The fact that Foregate Street Station ended-up with two bi-directional platforms was a by-product of the rationalisation, rather than the main purpose of those works back in 1973.

By, moving the junction between the Hereford and the Tunnel Junction lines out to Henwick, Rainbow Hill Junction box could be closed.  Putting control of the junction between the Droitwich and Hereford lines (west of SH station) onto Shrub Hill Station box, allowed the elimination of Shrub Hill Junction box.  This left two single lines eastwards from Henwick - one to Shrub Hill, the other to Tunnel Junction.

The additional signalling amounted to not all that much - acceptance lever & track circuit working over the newly created bi-directional lines, some new signals and re-control of others and some switches.  The new stuff would have been far less than what was recovered during the works.

As Henwick almost certainly had to remain in-situ to control the Level Crossing, the rationalisation design seems to have been a rather good one in the circumstances (no money) and diminished traffic of its time. 

In fact, three 'boxes were closed as a result of the 1973 Worcester rationalisation.  Wylds Lane Junction, which controlled the entrance/exit to the goods lines at the London end of the layout (close to the Metal Box siding, somewhere near where North Sidings Ground Frame  now exists.  A little to the west, is the still standing Shrub Hill Station Box.  Heading west from the passenger station at Shrub Hill, there was Shrub Hill Junction 'box, in the "V" of the divergence between the Hereford and Birmingham routes.  The third closed 'box, was Rainbow Hill Junction, situated in the "V" between the lines from Shrub Hill and Tunnel Junction, at the western end of the triangular layout.

Earlier, (early/mid 1960's?) Foregate Street Station lost its signalbox, which had been situated on a bridge joining both platforms, above the tracks.  Even earlier than this last 'box at Foregate Street, was it's predecessor, which has lately become a caf^, at the country end of platform 1.

And there were  at various times other signalboxes at Worcester too, on the goods lines.

Nick

I hope the moderators don't mind the diversion ...

The building was once the Heenan and Froude engineering works.  You can find a little about them here:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=045-705-411&cid=2#2

and here

http://www.miac.org.uk/heenan.htm

The site is now Shrub Hill Industrial Estate, the buildings having been divided up into workshop units.

The works was once rail connected, via the "Vinegar Branch", which ran from somewhere near the locomotive sheds, under the Rainbow Hill curve (between Shrub Hill Station and Foregate Street Station) into the Heenan works and on, below what has recently been known as "Isaac Maddox House" (formerly the works of Mackenzie and Holland, railway signalling contractors)  on the west side of Shrub Hill, across Pheasant Street, and into the Hill Evans Vinegar factory in Lowesmoor.  Details here:

http://www.miac.org.uk/vinegarmap.htm

The road traffic at Pheasant Street Level Crossing was controlled by GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) style LQ semaphore signals.

Nick

Picture of latest progress on repairs ...

http://www.railway-centre.com/november-2012.html

Go to picture for 30 November 2012

Nick

I "took-on" as a signalman at Moreton in Marsh in 1974 and remember well the feeble Cl.31s which were the alleged replacements for the Cl, 35 Hymeks on the Worcester road.  The two early morning Hereford to London trains (about 5:55 from and 7:00 from Hereford if I remember) were usually 8 or 9 Mk1 coaches, often with a van up front returning to Paddington off the 01:10 down News.  The usual motive power was a Cl.47 Brush Type 4, which could keep time.  The Cl.31s were useless and could not keep time on anything more than 6 Mk 1s with slacker timings.

So, when we knew one or both of the early fast trains had a Cl.31, the usual thing was to negotiate with the crew of Cl.31 on the 05:45 Worcester to Long Marston trip that they'd leave their wagons either at Evesham, Honeybourne or Moreton and be available to assist the express(es) up Campden bank.  The bobbies would sort this out for themselves and tell control about it afterwards.

Those mornings at Moreton could get very busy, even with the limited infrastucture.  When the above happened you could have an express passenger train on the Up, a 3 car DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) on the Down, a bubblecar standing in the Up siding and a Cl.31 about, sometimes with a string of vanfits in the Down Refuge waiting to be shunted into the Goods Shed road at the same time.  Good times.

Nick

The local rag - "Evesham Observer" reports that TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) is definite that the Booking Office at Evesham (currently open weekday mornings) is to be closed - by London Midland - and replaced by automatic ticket vending machines. 

It's on Page 7 here:

http://www.eveshamobserver.co.uk/paper/

Any thoughts.  I believed FGW^▸ (First Great Western) was the operator of Evesham Station.  And the closure sucks.  Auto vending machine will be no substitute.

Nick

The crossing could be made a whole lot safer for vehicular traffic if the mahoosive pot-hole that's appeared within the Network Rail boundary on the Up (Littleton) side of the crossing was filled in.  I've reported it to the County Council, but no improvement.  I guess the CC don't speak to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) and vice versa.

Certainly did enjoy the ride, willc.  Thank you for recording and sharing the improvement works as they've happened over the years.

Nick

There's a picture of the day and brief report on The Railway Centre for 2nd August ...

http://www.therailwaycentre.com/index.html

Just in case it disappears, as the page is updated daily, the text by Colin J Marsden states:


So I guess this relates to the down sleepers on the night of Sunday 31st July.  You really have to wonder how FGW gets away with treating its paying passengers customers like this

Nick

Oh yes Castles were!  Several were allocated to Worcester over the years.  As late as 1964 Honeybourne bank was the site of speed trials where a number of the class were used to test which ones should be used on the famous high speed finale enthusiast tours to the westcountry.  And in the late 1930s the famous Cecil J Allen published records in The Railway Magazine of a number of very high speed runs behind 5063 Earl Baldwin, 5049 Earl of Plymouth and 4086 Builth Castle down Honeybourne bank at over a ton.

Nick

It appears on the diagram on page 81 of this thread as Sheen Hill No 1.

There was a signalbox called Sheenhill about 3/4mile to the west of Honeybourne Station North box.  It had a short life, built to control access to the MoD sidings, and was built to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Air Raid Precautions style.  Opened sometime in 1944 and closed in July 1951.  The empty shell remained in-situ for a long time.

Nick

Nah - she just got fed up with telling gags in a futile attempt to make Steve Davis smile. ;-)

Nick

That's a sight for sore eyes, Richard.  Thanks!  Now looking forward to the completion of the project. 

Thanks also to willc for the terrific pictures of the work in progress over the months.


Nick

I'm hesitant to argue with someone who has relevant current railway experience, but in my day as a signalman (including some time at Moreton in Marsh, many years ago) the Signalling Regs would not have allowed you to give Reg 4 "line clear" to allow a train to approach unless the line inside the home signal was clear to the clearing point, which was, then, 440 yards beyond the home signal (unless otherwise stated).

 So it was not possible to do as you suggest, in allowing, for example, an Up train to leave Evesham heading for Moreton, when the Up platform at Moreton was already occupied.  Such a refusal used to happen from time-to-time when we had an up all-stations leaving Moreton at just gone 7 in the morning.  Until this stopper had departed, the Up fast could not proceed beyond Evesham.

I believe the length of the clearing point has been reduced since my days on the railway, and it's now ? 200 yards?  In any event, operating without clearing points would leave the effective safety margin only of the thickness of the signal post.

Nick

Ahh. I see, thanks for the correction.  I was wrong in assuming this was a footbridge being done on the cheap.  The bridge is used by many HGVs most days, heading to/from the Unipart depot at Sheen Hill - which used to be the rail-connected MoD depot.  As well as some traffic arising from the many fruit & veg packhouses in the area.  Maybe, one day, these vehicle parts and produce will come by rail again.