We use to live in the Crouch Hill area between 1960-1966 and myself along with some other kid's sometimes would trespass on the Edgware branch between Stroud Green & Crouch End stations (not very often though) but there was a rumour amongst us kid's that a 'ghost train' use to run along that Edgware branch in the dead on night although i don't think i ever recall seeing any trains of any sort on that line during the whole time we lived in the area during the early/mid 1960s, maybe someone had seen a northern line ECS move hauled by a London Transport battery loco making it's way either towards Highgate or the other way towards Finsbury Park one day or night?.StevieG wrote:The working of the LT trains between No.7 and Highgate had also become unusual : At some point, presumably post-final ending of the Alexandra Place passenger services in '54, and the 1932 LNER multiple-aspect signalling between No.7 and Park Junction boxes having been mostly removed, No.7's Down line Starter signal was, by 1968, a permanent main red aspect, with a working position-light signal below, with which to allow trains onward towards Highgate, presumably under some form of 'No Block'/'Through Siding' type of working [I wonder if this came in after (or before?) the early-1960s cessation of freight workings to station yards like East Finchley, Woodside Park, High Barnet, beyond Mill Hill East, etc.].
Out of interest i had a look at the three s/boxes on the road to (or from) Alexandra Palace there was three s/boxes at Granley Gardens, Muswell Hill & Alexandra Palace and to be honest they wern't that much to look at Alexandra Palace for example the box wasn't even built by the GNR but was built by a contractor in what looks like stone in an 'Italian style' to fit in with the Ally Pally??. Muswell Hill box was set back a fair distance from the running line and was situated low down on the platform again it wasn't much of a design to look at only Granley Gardens box was ok'ish and had a GNR look about it that vaguely reminded me of Ferme Park South Up maybe??.
Mickey