Alan 'peddler' Palmer at WGC

[Mickey]

Alan 'peddler' Palmer was a resident signalman at Welwyn Garden City possibly from sometime during the early/mid 1960s until the time the box closed in September 1976. I first met Alan when I went to the box as a telegraph lad in 1972. Alan was known usually as Alan 'peddler Palmer' and I believe he was originally from the Peterborough area because besides taking an interest in Peterborugh FC one day he mentioned to me that he had started on the railway with the LNER back in the mid 1930s and like most signalmen of his generation he did as a telegraph lad at a box around the Peterborough area and like Harry Fitzgearald another resident signalman at Welwyn Garden City he could read the single needle telegraph in his sleep those men were that good at it. His first box as a signalman he told me was at Lolham north of Peterborough before being called up for wartime service with the RAF flying with Bomber Command in Lancaster bombers. On being demobed from the RAF Alan re-joined the railways as a signalman and I remember him saying that he was a signalman at the 1955 Potters Bar panel box before going to Hatfield No.1 as a resident signalman. Sometime during the early/mid 1960s Alan went to Welwyn Garden City as a resident signalman where he remained until the box closed in September 1976 after which Alan transferred into Kings Cross PSB where he remained until he retired from the railways around 1987.

I presume he was known as Alan 'peddler' Palmer because he use to ride a push bike to and from Welwyn Garden City box from where he lived somewhere around the Welwyn North area.

Here is Alan 'peddler' Palmer https://www.ourwelwyngardencity.org.uk/ ... 03x469.jpg with his back to the camera on the WGC lever frame shortly before the lever frame was removed and replaced by the NX route setting panel that was installed and commissioned in September of 1973. The dark long haired youth in front of Alan is ME!. Note a bunch of levers (nos 51-59) have already been removed in readiness before the re-signalling and commissioning weekend took place also the track diagram shown in the picture was a temporary 'cheap' British Rail track diagram that only lasted about four months between late May and late September of that year and was installed to replace the old glass fronted track diagram when Absolute block working was in force but was superseded by TCB working (Track Circuit Block) between Hatfield No.2 & WGC boxes on all four running lines with the commissioning of a NX route setting panel in Hatfield No.2 and at the sametime the closure of Hatfield No.1 in late May of 1973. Also the two 'black boxes' mounted on the block shelf with telephone handsets were only installed at the sametime as the track diagram and only lasted for around four months before both being disconnected and removed along with everything else.