15. Salisbury evening trip-12.08.81

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1981 > 15. Salisbury evening trip-12.08.81

Following my visit to Salisbury the previous weekend and the realisation that the semaphore signalling was about to be swept away in a few days Graham and I took a crafty evening trip to the Wiltshire town. We stopped off in the Wylye Valley on the way down to capture the mechanical signalling still in place there. Once again, I am not sure how we blagged it but Graham and I got access to both Salisbury East and West boxes with just nine days left in operation.

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Images 1-17 of 17 displayed.

Upton Lovell crossing box (GW, date not known)
Firstly, apologies for the dreadful quality of this photograph but it is the only one that I have of this lovely little structure so it has been rescued from the rejects box, worked on and reinstated! The out-of-focus image shows Upton Lovell crossing box located on the Westbury to Salisbury line just south of Warminster. The 'shed' contained a small ground frame that interlocked the manual level crossing just out of shot to the left with some signalling. I suspect that this location deep in rural Wiltshire once had a proper signal box but I have no information on this and on the crossing box shown here for that matter: any further information would be appreciated.
Keywords: Upton Lovell crossing box ground frame

Codford signal box (GW, date unknown)
The interior lights just beginning to glow inside the box and with the sun setting fast on this summer's evening a very atmospheric photograph is presented of Codford signal box. I do not have a date for the box's construction by the GWR but it is of a type built between 1889 and 1896 characterised by a simpler window bar arrangement and a slightly shallower hipped roof. In this view, it is good to see the GWR cast plate still attached to the front of the box and it retaining its pair of finials. The box was to close in just under a year on 07.06.82.
Keywords: Codford signal box GWR Great Western Railway

Codford signal box (GW, date unknown)
Looking northwest towards Warminster Codford signal box is seen very much in the twilight of its operating life similar to the time of the day when it is being photographed! It had just ten months left in operation before closure was to take place with an automatic half-barrier crossing being installed and colour lights coming under the control of the Salisbury panel. There was once a station at Codford that closed, along with all the others in the Wylye valley between Warminster and Salisbury, on 19.09.55.
Keywords: Codford signal box GWR Great Western Railway

Up home signal, Codford
Silhouetted against a lovely late summer evening sky after the sun has just set Codford's up home signal is seen. I do not quite understand how and why I did not get myself to the delightful Wylye valley more than just this once to photograph trains as it was so local to home being just a half an hour or so drive. With the removal of the semaphore signalling and the closure of the boxes less than a year after this photograph was taken it will have a lost a little of its magic!
Keywords: Up home signal Codford

BR (Southern) enamel, Codford
The blurring of the British Railways regions was evident at Codford located between Salisbury and Westbury. Whilst the signalling was very much GWR with lower quadrants and a superb typically styled box there was evidence of the change to it becoming part of the Southern Region. Attached to a fence adjacent to the box was this small BR (Southern) non-flanged enemal. Items such as this frequently come up at memorabilia auctions with prices very much in the ascendency.
Keywords: BR Southern enamel

Wylye signal box (GW, date unknown)
Utilising the headlights of UVJ 129J (The Austin 1100) to illuminate the front Wylye signal box is seen. The box was of a similar design to Codford a short distance northwest from here being a GWR design dating from sometime between 1889 and 1896. The station at Wylye closed in September 1955 with the box seen here managing another seven months being closed with the expansion of the Salisbury panel on 29.03.82. Unfortunately, I never revisited this delightfully rural location despite it also being relatively close to my home. Also, I regret that Graham and I missed the intermediate box between here and Codford during our evening survey of the line, the closed Sherington Crossing box. I am pretty sure that despite it being closed that the Type 13 wartime ARP box was still standing in 1981.
Keywords: Wylye signal box GWR GReat Western Railway

Interior of Salisbury East signal box
I managed to blag an 'access all areas' pass on my visit to Salisbury the previous weekend, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/C385496854/x14-day-trip-to-salisbury-08-08-81 Things were very much the same on this evening visit with us being invited into both Salisbury East and West signal boxes. We were pleased to get access to these boxes as they are far from normal with them having no conventional levers but employing an electro-pneumatic system with sliding levers. The interior of the box is seen here still looking very smart and well-kept. Notice the cat feeding bowls on the shiny linoleum at the far end of the box. With just a week or so in operation, I hope that the feline occupant was appropriately re-homed when the box shut.
Keywords: Interior of Salisbury East signal box

Interior of Salisbury East signal box
The signalling around Salisbury (with the exception of the station itself) was converted at the start of the twentieth century by the L&SWR from a conventional mechanical system to an electro-pneumatic set-up. Both Salisbury East (seen here) and Salisbury West signal boxes were purpose-built to accommodate the unusual equipment. Whilst the bells, indicators and plungers were conventional the points and signals were operated by sliding levers. Whilst the down line from Salisbury Tunnel Junction was worked under the conventional absolute block system, the signals between East and West were slotted which allowed block working to be dispensed with.
Keywords: Interior of Salisbury East signal box

