The signalman's apprentice

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » Sun Sep 08, 2019 8:09 am

The young Dennis Waterman as a 'box lad' in Norwood Yard box in 1969/70 before getting into acting- https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/12 ... 342039.jpg

thesignalman · Post by **thesignalman** » Sun Sep 08, 2019 8:59 am

More information would be useful.

Is "Norwood Yard" is a film prop? The manual Norwood boxes were abolished in 1954. What programme or film was this?

He looks far too old to be a booking boy.

John

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » Sun Sep 08, 2019 9:39 am

thesignalman wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2019 8:59 am More information would be useful.

Is "Norwood Yard" is a film prop? The manual Norwood boxes were abolished in 1954. What programme or film was this?

He looks far too old to be a booking boy.

Hiya John,

It's bit of a joke posting on my part. The scene is from a ITV Armchair Theatre television production called The Signalman's Apprentice that was shown on the telly around 1969/70 and I do actually recall seeing it at the time.

John Palmer · Post by **John Palmer** » Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:03 pm

Unless the ITV set dresser was a committed signalling enthusiast it looks like they took over a real box for the production, as there seem to be several Sykes instruments in view, some topped with three position block indicators. The shape of the window suggests to me that this was a LSW box. Did the cast get instruction in the intricacies of lock and block working?

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:26 pm

John Palmer wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:03 pm Unless the ITV set dresser was a committed signalling enthusiast it looks like they took over a real box for the production, as there seem to be several Sykes instruments in view, some topped with three position block indicators. The shape of the window suggests to me that this was a LSW box. Did the cast get instruction in the intricacies of lock and block working?

I agree John it looks like it is possibly a 'real' signal box of pre-grouping southern railway heritage.

From memory of about 50 years ago there is a scene whereby the Victor Maddern character who plays Alfred one of the signalmen and who is seen standing in the middle of the group of three between Dennis Waterman and Peter Vaughan has a 'mad minute' scene of answering and sending on the block bells and maybe pulling a few levers as well. The play I believe is available on a dvd of a compilation of Armchair Theatre plays from the 1960s & 1970s which I believe there are about 4 volumes and probably available from Amazon if anyone is interested.

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:00 am

I actually recall seeing the play on the telly when it was originally shown on the television back in 1971 but other than a couple of vaguely remembered scenes I couldn't remember what the play was all about anyway I found a small article about it on line and the story is about two B.R. signalmen in the form of Peter Vaughan and Victor Maddern who were left alone in there signal box in a near half forgotten location that hardly saw any trains until one day a new starter in the form of Dennis Waterman shows up to train with them which obviously disrupts both of the two older men's lives ending dramatically in the murder of the Peter Vaughan character in the box by the Victor Maddern character who had apparently suffered years of low level bullying by the Peter Vaughan character.

thesignalman · Post by **thesignalman** » Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:51 am

Mickey wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2019 9:39 am Hiya John,

It's bit of a joke posting on my part. The scene is from a ITV Armchair Theatre television production called The Signalman's Apprentice that was shown on the telly around 1969/70 and I do actually recall seeing it at the time.

Oh silly me - you gave the title in the subject line!

Yes, I remember seeing it too at the time (although I didn't recall Dennis Waterman being in it) - a pretty awful storyline if I remember rightly.. I agree with others that it is far too authentic to be a fake, I am sure we worked out where it was at the time but my memory of that has slipped. I will have to put my thinking cap on. Methinks it as an LB&SC box.

Best regards,

John

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » Tue Sep 10, 2019 10:31 am

Regarding the origin of the box that is what I thought as well John that it was possibly a LB&SC box and that is why I said it was Norwood Yard box not that I ever knew that a Norwood Yard box ever existed in real life although mention is made in the play of the box working a nearby unnamed yard.

Later on in the play there is featured a model railway layout that is in the box that the Peter Vaughan character says that "They can work off the layout if the yard is foggy" or words to that effect which also made me think that it was a Goods yard box on the southern region probably in south or south east London?.

Yes it would be interesting to know if it was a 'real' signal box and what box it actually was?.

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