New Barnet North Signalbox

[Mickey]

Interesting Stevie I wasn't aware about that that the Down fast line colour light distant on the immediate approach to Barnet tunnel being 'approach lit' although when riding on a train either along the Down fast line or Down slow line approaching New Southgate station that colour light distant would ALWAYS be obviously illuminated!. A nice piece of information is that Stevie thanks.

With regards to being at Cemetery I vaguely recall that Cemetery's Down slow line semaphore home signal was renewed on a new bracket signal post possibly sometime during late 1967 or early 1968 and also on this bracket signal post a x2 aspect colour light signal head was mounted along side the semaphore stop signal and that for a time until during the second half of 1970 would only show a 'green' colour light aspect when the semaphore arm was 'pulled off' although obviously the green spectacle glass in the semaphore arm was 'blanked out' but the red spectacle glass in the semaphore arm still could show a red light during the hours of darkness. The next running line signal along the Down slow line that was beyond the Cemetery Down slow line home signal was the Oakleigh Park Down slow line semaphore distant signal which was mounted on a cantilever post just beyond the tunnel mouth anyway I think that x2 aspect colour light signal head on Cemetery's Down slow line home signal would then show a 'yellow' aspect after both Oakleigh Park & New Barnet South Box were both closed in the second half of 1970 and Cemetery was working with the New Barnet North Box panel until February 1973 when Cemetery box was then closed which I believe is all correct Stevie.

[StevieG]

" .... at Cemetery I vaguely recall that Cemetery's Down slow line semaphore home signal was renewed on a new bracket signal post possibly sometime during late 1967 or early 1968 and also on this bracket signal post a x2 aspect colour light signal head was mounted along side the semaphore stop signal and that for a time until during the second half of 1970 would only show a 'green' colour light aspect when the semaphore arm was 'pulled off' although obviously the green spectacle glass in the semaphore arm was 'blanked out' but the red spectacle glass in the semaphore arm still could show a red light during the hours of darkness. The next running line signal along the Down slow line that was beyond the Cemetery Down slow line home signal was the Oakleigh Park Down slow line semaphore distant signal which was mounted on a cantilever post just beyond the tunnel mouth anyway I think that x2 aspect colour light signal head on Cemetery's Down slow line home signal would then show a 'yellow' aspect after both Oakleigh Park & New Barnet South Box were both closed in the second half of 1970 and Cemetery was working with the New Barnet North Box panel until February 1973 when Cemetery box was then closed which I believe is all correct Stevie."

The Y/G colour-light head under Cemetery's DS Home (C2) wasn't operational in 1969 Mickey; braking distance on the rising gradient from Oakleigh Park's DS semaphore Distant (OP5) to the OP Home (6) must've been still regarded as adequate pending the resignalling of the following year.
The C/L head with C2 was brought into use with the 1970 resignalling, necessitated by the the new 3-aspect C/L stop signal a short distance north of Barnet Tunnel (nowadays numbered K501 these last 48 years: NB501 for the previous 3 years), but at that time classed as an Intermediate Block Home signal and operated by Cemetery as his C3 (which lever had used to be his DS-Down Fast 'turn out' Home), and which acted as Distant for the new NB505 signal north of OP station.
So the Cemetery Home's semaphore / C/L combination was effectively a 3-aspect signal, with the C2 arm lamp giving the red, but when that was cleared the C/L head showed Y or G according to whether C3 was 'On' or 'Off'.
[ Incidentally the old Oakleigh Park Y/YY/G DF Distant (OP9) at the tunnel entrance was retained in 1970 to become NB507R, acting as the Distant for NB507 north of OP station, (alongside, parallel with, DS NB505), and the Outer Distant for NB511 at the north end of New Barnet platform.]

When 'Southgate' and Cemetery boxes closed with the resignalling being extended to Wood Green (exclusive), obviously Cemetery's Down Homes disappeared (as did NB507R on the DF), the nearest replacements being the then new NB493 & 495 in almost the same place as the semaphore Homes, and the DS C/L C3 IBH signal became NB501 (with new NB503 almost alongside for the DF).

[Mickey]

All in all Stevie the New Southgate-Cemetery-Oakleigh Park-New Barnet area signalling wise was an interesting length of railway until 1970 before both Oakleigh Park & New Barnet South Box closed later during that year and New Barnet North Box lost its lever frame and gained a signalling panel.

With regards to Cemetery I don't ever recall riding on a passenger train and being 'turned in' off the Up fast to Up slow line through that facing connection near the box although I presume it was occasionally used during the late 1960s and the early 1970s but I don't ever recall seeing any freight or parcels trains ever being 'turned in' off the Up fast to the Up slow line at Cemetery from a passing train either.

I believe I may have seen one of the last oil trains (loco hauled with a green two tone Brush type 4/class 47 on the front and hauling the LARGE OIL TANKS) to be 'turned in' off the Down slow to Down goods line at Oakleigh Park quite possibly in December of 1969 because very early in January of 1970 that facing connection at Oakleigh Park from the Down slow to the Down goods line and the whole Down length of the goods line from Oakleigh Park passing New Barnet South Box and continuing on to New Barnet North Box was taken 'out of use' and likewise the Up goods line from New Barnet North Box passing New Barnet South Box and continuing on to Oakleigh Park as well was taken 'out of use' as well because one day at the start of 1970 I recall that I was riding on a WGC to Kings Cross Cravens unit (usually made up of a x2 car Cravens DMU) along the Up slow line and when passing through New Barnet and Oakleigh Park I noticed all the Up & Down goods lines semaphore signals had been removed from the signal posts on the goods lines.