Hampton Court Junction signal box


Hampton Court Junction signal box is owned by the Malden and District Society of Model Engineers at its miniature railway which is known locally as the 'Thames Ditton Miniature Railway. The railway is open each year on Easter Sunday and Monday, then the first Sunday of the month and every Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday until the first Sunday in October. The site is open from 13:00. Trains run from 14:00 to 17:30. They have three signal boxes worth checking out at their web site. They are Angel Road, Willowbank and Hampton Court Junction.
	Hampton Court Junction The box has been designed to take an eight section Westinghouse miniature power frame making 96 levers in total. Forty eight levers came from White City signal box, located in West London, and 35 levers came from North Kent East signal box, near London Bridge. Two extra sections have also been added, these came from components from Crewe South, Euston and Gloucester Road Junction and bits from other SR signal box's.

The signal box takes its name from the old British Rail signal box that was located 100yds away and closed in 1973.

Signal box diagram - Double click on diagram above get a detailed zoom able diagram in a new window. The site is fully track circuited which is used to control the signaling, and the points are electrically air operated
This large lever frame will allow us complete control of the whole railway if needed. Currently all the external signaling system is complete and work is progressing on completing the installation of the lever frame mechanical and electrical systems. We will then concentrate on moving the external system onto the lever frame in due course.
Pictured below are a few pictures showing the mechanical fitting of our Westinghouse Style 'N' & 'L' style lever frame into our signal box. This will give us 86 levers in due course.
We are currently installing the lever frame, this has involved a lot of reconditioning as a great many parts were very very rusty. As you can appreciate this all this reconditioning takes time to achieve especially as it relies on volunteer labour.. We have also had to manufacture a lot of missing parts for the locking. The electrical wiring has now been started, which is a major piece of work in its own right.

Above shows the 96 levers comprising of eight 12 lever segments, the vertical panel with holes behind the levers are for the lamp holder units. A brass fascia will be fitted over each column behind each lever to retain the lens units and to cover any holes not used. All the lever segments are now painted with their function colours, e.g. Red for signals, Black for Points. The sloping panel in front of the levers is for the lever description plate support panel that hold the 96 description plates which have yet to be fitted Picture on left taken on the 15 September 2011

Above we have a close up of the refurbished levers showing the restored levers. All levers have now reached this standard of restoration. Lever 1 is nearest the camera, and being a Red colour this defines the lever as being a signal lever. Picture on the left taken on the 21 June 2009 All pictures can be double clicked for a larger format

This picture shows the rear of the lever frame, with all the electrical switch contacts, North Kent East signal box lever frame is nearest to the camera, painted brown with White City signal frame further away. There are more detailed photographs of the frame taken during installation, these are available via the link below. Picture taken on the 16th january 2009 Click on picture for larger format picture.
All pictures below were taken on the 15 September 2010 Click on picture for larger format picture.


