The LNER Encyclopedia

A couple of scanned 35mm slides from my Father's collection.
Can anyone identify please?

ID

Top obviously G.N.R. and whilst on this subject has anyone got a BACK view of one of these so I can see how the arm works

Second I'd have a guess at Scotland somewhere

Hello Boris,

Just had a quick look but no images of the back.
However, here is a blow up of the mechanism, not sure how it will come out on here.
There appears to be some sort of link from the pin (mid board) to the upright.

ID

Boris wrote:Top obviously G.N.R. and whilst on this subject has anyone got a BACK view of one of these so I can see how the arm works

I would recommend 'A Pictorial Record of LNER Constituent Signalling (Oxford Publishing) ISBN 0860931463
This gives pictures and diagrams of all aspects of signalling equipement on the LNER and well worth a read. It's still around on the second hand market and a quick Google shows lots of variations in price.

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Here's my shot of the rear of a somersault signal at Thorpe Culvert in 1990

Thorpe Culvert Down Distant Signal Rear 12.5.90 par PinzaC55, on ipernity
The bottom (lattice post) signal is most likely Caledonian due to the style of finial and the lattice ( X lattice rather than the North British Railway's "Z" lattice).

There's several somersault signals at the east end of Wansford station (Nene Valley railway) and the backs are visible from public areas. They are pulled off for every eastbound departure
Just a shame to me that it's an LNWR station, and none of those friendly looking LNWR signals seem to survive anywhere.

Boris wrote: " Top obviously G.N.R. and whilst on this subject has anyone got a BACK view of one of these so I can see how the arm works .... "

Iron Duke wrote:Hello Boris,

Just had a quick look but no images of the back.
However, here is a blow up of the mechanism, not sure how it will come out on here.
There appears to be some sort of link from the pin (mid board) to the upright.

ID
1-Signal 1-002.jpg [ 81.82 KiB | Viewed 51 times ]

WTTReprinter wrote:I would recommend 'A Pictorial Record of LNER Constituent Signalling (Oxford Publishing) ISBN 0860931463
This gives pictures and diagrams of all aspects of signalling equipement on the LNER and well worth a read. It's still around on the second hand market and a quick Google shows lots of variations in price.

PinzaC55 wrote:Here's my shot of the rear of a somersault signal at Thorpe Culvert in 1990

Thorpe Culvert Down Distant Signal Rear 12.5.90 par PinzaC55, on ipernity
The bottom (lattice post) signal is most likely Caledonian due to the style of finial and the lattice ( X lattice rather than the North British Railway's "Z" lattice).

In case of any slight help in the meantime, and if the linkage can't easily be made out from all the photos, the down rod connects the weight bar out-of-sight below to the right-hand arm of the small crank (on the main post), to the R-H end of which the spectacle plate/frame is attached, and a horizontal rod extends left from the other arm of the crank to a small half crank (behind the arm) fixed to, and 'pointing' below, the arm's pivot spindle.

When the signal's lever is pulled to Reverse to pull the signal from Danger to the 'Off' indication, the long end of the weight bar rises, pushing the down rod, and so also the spectacle plate, up so that the spectacle glasses rise from positioning the red in front of the lamp to instead be the green, and simultaneously moving the horizontal rod to the right and 'pulling' the arm crank thus moving the arm from 'On' (Danger), theoretically to vertical [but in practice anywhere between roughly 50-90 degrees from the horizontal depending on wear in the connections and/or adjustment of the signal wire's tensioning]
Also, referring to Micky's mention of 'Fail Safe' of the somersault design, it will be noted that the arm's main pivot is above the horizontal centre line of the arm, so that its centre of gravity was below the pivot, and so a breakage failure anywhere in the mechanism's linkages on the post while the signal was pulled 'off' to show 'Clear' would mean that the arm would still drop to Danger (or 'Caution' if a Distant signal arm) by its own weight.

When the signalman puts the signal lever back to Normal, the tension in the signal wire was released and the weight on the weight bar pulled slackened wire back towards the signal, and also pulled the signal-post down rod back down, reversing the 'pulling off' movements, dropping the spec. plate 'back to' red and rotating the arm back to horizontal (or thereabouts: As often seen in photos, wear in the connections and/or fittings often resulted in the arm pointing slightly up at the left-hand end by a few degrees when in the theoretically horizontal 'On' ['Danger' or 'Caution'] position).

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Top obviously G.N.R. and whilst on this subject has anyone got a BACK view of one of these so I can see how the arm works

Boris - is this any use to you? Taken on the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway.

Thanks to all that gave answers to my query and so quick as well, again many thanks

An informative set of replies together with interesting discussion.
Did the concrete posts come later than the lattice ironwork types or was it a regional aspect?

ID

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Just to add my little bit.
These arms moved by the action of the rod after passing through the post about halfway up.

Signal not in its original location.
Any guesses?

The shed behind it looks suggestive of Southport?
As for the signals the only thing I can think of is one of the GWR South Wales constituent companies.