Canonbury tunnel 1881

[Mickey]

Below is the official report into the 1881 Canonbury tunnel railway accident that took place in December 1881 between Finsbury Park No.1 s/box on the Great Northern Railway & Canonbury Junction s/box on the North London Railway.

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docume ... on1881.pdf

Finsbury Park No.1 opened in 1875 and is referred to in the report as No.1 Great Northern Railway signal box and closed in 1974.
Canonbury Junction opened in 18?? and closed in 1971.

Reproduced by permission of John the signalman-

Below Finsbury Park No.1 track diagram dated 1904-
https://www.signalbox.org/diagrams.php?id=863

Below Canonbury Junction on the North London line featuring a distant shot of Canonbury Junction s/box which stood beside the Down no.2 line heading towards Highbury station with 'Baby Deltic' no.D5905 in the foreground working the 17:55hrs Broad street to Cuffley service made up of inner suburban non-corridor coaches rounds the curve towards Canonbury tunnel and Finsbury Park beyond on the 17th April 1969-
https://433shop.co.uk/index.php?route=p ... ct_id=5843

[Mickey]

A lot of information in the official accident report regarding the accident and other interesting bits of info as well such as "no speaking communication equipment or electric telegraph existed between both s/boxes" with the only communication being the single stroke block bell.

A electric signal repeater located in Canonbury Junction s/box existed for the Up line distant signal (underneath Finsbury Park No.1s Up starting signal on the approach to the northern entrance to the tunnel) but was 'out-or-use' at the time of the accident which had a bearing on the accident because even though the Canonbury Junction signalman didn't 'pull off' this distant signal according to all the train crews including the train guards they all gave evidence that the Canonbury Junction distant signal was showing 'off' when passing Finsbury Park No.1s Up line starting signal even though the advance section between both boxes was 'occupied' already by a train(s).

The block bell codes in 1881 were very rudimentary at the time of the accident and were to became more comprehensive in the following years and decades.

The signalman in Finsbury Park No.1 'offered on' a following passenger train to Canonbury Junction even though the block section was still occupied by a passenger train and the block needle still showed 'Train on Line' on the block instrument between both boxes?.

The Canonbury Junction signalman when being offered on another passenger train before the previous one had left the block section then gave the Finsbury Park No.1 signalman 6 bells which on the North London Railway apparently 'reinforced that the block section was still occupied' although the Finsbury Park No.1 signalman claimed he received 7 bells and not 6 bells and that he didn't know what 7 bells meant and which he didn't acknowledge the 6 or 7 bells according to the Canonbury Junction signalman and booking boy who was employed at the box so after quickly looking at a card hung up in Finsbury Park No.1 box which showed that on the North London Railway 7 bells meant 'Permissive block' he then implement 'Permissive block' working between both boxes?.

The signalman in Finsbury Park No.1 gave evidence that he cautioned the next three trains into the advanced occupied section between his box and Canonbury Junction box under Permissive block working even though it was a Absolute block section and he also claimed that those following three trains were 'cautioned' verbally and by exhibiting a green flag (held steady) from his box which all the train crews and guards denied in their statements about being verbally cautioned or seeing any green flag at Finsbury Park No.1.

In the 1904 track diagram of Finsbury Park No.1 the Canonbury Junction distant signal(s) have been re-positioned on the approach side to Finsbury Park No.1 and the starting signal (section section) towards Canonbury Junction appears to have been re-positioned to the left-hand side of the running line (previously it was located on the right-hand side beside the Down line) also it appears to be 'slotted' by Canonbury Junction as well.

[thesignalman]

In 1884, almost certainly as a follow-up to the accident, two additional boxes were added between Finsbury Park No1 and Canonbury Junction. These were named Drayton Park and Highbury Vale. The latter was very close to Canonbury Junction but fulfilled an important role which I am pretty sure (without re-reading the report after so many years) was a requirement inttroduced specifically after the accident where signalling regulations pertaining to the main line's company had to be used on sections of line leading into it. Thus Highbury Vale would have worked to NLR regulatoions on the Canonbury side and Great Northern regulations on the Finsbury Park side. Both of the new boxes were small, with just 8 levers.

On my plan, Finsbury Park No1's advanced starter has three slots shown on it, suggesting that the two new boxes and Canonbury Junction itself had control over it. If that isn't belt'n'braces, I don't know what is!

Also, possibly not evident to those who are not familiar with such things, there is a mechanical indicator showing UP LINE BLOCKED/CLEAR FROM DRAYTON PARK which presumably also locked the lever concerned.

The two new boxes were abolished in 1913 and 1921 respectively, presumably as technology progressed, simpler ways were found to safely signal the tunnel.

John

[Mickey]

Thanks for confirming the existence of a small s/box called Highbury Vale John because I vaguely recall reading something years ago about a box called by that name located somewhere in the vicinity of Canonbury Junction and Canonbury tunnel I believe?. I didn't know their was also a box called Drayton Park as well and not the L.T. brick built box.

[StevieG]

... And also not the LT brick cabin's predecessor box at Drayton Park station Mickey.

Happy to be put right if I am in error John, but in case of avoiding unnecessary potential confusion with the name reference of one of the 'yards' at Finsbury Park No.1, I had long thought that the 1884 box at the NLR end of the tunnel was named Highbury Crescent? (and there is a street of that name not too far away).

[thesignalman]

Happy to be put right if I am in error John, but in case of avoiding unnecessary potential confusion with the name reference of one of the 'yards' at Finsbury Park No.1, I had long thought that the 1884 box at the NLR end of the tunnel was named Highbury Crescent? (and there is a street of that name not too far away).

Yes, I think you are right!

John

[Mickey]

I presume Highbury Crescent s/box was located on the curve somewhere between Canonbury Junction and Canonbury tunnel which is/was only about 250-300 yards in length and I also presume 'the box' was structure wise not a full blown signal box but more like a 'block hut' with maybe 5 or 6 leavers?.

The view looking east towards Canonbury station with Canonbury Junction behind the photographer featuring a class 501 EMU on a Broad street to Richmond service approaching Canonbury Junction along the Down No.2 line (third rail electrified) with the No.1 lines on the left possibly sometime during the early/mid 1980s. The red colour light signal in the picture was controlled by Western Junction off the lever frame.
https://topticl.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10 ... 8326-4.jpg

I worked Canonbury Junction when it was controlled by Western Junction s/box when I was regular at that box during 1987 before and after the re-signalling of both Western Junction & Camden Road s/boxes and the commissioning of NX panels in both boxes in the autumn of 1987 and at that time pre re-signalling the No.1 lines to and from Camden Road were closed beyond Canonbury Junction although it was still a double-track line from Canonbury Junction and through Canonbury tunnel around to Finsbury Park and was worked under TCB to and from Kings Cross PSB. After the re-signalling of Western Junction in the autumn of 1987 the double-track line from Canonbury Junction through Canonbury tunnel to & from Finsbury Park was reduced to a single line to Highbury Vale and their was also some track rationalisation of the No.1 lines from Canonbury Junction to Barnsbury Junction which was singled either side and through Highbury & Islington station.