	There are more detailed photographs taken during installation, which run as a slide show please select via one of the link below 2004 Building the Signal box - 24 pictures. 2009 Jan - Lever frame - 26 pictures. 2009 Jun - Lever frame - 36 pictures. 2010 - Lever frame- 12 pictures. 2011 - Lever frame - 19 pictures. Signaling Infrastructure Project Plan. Pictureon the left taken on the 12 September 2010 Click on picture left for larger format picture
Pictured below are a few historical pictures of North Kent East and Gloucester Road Junction to give an idea of how these signal boxes used to look, it is planned to reproduce a similar installation in our signal box.
	North Kent East signal box was installed in 1929. This pictures shows the frame in the early years. The track diagram is clearly seen behind the lever frame. Behind the miniature levers are the point and signal indications and above them are the Walkers rotary train describers for each route. The sending units are on top of the frame the receiving units are located each side of the track diagram. At this time the signals lenses from the bottom up, were originally Y, R, YY, G. Picture from the Railway Engineer, reproduced by kind permission of Middleton Press, from their London Bridge to Addiscome book in the London suburban railways series published in 1993 ISBN 1873793200
	White City lever frame is pictured on the left courtesy of John Cottrell, this show the signal box in its last years of use, this was a 48 lever frame, we now have 36 levers, the other 12 levers were retained by London Transport for their use either at a museum or training school The track diagram is clearly seen above the lever frame. You can click on the picture to get a larger version of the picture in a separate window. Unfortunately we do not have any pictures of the North Acton lever frame
	North Kent East A more detailed view of the lever frame obviously taken in later years, maybe around the 1960's of North Kent East when the more modern electric light style train describers have replaced the majority of the walkers rotary train describers above the levers. The illuminated 'N' and 'R' indicate the points as either being Normal or Reverse, the 4 glass roundels showed the signal aspect, being Red, Yellow, Green & 2nd Yellow. The train describers are fitted on top of the frame box, with the Sykes Block instrument and its bell plungers followed by the Walkers Rotary Train describer to Bricklayers Arms Junction.
Hampton Court Junction running signals
	Outer Home Signal gantry This fist signal gantry in the Hampton Court Junction Signalling system contains two 4 aspect coloured light signals. Both of these signals have 5 white light junction indicators fitted, and both signals are capable of showing 3 separate routes, two with white route lights and one without white route lights. The left hand signal is the Up Local line outer home signal. The right hand signal is the Up Main line outer home signal. At this point two track become three tracks.
	Home Signal gantry This is located at the most complicated part of the railway tracks. There are three 4 aspect coloured light signals on this gantry and all are fitted with 5 light white route indicators. The Up Local Loop home signal is on the far left, trains can be routed in 4 directions at this signal. The middle signal is the Up Local home signal, again trains can be routed in 4 directions. Lastly on the far right is the Up Main home signal, trains can only be routed in two direction. .
	Up Main Line and Up Main Loop - Tunnel signal gantry This signal gantry protects the Up Main Loop exit points, and access to the tunnel. The Up Main Signal is the left hand signal. The Up Main Loop line signal is on the right. both signals are showing a red aspect. The Up Main becomes the Up Local line in the middle of the tunnel at the lowest point.. The next signal is Angel Road Up Local Outer Home signal No.10 which is located inside the tunnel..
	Up Local Line signal - Alps line This is located towards the top of the Alps incline where the Up Local and Up Local Loop line tracks coverage. This signal is the Up Local Alps Junction signal showing a clear aspect.. The Up Local line becomes the Up Main line at the summit. The next signal is Angel Road Up Main Outer home signal No10.
The following pictures are of the shut signals, these are grouped together for convenience.
	Locomotive shed shunt signals These are the two exit shunt signals from the locomotive sheds area. The left hand signal enables access to to the Up Local and Up Local loop lines, this is at danger The right hand shunt signal allows access to the Up Local, Up Main and Up Loop lines, this has been cleared to allow an engine to proceed.
	Main Line Shunts Looking back towards the carriage shed at Hampton Court Junctions with Hampton Court Junction signal box on top of the sheds. The left hand shunt signal is cleared for the carriage shed road via the Up Main Loop line. The Up Main line shunt is at danger.
	Tunnel junction shunt Looking from inside the tunnel mouth the position light shunt signal can be see showing a danger do not proceed aspect. This signal protects the Up Main Loop exit points
	Local Line shunts Looking back towards the carriage sheds which are in the far background with H\Hampton Court Junction signal box on top of the sheds. These shunt signals allow access to the Locomotive Roundhouse on the right hand side and the Up Local Line and Up Local Loop line.
	Alps Line Shunt signal At the top of the ALPS incline is a position light shunt signal this time showing a clear or proceed aspect..
	Main Line, Local Line & North Pole position light shunt signals. These three position light shunt signals are located immediately adjacent to the carriage sheds near Hampton Court Signal box. They control shunting across the junction immediately past these signals towards Willow bank level crossing.
To learn more about UK Railway Signalling, I would strongly recommend the following site The Signal Box
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