cos my position (telegraph lad) was abolished.

[Mickey]

After the block-shelf and block instruments/track diagram had been removed and the lever frame had been taken out the box during the Saturday night/Sunday morning the floor was covered over with wooden boards and a 'temporary screen' made out of a sheet of clear plastic was hung from the box roof dividing the box inside (to try and keep the box warmer) so to reach the far end of the box and the toilet (north end) you had to pass around the side of the sheet of clear plastic sheeting.

At a later date a proper wooden partition was built with a door in it to gain access to the far end of the box and the toilet dividing the box in half more permanently.

Thinking about the topic further after the WGC re-signalling in September 1973 and into 1974 WGC s/box worked to Hatfield (former no.2) s/box to the south which also had a temporary NX panel before that box closed in 1974 and then WGC s/box worked with New Barnet (north box).

[Bryan]

I am fairly certain that any of the new installations around the 70s would have been commissioned by my Father in Law.
Very active in the installations as well.
Working out of the Design office in York the full length of the ECML to the Scottish border.

[Mickey]

I presume that Westinghouse signalling co. would have built the panel and commissioned the re-signalling project?.

The 1st stage of the WGC re-signalling project included the de-commissioning of the 97 lever mechanical frame, block instruments, track diagram & block shelf at WGC and also the lever frame and block controls at Welwyn north s/box as well plus the abolition of all semaphore signals and a few older colour light signals at both locations.

While the above work was going on all mechanical points were being converted to power operation and the new colour light signals were being de-hood and aspect tested a long with the testing of all track circuits by the S&T installer's throughout Saturday afternoon and on through into Saturday night and Sunday.

Interesting to note that from approximately 2:pm on the Saturday until the end of service on Saturday night and from Sunday morning onwards into Sunday tea-time a much reduced local passenger service was being run starting and terminating at WGC on the slow lines only under 'temporary block working' regulations between Hatfield no.2 and WGC station.

The WGC NX panel was (partly) commissioned on the next day (Sunday) and was working with Hatfield no.2 to the south and Woolmer Green to the north all under TCB (Track Circuit Block) regulations and all signed in by the S&T installer's on the Sunday evening ready for the Monday morning peak service!!.

The 2nd stage of the WGC re-signalling scheme was three weekends later when both Woolmer Green & Knebworth s/boxes were both de-commissioned and TCB was extended to Langley Junction s/box which also received a NX panel.

[Bryan]

Westinghouse may have built the panel but it was BR S+T staff on the commissionings.
With assistance from Westinghouse as required.

[Mickey]

Westinghouse may have built the panel but it was BR S+T staff on the commissionings.
With assistance from Westinghouse as required.

I dare say that you are correct Bryan, nowadays re-signalling projects go to anyone who puts in the 'lowest bid' and wins the contract?.

Following on from a previous post of mine i was wondering today where that WGC NX panel is now days?. It must still be around somewhere after it's time spent re-located to the WGC relay room during the rest of the 1970s, 80s, 90s & 00s??.

[DaveGN]

Welwyn NX panel is still in use in Welwyn Relay Room.

I have tried to attach two photos. Although there were taken in 2007, it's pretty much the same. The bulbs were replaced with LEDs several years ago.

A montly audit is carried out on it in case it needs to be switched in for maintenance at KX box or in an emergency.

It has bits of tape and odd paint on it to account for all the changes over the years...!

[Mickey]

Thats the panel Dave, i havan't seen it since 1974, it's still in the relay room at WGC then cos someone reckoned that it was moved about 10-12 years ago??.

When the panel was in the s/box at WGC it was set at a different angle with the 'face' angled at 45 degrees to the signalman and was mounted about 3-4 feet off the box floor.

I like the 'chunky' points switches.

It was 'grey' wasn't it!.

[R. pike]

Is Welwyn a Westinghouse installation? Hitchin was GEC.

[Mickey]

Is Welwyn a Westinghouse installation? Hitchin was GEC.

Don't know Richard i just assume that the WGC panel was built by Westinghouse??.

I recall that when the panel was brought into the box at Welwyn Garden City (about 4-6 weeks before the changeover in September 1973) it was initially covered in polythene wrapping!!. The S&T installers then took all the polythene wrapping off after a few days and told all the signalmen that they should all "have a play on it to get use to it" before it was commissioned.

[Bryan]

My Father in law used to get the panel set up to shadow the existing signalling as a means of checking it out.
This also gave the opportunity for a bit of training as well.