Manchester Victoria School of Signalling

Filmed during a demonstration of the Signalling School model at Manchester Victoria during the Stations 150th Birthday celebrations in 1994. I believe this equipment is now preserved at the NRM in York.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• British
• Railways
• signalling
• model
• semaphore
• school
• manchester
• victoria
• london
• midland
• region
• electric

[rackellar]

The bloke in the middle makes a mistake at 0:40 and clears his distant when the train is already well past his home! So many bells ringing at all the different "signal boxes", would probably be enough to confuse anyone!

[Panarail]

@rackellar It's not really a mistake. In a manual signalbox, you didn't always know when a train had passed your distant so a signalman would often clear a distant signal when a train had passed it. I know it's very obvious here but in the real world, not so much :o)

[ssshspotter]

Fantastic!! See also my video of it in use today. Search "L&Y Signalling School" 5 stars from me

[Panarail]

I just took a look at your clip. I am glad to see those awful overhead wires were not part of the presevation plan :o)

[mrmeldrewstuntdouble]

Brilliant video john 5 stars from me,& you are right,the layout is preserved in working order at york NRM,it was recently operated by members of the signalling record society for an afternoon late last year,(why does simon look so fed up????)

[Panarail]

Thanks H, I assume you trained on this item. As for Simon, how would you like 8 hours at box C ?

[merccs]

This takes me back. I trained as a signaller on it in 1989.

[DJM3189]

Feb-march 1984 for me and still haven't escaped lol

[stebear58]

in the mid 70's i went to signalling school this was when i was just about to turn 18 i was TR boy in a signal box in Manchester ashbury east and on christmas eve i pass my signalling test and in Jan 1977 i got my 1st post Marple Wharf Box

[ShaurntheSheep]

ooh i would like to have a go on that

[azymitch]

That many bells at work would drive me potty, and they're not even trying to keep them together :p

[rackellar]

Indeed was just saying this as you can see all the trains on the training layout so you would probably be inclined to not pull the distant off. At the box I work on the mainline I do exactly as you do and quite often get the distant off just as the train crawls around the corner!

[edwardianeccentric]

@rackellar When signalling on the Severn Valley Railway I have done exactly the same thing - pulled the distant just in time to see the engine appearing round the corner! Without track circuiting I cannot know where the train is, so I pull it off so that if it has not yet passed it it can see it.

[steamboy51]

hahahahahahaaaaa, british signalling at its best. pity there is no steam on that miniature line

[jawharp1992]

Is there a way for me to learn how this works? It's so fascinating.