New Barnet - IFS / NX

[StevieG]

I seem to recall that a particular nuisance with these concentrators was that if a direct circuit from a non-main SPT lineside phone (a "CB circuit"?) rang-in continuously owing to a fault, or the lineside handset having not been fully replaced 'on hook' after use.

The continuous ringing-in of the circuit concerned was very intrusive and annoying, and meant that any other circuits ringing-in could only be noticed visually.
The only other unofficial remedies before fault repair or proper handset replacement were, I think, to : -
- leave the offending circuit key down or up, which silenced the ringing, but also meant that another circuit ringing in could only be noticed visually ;
- simple use of a screwdriver to enable the problem circuit's 'card' unit to be slid forward about an inch, disconnecting the circuit. But although this then allowed normal operation of all other circuits of the concentrator that were positioned to the left of the problem one, it also disabled ringing-in (all operation?) of all other circuits that were positioned to its right.

[Mickey]

Yes that was an annoying fault with SPTs Stevie if a handset was left 'off the hook' it would ring or the light for that SPT would 'flash' continuously on the concentrator.

Staying on the New Barnet North box panel thread that reminds me of a nearly long forgotten minor happening when I was a telegraph lad at Welwyn Garden City box (1972-74) when one day some 'joker' rang up WGC box and asked me if I could contact the New Barnet 'lampman' as he was required to do the lamping at New Barnet?. Anyway after hanging up on whoever it was who was looking for the New Barnet lampman I turned to the signalman and said that was someone who was looking for the New Barnet lampman to do the New Barnet lamps and the signalman said to me "New Barnet haven't got any oil lamps they have all colour lights?." Maybe the joker was Jim Burnett working New Barnet North Box that day?.

[Mickey]

On reflection I presume the long NX panel in New Barnet North Box (1973-1976) was a fairly easy panel to work being basically four straight running lines throughout. On the Down lines two running lines fast & slow between Wood Green tunnel to Hawkshead and on the Up lines two running lines fast & slow from about Redhall south of Hatfield to south of Oakleigh Park (did the Wood Green Up Box No.4 NX panel control a 'turn in' off the Up fast line north of New Southgate station I can't remember?). Anyway on the Down lines the New Barnet NX panel had a group of 'controlled signals' at New Barnet and another group of 'controlled signals' at Potters Bar and on the Up lines another group of 'controlled signals' at Potters Bar and another group of controlled signals at New Barnet where I presume on all four running lines all the 'routes at New Barnet & Potters Bar were left in auto' and working in conjunction with the occupation of the track circuits. At various other places on the NX panel such as on the two Down lines from Wood Green tunnel to the approach to New Barnet and on the two Up lines from Redhall through Brookmans Park to the approach to Potters Bar their were long auto-sections coupled with the existing auto-sections north of New Barnet through Hadley Wood to the approach to Potters Bar and south of Potters Bar through Hadley Wood to the approach to New Barnet.

Was single stroke block bells sunk into the NX panel face on the New Barnet panel like they were on the Welwyn Garden City NX panel?.

[StevieG]

Yes Mickey.

[Mickey]

About the time I was leaving WGC box around March 1974 'S&T 'prep work' was in hand at New Barnet, Hatfield & WGC boxes in readiness to decommission the Hatfield No.2 temporary NX panel and link up New Barnet box with WGC box for a couple of years before Kings Cross PSB was fully commissioned and took over the whole lot.

Also around the time I was leaving WGC box the then new 'Welwyn flyover' was either just about to open for traffic (no more crossing terminating trains through the flat crossings across the fast lines) or had just open to traffic I can't recall which now?.

The WGC NX panel possibly still exists in the WGC relay room?. Two or three photographs of it were posted on the forum about 5 or 6 years ago on one of the WGC signalling threads found elsewhere on this forum.

[StevieG]

Below supposedly a photograph of possibly the Interior of a GN box with a NX panel on the extreme left of the photograph found amongst a group of photographs supposedly taken around Wood Green but that doesn't mean to say all the photographs are from that area including the one below?.

http://www.samhallas.co.uk/railway/sign ... _green.jpg

Trying not to be influenced by your other photos being " .... supposedly taken around Wood Green .... " Mickey, nevertheless, the top-to-bottom width, and position, of the panel, the (I think) lack of a door in the visible end of the box, and the very large number of direct lines in that wide phone concentrator, make me think that this could be the south end of Wood Green (former No.4) box : And on the panel, the two slightly lighter horizontal lines could be the tape fixing of a paper 'patch' showing temporary fringe arrangements before Finsbury Park was resignalled.

(I even wonder if the partially visible chap extreme right could be signalman George Croft.)

[Mickey]

Below supposedly a photograph of possibly the Interior of a GN box with a NX panel on the extreme left of the photograph found amongst a group of photographs supposedly taken around Wood Green but that doesn't mean to say all the photographs are from that area including the one below?.

http://www.samhallas.co.uk/railway/sign ... _green.jpg

Trying not to be influenced by your other photos being " .... supposedly taken around Wood Green .... " Mickey, nevertheless, the top-to-bottom width, and position, of the panel, the (I think) lack of a door in the visible end of the box, and the very large number of direct lines in that wide phone concentrator, make me think that this could be the south end of Wood Green (former No.4) box : And on the panel, the two slightly lighter horizontal lines could be the tape fixing of a paper 'patch' showing temporary fringe arrangements before Finsbury Park was resignalled.

(I even wonder if the partially visible chap extreme right could be signalman George Croft.)

Yeah I reckon you are right Stevie although I never visited Wood Green Up Box No.4 but with you possibly believing that the picture may also feature George Croft I know that George told me himself that he use to work Wood Green Up Box No.4 (as well as Holloway North Up) and one day possibly in the late 1980s I brought into Holloway box (on the T&H line) several B.R. S&T track diagrams of various boxes in the London area on the GN including one of Wood Green Up Box No.4 and George said to me could he have the Wood Green No.4 diagram for "old times sake" because he use to work at the box at onetime as a resident signalman and of course I gave him the diagram.

As for George I know he lived around Wolverton (Bletchley) back in the 1980s and 1990s and he retired from the railways back in the middle 1990s although I don't know if he's still around anymore?.