Signalling.

[StevieG]

I hope 4-4-4 was refused at WGC if the section ahead was occupied.

[Mickey]

[hq1hitchin]

Thats a name from the dim and distant past hq1hitchin GEORGE WAKEFIELD. I am not sure if George ever turned up at WGC for a chat with Cycil White (well it was nearly 40 years ago!) and may be i am getting George mixed up with someone else but did George do abit of part time 'preaching' and was known as the 'vicar' or am i mixing him up with someone else but i do remember the name George Wakefield.

That's the man, Micky - in the 1930s, signalmen were expected to move about for promotion (or on redundancy) far more than became the case later on. George used to relieve at Dunstable when the LNE had a box there (must have gone a very long time ago?) and he told me of seeing Ivatt Atlantics there, but I reckon he might have been mistaken on that one. He then went down Grantham way on the main line and had some tales to tell about the Old Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VIII) using Grantham Station.

[Mickey]

[hq1hitchin]

Thats a name from the dim and distant past hq1hitchin GEORGE WAKEFIELD. I am not sure if George ever turned up at WGC for a chat with Cycil White (well it was nearly 40 years ago!) and may be i am getting George mixed up with someone else but did George do abit of part time 'preaching' and was known as the 'vicar' or am i mixing him up with someone else but i do remember the name George Wakefield.

That's the man, Micky - in the 1930s, signalmen were expected to move about for promotion (or on redundancy) far more than became the case later on. George used to relieve at Dunstable when the LNE had a box there (must have gone a very long time ago?) and he told me of seeing Ivatt Atlantics there, but I reckon he might have been mistaken on that one. He then went down Grantham way on the main line and had some tales to tell about the Old Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VIII) using Grantham Station.

Blimey. Ivatt Atlantics at Dunstable they must have gone down the Luton branch through Ayot, Harpenden & Luton Bute street to end up there. The only pictures of steam locos that i have seen on the stretch between Welwyn-Luton are the N2 & N7 tanks and on the Luton-Dunstable stretch Midland 4Fs also may be ex-L.M.S. Ivatt 2-6-0s or a B.R. standard 4 2-6-0s?. Later on in the diesel era Sulzers, North British, Brush type-2s, Paxmans & Craven units.

Don't want to stray too far off topic, but largest engines I ever saw going from Dunstable to Luton (and only very very rarely) were LMS Black 5 and 8F. A LNW Super D also worked a railtour once. N2 and N7s were the largest Eastern engines I saw.

[Mickey]

[StevieG]

" .... Stevie, you knew that the old rule 147 was applicable at Welwyn on the down slow line platform and Luton platform?. "

Yes; pretty essential - there could have been some right old hold-ups at Hatfield without it : The WGC signalman would have had to wait until the tail lamp of a passenger train that was terminating, or one calling that spent several minutes in the platform, actually came into view when the train eventually passed the box.

[Mickey]

[PeterOz]

Hi micky , I read with interest your account of the Gospel Oak box fire. I was at St.Pancras at the time as shift manager but not on duty. My collegue A.Baldwin was on duty and was summoned to site( I assume by control ) On arrival by car he was told by fire officer in charge that fire was under control. Andy then asked where is the signalman? The fire brigade were under the impression that the box was unmanned. You mention that yourself and Roy Bowley worked on the midland main line. Did you both work north of Bedford as i myself was associated from St. Pancras to Bedford from 1959 to 1989. I served one year at Luton South as box recorder about 1981.
Cheers Peter.

[Mickey]

[thesignalman]

Sudbury Hill was best box in my opinion , 12 hr split shift, just a couple of switches for the signals and gas mantle lights.

[Anthony Tubbs]

G'day

Yep them's the ones, actually gave off quite a bit of heat as well as light.

Anthony Tubbs
Melbourne, Australia

[Mickey]

[52D]

off the top of your head micky was the bell code for Freightliners 2-3-5?

[R. pike]

3-2-5

or

4-3-2-5 Train composed of Freightliner and/or Carflat vehicles exceeding 56 but not more than 70 SLU or Train composed of 7 Cartic 4 vehicles to be regarded as 510 yards long...

or

3-3-2-5

Train composed of Freightliner and/or Carflat vehicles exceeding 70 but not more than 75 SLU to be regarded as 570 yards long..