Where are there still semaphore signals?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

"On this day" has come up with 3rd May 2018, reporting just one working lower quadrant distant signal left (with a link to Railway World).

Looking wider, how many upper and lower quadrant signals do we have remaining on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) network - both home and distant?

[Witham Bobby]

Worcester is a nice little relic.  When it was resignalled in 1972 most people would have expected a MAS scheme.  But no, it was re-done with the elimination of three signalboxes and the retention of semaphores worked by the remaining four boxes (Norton Jcn, Shrub Hill Station, Henwick, and Tunnel Jcn).  And ehre we are, fifty years later and they still stand and there was a fairly recent refurb.  Some working semaphore distant signals there still.

Moreton in Marsh still has semaphores, not much changed when the Cotswold route was upgraded in 2011; minor alterations and the reinstatement of AB signalling towards Evesham

Worcester to Hereford, the Marches Line, Shrewsbury.  West Wales.  Much of what remains in Cornwall.  All still have lovely LQ signals

[Worcester_Passenger]

Not sure I like being a "nice little relic", but I know what you mean.

Add Droitwich to the list.

When I first moved here, 30-odd years ago, some colour lights appeared, with white crosses over them.  But they've disappeared since.

AIUI^▸ (as I understand it), the single-track arrangements through Foregate Street's platform 1, between the Shrub Hill station and Henwick boxes, were improved some years ago by that well-known specialist in heritage signalling, the S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) department of the Severn Valley Railway.

There's an apocryphal story that the single-track signalling instruments in use between Malvern Wells and Ledbury have a plate on the back saying "property of National Rail Museum, York".  Can anyone confirm this?

[stuving]

Greenford. The line onwards to Old Oak Common has been lifted at the far end, but as far as I can see none of the tracks from Greenford to Park Royal have been decommissioned yet. Perhaps that is still needed to serve the (long gone) sidings shown in the sectional appendix (rather inaccurately) as "Cox & Danks". There is still a current instruction (dated 13/6/2020) about using the "sidings" at Park Royal! Or for obscure reversal manoeuvres?

[JayMac]

Yeovil Pen Mill area has a mix of lower and upper.

[The Tall Controller]

Yeovil Pen Mill had it's lower quadrant signals Weymouth-bound starting signals replaced with upper quadrants a decade or so ago.

Whilst Greenford retains semaphore signals, all West Ealing-Greenford shuttles are controlled by colour light signals. Semaphores used for turning runs however.

[Oxonhutch]

Travel through Princes Risborough now and you will see new lower quadrant semaphores courtesy of the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway.

A platform starter with route indicator (visible in link above) and a splitting inner home set on a handsome bracket (out of shot on webcam).

At the other end of the wires/rods are these:

[DaveHarries]

Currently on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) network we also have Pembrey & Burry Port as well as Ferryside but the website of the FSBPS (Ferryside Signal Box Preservation Society) advises that these are due for decommissioning in March 2024. I think we can also add, albeit in the Summer months, Whitland to the list which is served by Pembroke Dock services.

Dave

[Hafren]

Currently on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) network we also have Pembrey & Burry Port as well as Ferryside but the website of the FSBPS (Ferryside Signal Box Preservation Society) advises that these are due for decommissioning in March 2024. I think we can also add, albeit in the Summer months, Whitland to the list which is served by Pembroke Dock services.

Dave

Not much in the way of semaphores left at Whitland now. The bay & branch semaphores were replaced with colour lights a few years ago, and the main line signals have been colour lights for decades*, so AFAIR the only old-school signals now are the ground signals. The fixed distant boards on the branch at least provide semaphore pictograms though!

Given the box is relatively new (1970s - albeit secondhand?) were the main line running signals always colour lights? Given its relative youth, perhaps Whitland might be one of the last mechanical boxes to go hand over to Cardiff.

[1st fan]

Moreton in Marsh has Semaphore still.

[Bmblbzzz]

Falmouth branch line at Truro.