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GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Lapworth Station: gwrl2505

Looking north towards Birmingham along the bay platform line and adjacent down goods loop in 1960

Looking north towards Birmingham along the bay platform line and adjacent down goods loop in 1960, although little had changed to the track layout since the eight mile section between here and Olton had been quadrupled in the 1930s. At the end of the platform is the crossover which connects these two lines to both the main lines and Up refuge siding. In the distance is a second crossover (running the other way) which marks the official start of the relief lines. The tracks straight ahead connected with the relief lines allowing trains using the down goods loop or terminating / starting from the bay platform to avoid the main lines.

The two semaphore signals here both have route indicators. Route indicators were used on slow lines where instead multiple semaphore signals would be required to confirm to the driver the route set. Screens with various designations written on them could be raised or lowered using levers in the signal box, so that the appropriate screen was displayed against an illuminated white background. The down goods loop Stop Signal route indicator on the left could display the following route options:
              Down Main Line (lever 51)
              Up Refuge Siding (lever 52)
              Down Goods Loop (lever 56)

The bay platform Stop Signal route indicator at the end of the platform could display the following route options:
              Up Refuge Siding (lever 68) interlocked switches 39, 37, 33, 31, 41 & 42
              Down Relief Line (lever 71)
              Down Main Line (lever 74)
              This signal post is also marked with a white diamond on the post indicating that there is track circuit indication on this section of track.

Robert Ferris

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