Introduction

This page describes the signalling at Barnstaple Town station on the former narrow-gauge Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (L&BR) in North Devon. Please see the separate Introduction page for general background information and details of other pages on RailWest about the signalling of the L&BR. Click here for more general historical details about the L&BR and a Bibliography.

Layout

Barnstaple Town station was shared between the L&BR and the London & South Western Railway L&SWR), which had a standard-gauge line from Barnstaple Junction to Ilfracombe. The station was opened by the L&SWR on 16th May 1898 in connection with opening of the L&BR, replacing an earlier L&SWR station of the same name (but originally called Barnstaple Quay) located nearer to Barnstaple Junction.

The new Barnstaple Town station had a single long platform, which served the single-line of the L&SWR branch to Ilfracombe on its south face, whilst a long bay on the north face served the L&BR. Alongside the bay line there was a run-round loop, whilst a single siding - accessed from the bay line by a point facing to Down L&BR trains - served a transfer location with an adjacent standard-gauge siding off the L&SWR line. Some additional land adjacent to the run-round line was earmarked for a potential second L&BR platform, but this was never constructed.

Signalling

The original signalling equipment was installed by Evans O'Donnell (EoD), who were the L&BR's signalling contractor. On 4th May 1898 Lt Col HA Yorke inspected the L&BR on behalf of the Board of Trade and his subsequent Inspection Report contains some brief details about the signalling at Barnstaple, but unfortunately as no numbered signal-diagram for Barnstaple (L&BR) has come to light yet a number of un-answered questions remain about some features. Click here for more general information about L&BR signals.

The L&BR signal-box (SB) at Barnstaple Town was an elevated wooden structure, similar to the superstructure of the signal-box at Pilton and larger than the wooden huts used at the main intermediate stations and Lynton. Col Yorke's Inspection Report stated that this SB had an interlocking frame of 9 levers (7 working and 2 spares) which was mounted at the front of the SB. This SB worked the points and trap-points at each end of the run-round loop, the siding points and all the L&BR signals. It is believed that in early L&BR days the SB also contained the Tyer's Electric Train Tablet instrument for the single-line section to Pilton.

The outline diagram below is intended to show a general view of those features of the signalling which are believed to have existed at Barnstaple Town. An Up Home (marked UH) signal was provided, as well as a Down Starting (DS) signal at the end of the platform and a Down Advanced Starting (DAS) signal. (NOTE: The lower ringed arm shown on the Down Advanced Starting was a later addition in 1927 - read about Pilton for more information.) The Down Advanced Starting was located close to Braunton Road Crossing and also served as the Down Home for Pilton SB, so it was 'slotted' by that SB - in other words, both Barnstaple and Pilton signalmen had to pull their respective levers in order for the signal to come 'off'.

Signalling at Barnstaple Town

Note: The signal and point numbers and letters shown on the diagram are purely arbitrary and have been included for identification purposes only within RailWest. Points given the same prefix letter (eg A1, A2) are assumed to have been worked from the same lever.

In common with the rest of the L&BR the facing points on passenger lines were fitted with 'economic' Facing Point Locks (FPL). The known features of the signalling at Barnstaple Town as depicted in the diagram above only account for 6 working levers, so the precise arrangement of the lever-frame remains a mystery. 

Southern Railway Period

As far as it has been possible to determine, there was very little change to the original signalling provided at Barnstaple Town prior to the take-over of the L&BR by the Southern Railway (SR) in 1923.   Photographic evidence shows that at some unknown date in L&BR days the Down Starting signal was re-located to a position outside of the loop line, where it remained until 28-Aug-1929 when it was replaced by a new signal on the platform, which had a LQ arm on a 12' high SR rail-built post. Also at an unknown date (before Aug 1926, but possibly after the SR take-over in 1923) the Down Advanced Starting was renewed as a L&SWR-style LQ arm on a wooden post with a ball-and-spike finial. The Up Home was replaced on 20-Jan-1925 by a new lattice-post signal 11 yards nearer to Pilton.

It would appear that the SR embarked on a limited programme of rationalisation after taking over the L&BR, mainly aimed at eliminating the need for two manned signal-boxes at the station. The Tyer's Electric Train Tablet instrument for the single-line section to Pilton was transferred from the former L&BR SB to the ex-L&SWR 'main line' box. Alterations to the standard-gauge signalling freed-up 3 levers in the main-line SB, which were used then to work 'slots' on all three ex-L&B signals. These alterations meant that the 'main line' signalman now had control over the movements of trains on the narrow-gauge line to/from Pilton and the L&B SB was down-graded to ground-frame status. Although it was now possible to send trains to, or receive trains from, Pilton without a signalman in the former L&B SB, it was still necessary to operate the lever-frame in that box in order to work the various L&B points (eg to run-round a train), as these were not connected to the main-line SB. Unfortunately no precise date for these changes has yet been determined, although it is known that the ETT instruments had been moved to the ex-L&SWR box by early 1925.

In 1934 the Special Instructions for Barnstaple Town SB contained the following entry:-

The same instructions also record that, for Block Regulation 4 purposes for the acceptance of trains from Pilton Yard, there was a modified clearing point 100 yards ahead of the L&B Up Home signal.

One other change which took place under SR ownership was the addition on 30-Aug-1927 of a ringed arm below the main arm of the Down Advanced Starting signal (which also functioned as the Pilton Down Home). This signal was provided in conjunction with changes in working at Pilton rather than Barnstaple Town, and it was slotted from Barnstaple Town by the same lever as the main arm. Both arms had three slots, being worked jointly by Barnstaple Town (SR), Barnstaple Town (L&B) and Pilton signal-boxes!

© Chris Osment 2004-13