Kings Cross 1932 Box & 232 Lever SGE Power Frame

[Mickey]

So….this led me to think about track circuit display. The original diagram installed in 1932 operated on the basis that track circuits were illuminated white continually and the relevant track circuit indicator extinguished when the track circuit was occupied (this method I understand is used on the London Underground). Was this the case in the final years or had the method changed to the reverse…e.g. illuminated when track circuit occupied and, if so, was it still a white indication?

To 'modern eyes' at least possibly since B.R. days I would say that appears to be a confusing way of how track circuits are to operate but I suppose if a signalman was use to that way of how track circuits operated then it was 'normal' to them. The track circuit indications that were provided via a on/off needle indication usually mounted just underneath the block shelf in 'line of sight' to the signalman I didn't particularly like much and a few individual boxes still had them into the 1980s where I assume only one or two track circuits were required at a small location and from memory I believe the old Upper Holloway box on the Kentish Town to Barking line had two of them?. Personally I always preferred track circuits to be shown on the signal box track diagram and personally I always liked the B.R. London Midland Region type of track diagrams and the double-red bulb track circuits in the actual track diagram on the length of railway that was track circuited.

[Mickey]

The original 1932 Kings Cross s/box was of an all wooden construction although some of the bottom half of the box was originally 'in the open' from part way down below the operating floor windows downwards to ground level but was 'bricked up' sometime around the time of WW2 like a number of other GN London area s/boxes were at that time. On reflection it was quite an impressive piece of construction to build such a substantial size s/box as the 1932 box in the rather limited space that was available between the platform ends of platform no.5 & no.6 and squeezed in right next door to the 1880s GNR west side departure mechanical s/box which in itself was a fairly large s/box which obviously remained open and in use until the completion and commissioning of the 1932 box