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London North Western
Railway:
Midland
Railway:
Stratford
Midland Junction Railway
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LMS Route: The Shakespeare Route
Kineton Station: smjk204
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A colour view of Kineton station with the signalman's
platform to exchange the token on the right. Before radio 'pips' broadcast
Greenwich time throughout the land, correct 'railway time' had to be signalled
along the line from one box to another. The name WH Wade on the face of
the signal box clock referred not only to the clockmaker of Kineton but to the
custodian of the SMJ's time. Every morning, just before 10:00am, Wade walked
from his little shop to Kineton station, checked the signal box clock and then,
on the stroke of 10 O'Clock, the signalman tapped out the time signal to all
signal boxes along the line, whereupon each signalman adjusted his clock and
recorded that fact in his train register. Since the SMJ was a single line with
passing loops at stations, some method of ensuring that only one train was in
any section at one time had to be employed. For the Stratford-upon-Avon to
Broom Junction section the Staff and Ticket system was in use. Two locked
wooden boxes were located, one in the signal box at Stratford and the other at
Broom Junction. These could be opened only by a key fixed to the end of the one
and only train staff, being a thick metal rod with brass rings.
The wooden boxes contained the tickets printed with an
authorisation to the driver of a train that he could proceed through the
section without being in possession of the train staff, although he should have
satisfied himself that the staff was held at the signal box from which he was
proceeding. The purpose of the ticket system was to enable more than one train
to be sent in the same direction through a section otherwise, if only a single
staff was employed, trains would be compelled to pass in alternate directions
through the section. It follows that a signalman needed to be very clear as to
future traffic requirements over the section otherwise, he could be caught out
with a train to despatch but no train staff and consequently no tickets either.
Between Stratford-upon-Avon and Broom Junction were two stations both with
sidings controlled by ground frames which would only be unlocked by the key on
the train staff. So here was another trap for the unwary signalman. Sending a
train which needed to shunt at these intermediate stations, and therefore in
possession of the train staff, and no more trains would be able to follow in
the same direction until the train staff was returned. It has be known for a
light engine be sent through the section just for the sole purpose of conveying
the train staff to the end where it was required.
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