Miscellaneous
Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) and Singer Motors:
misc_bsa&singer183
A low resolution version of the Signalling Diagram for Small
Heath South Signal Box showing the arrangement post 1945. This has been
reproduced here courtesy of the Signalling Record Society (S.R.S.). Details of
how to purchase their full resolution content is available
here.
Over the years, traffic demands resulted in the Great
Western Railway gradually quadrupling the Birmingham main line between
Handsworth Junction and Lapworth. This was a huge undertaking and the work was
done piecemeal and was only finally completed in 1934. By the time that the
North Warwickshire branch opened in December 1907, the track had only been
quadrupled between Olton and Tyseley. With restricted space at Bordesley, it
had been decided to relocated the engine shed from there to between Small Heath
and Tyseley and the new Tyseley Engine Shed opened in June 1908. The Main Line
quadrupling was extended to the junction with the new Engine Shed and a new
Signal Box was built adjacent to the Up Main line opposite this junction. This
was initially called Tyseley Loco Signal Box and the nameplate for this Signal
Box was ordered in early 1908 (Order No 258).
Within a year the next phase of the quadrupling through
Small Heath Station was planned and order No 261 was placed on 5th May 1909 for
the nameplates for Small Heath South Signal Box and Small Heath North Signal
Box. A new timber Signal Box was built in the Engine Shed approach and this
then became Tyseley Loco Signal Box, while the original Signal Box adjacent to
the Main Line was either rebuilt or more likely, just renamed Small Heath South
Signal Box. This Signal Box was built to standard Great Western Railway brick
design with a hipped tiled roof (Type 7). The Signal Box was 38 feet long, 13
feet wide and the operating floor was 11 feet above the rail level. This had
the characteristic three up two down window panes. The signal box housed a
fifty-five lever, 3 bar horizontal tappet frame with the levers at 5.25 inch
centres. In September 1913 there were 13 spare levers, but the following year,
four of these spare levers were used for detonator placing machines on the main
and relief lines.
Small Heath South Signal Box was open continuously
controlling the block sections on the main and relief double lines and from
1918 the goods double line. The Signalman sent messages to the preceding Signal
Box to give permission for trains to enter the block section on their line and
used signals to indicate to train drivers when they were allowed to proceed.
Distant Signals, distinguished by their forked tails and yellow colour (post
October 1928) gave train drivers advance warning of the status of the next
Stop Signal.
Small Heath South Signal Box also controlled train movements
associated with the two pairs of cross-over switches and the junction from the
Goods line to the Engine and Carriage Shed. From March 1919, the Signal Box
controlled the switches associated with the recently installed connection of
the BSA Private Siding to the Main line. The Signalman could set a route with
the point switch levers. These were interlocked with various types of signals
(including ground disc signals), operation of which informed the locomotive
driver of the selected route and when to proceed. This interlocking with
signals ensured that these indicated to other trains, when they could no longer
proceed safely and had to stop.
Visibility was important in the days before track circuits
and the Signal Box was positioned where it could oversee the most complex
trackwork. In March 1919 track circuit indication was added to the cross-over
connections to prevent fouling of the lines adjacent to the switches and also
for 170 yards along the up main and up relief lines between the Home signal at
the crossover and Small Heath North Starting signal. Track circuit indication
is shown as a dotted line on the signal diagram.
Small Heath South Signal Box closed on 1st September
1969.
Robert Ferris
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