LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Nuneaton
Nuneaton Abbey Street Station: mrna49a
This close up of image 'mrna49' shows the cattledock to
better effect. The cattle would be loaded via the pens on the right of the
wagons, having been driven down from the main road. The gas lights are to the
standard MR pattern on the line. The signal's counter balance seen at the foot
of the post indicates that they were lower quadrant signals.
The term 'lower or upper quadrant' referred to the arc
transcribed by the signal's arm when 'pulled off' giving the train the right of
way. When a signal was 'on', it was at right angles to the post or at '9
o'clock'. If the signal was a lower quadrant signal then when pulled off it
would drop to approximately the 7 o'clock position. An upper quadrant signal
would rise to the 11 o'clock position.
The change across the country from the universal adopted
lower quadrant system to the upper quadrant method of operation came as a
result of an accident. During a snow storm a lower quadrant signal could not be
raised back to danger because snow prevented it from being raised which
resulted in an accident and loss of life. An upper quadrant signal would have
had the advantage of gravity assisting in its descent back to danger.
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