Track diagram, Salisbury East signal box
The track layout diagram inside Salisbury East signal box is seen above the instrument machine. Notice the Bradic lamp sitting on the shelf next to the East Yard Points bell box. Also, notice the track circuit indicating a train passing the station indicating the presence of the Tiverton Junction to Fawley empty oil tanker train led by 33029. Unfortunately, due to it being dark, I was not able to capture this train on film or any other of the evening workings for that matter.
Keywords: Track diagram Salisbury East signal box

Signal slides & indicators, Salisbury East signal box
An interesting photograph that shows the sliding control levers that were used to operate the points and signals to the east of Salisbury station. A British Pneumatic Railway Signal Company frame with sixty-four slides was installed in 1902 as a L&SWR signalling experiment, with the lever handles coloured to represent the lever function. The frame was converted in 1928 to electro-pneumatic operation, a system that remained unchanged until closure just seven days after his photograph was taken in August 1981.
Keywords: Signal levers indicators Salisbury East signal box

Signal slides & indicators, Salisbury East signal box
Details of the slides that operate the signalling and point work from the inside of Salisbury East signal box. The different colours of the handles of the slides were very similar to the way that conventional levers were painted. Notice the indicators to the top of the photograph that, despite the box closing in a week's time, were still well polished!
Keywords: Signal slides & indicators, Salisbury East signal box

Interior of Salisbury West signal box
Having spent some time inside Salisbury East signal box Graham and I were also welcomed into the West box. The interior of this box was similar to its east cousin but not quite so grand with a lower-profiled control frame box as seen here. One subtle difference between the two was that in this box the signaller faces the lines when operating the equipment but in the East box the frame faced the other way with the signaller thus having his back to the running lines.
Keywords: Interior of Salisbury West signal box L&SWR London and Soth Western Railway

Signal slides & indicators, Salisbury West signal box
Slides and indicators inside Salisbury West signal box are seen. With the slide number cast into the top of the frame, the more modern embossed plastic plate is seen containing a little more detail of the particular piece of signalling equipment it operates. The West box was to close just a week after this photograph was taken with control moving to a panel inside a discreet room on Salisbury station's platform two.
Keywords: Signal slides indicators Salisbury West signal box L&SWR London and South Western Railway

Signal indicators, Salisbury West signal box
A close-up of three signal indicators inside Salisbury West signal box. It appears that in the best traditions of signalling, that the Braso has been out judging by the shine on the equipment seen here. Having opened in 1902 this box was to close just a week after this photograph was taken. I really hope that the equipment seen here and the rest of it for that matter was not simply ripped out and put in a skip.
Keywords: Signal indicators Salisbury West signal box L&SWR London and South Western Railway

Signals being pulled off in Salisbury West signal box
The signalman inside Salisbury West box operates the slides that in turn actuate the signals and pointwork. The electro-pneumatic system was an experiment by the L&SWR that was tried at a number of other locations on their network but was one that was not widely adopted. This system of signalling in the Salisbury area had just a week left in operation from when this photograph was taken to be replaced by conventional multi-aspect colour lights operated from a panel installed on the station's platform two.
Keywords: Signals being pulled off in Salisbury West signal box

Frontage, Salisbury station
On my last visit to Salisbury station just a few days previously, I took a photograph from a very similar angle, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30035687493/frontage-salisbury-station However, I have always liked nighttime photography and with the use of Graham's sturdy Velbon tripod, I captured this image. Whilst in the daytime photograph a Volvo taxi was waiting to collect passengers this time it's the turn of a Hampshire (Southampton) registered yellow 1977 Triumph Dolomite 1300 that, according to the DVLA records, was last on the road at the end of 1989.
Keywords: Frontage Salisbury station Triumph Dolomite

50025, 19.14 Barnstable-Basingstoke (2O96), Salisbury station
Breaking the rules by using my flashgun, 50025 'Invincible' is seen standing at Salisbury station. The unrefurbished Class 50 has just arrived at the station leading the 19.14 Barnstable to London Waterloo 2O96 service that it will have led from Exeter St. David's. Invincible was to enter Doncaster Works for its much-needed refurbishment at the start of February 1982 with it going on until withdrawal in August 1989 following a derailment whilst travelling at speed past West Ealing. The derailment was caused by vandals placing an object on the tracks, see.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG9psMfmE2U
Keywords: 50025 19.14 Barnstable-Basingstoke 2O96 Salisbury station Invincible

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