Point Rodding (and Stools) NER / LNER

[Jeremy Bartlett]

Hello,
I've been inactive for sometime but having gotten around to the details of a model I'm working on and I was hoping to check the collective wisdom for knowledge of point rodding. I'm modelling an NER station in the 30's. Unfortunately I can't find any clear illustrations of the details of point rodding and stools etc. - plenty of the signals and so on but not much at rail level. Did the NER use round or square rodding (and similarly for the LNER in the 30s). I'm assuming round from what I can make out but I'm not clear. Can anyone opine as to the suitability of Brassmasters (or others) etches for representing NER (or LNER) stools?
Thanks for any replies.
Jeremy

[Bryan]

I think your first port of call should be North Eastern Record Vol 1 published by HMRS and the NERA ( North Eastern Railway Association. http://www.ner.org.uk/ ) Its now out of print but should be available on a net search ISBN 0-902835-13-0

[Jeremy Bartlett]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've already checked that one with no luck although I'll take yet anothre glance. Most of the references have a lot of detail on the actual signals but nothing on the linkages between them and the boxes. I've come across an MRJ reference that indicated the pre-grouping rodding was generally tubular so I'll go with that for now. A lot of photos from places like NYMR show glimpses of channel rodding as far as I can make out; but perhaps that was added later during late LNER or more likely BR days.

[StevieG]

Probably not greatly helpful, but some 20-ish years ago, there was a pair of VHS cassettes of rather dry signalling maintenance (training?) films, presumably originally BR(E) or BR(NE) (1950s?) products as I think they were filmed in part around Church Fenton, available from some rather specialised source (sorry I don't now remember clearer details). One or both must surely have included some close views of the point rodding then in use.

[Trestrol]

Try and find some pictures of the railway at Beamish Museum. All their roding is NER round bar.

[Bryan]

Just checked through the publication by NERA of NER standard drawings.
Nothing listed.
If I remember will ask at the NERA stand at York show this weekend if there is anything published.
Back to NER Record there is a photo showing round bar rodding but no connections visible.

[Jeremy Bartlett]

Thanks to all for the replies. I gather the default for NER was round/tubular rodding. This is what I most needed to know since the station I'll be modelling wasn't apparently modified for quite sometime into BR rule and I'm looking at the 1930s.
Jeremy

[Bryan]

If I remember will ask at the NERA stand at York show this weekend if there is anything published.

Asked on the NERA stand yesterday.
There is no book of S+T standard drawings known about by those on the stand ( D Williamson )
That does not mean that there wasn't one though.

[Solario]

I have had a quick browse through the book called "A Pictorial Record of LNER Constituent Signalling" by AA Maclean. There are very few clear pictures of NER signal rods but what there are show round rodding. Some diagrams bear this out.

I should point out that there could be differences because there were at least two (Northern & Southern) NER S&T areas and they each seemed to do their own thing, but major works were contracted to McKenzie & Holland.

[TANFIELD]

It has been suggested that Beamish Museum (Rowley Station) reflects NER practice for point rodding etc. As can be seen it is piping with screwed joints to the rod lengths.The rodding guides with profiled rollers are quite ornate, compared with the "A" frames of more recent times.The compensator cranks inserted in the rodding run is of a more modern era. The equipment is original to Rowley (Consett), Pallion and Alnwick. If you wish to contact me, email address available through the moderator.

Compensator cranks inserted in the rodding run.