Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Signalling

Introduction

This page provides a general introduction to the Signalling of the former Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (L&BR). Other pages in RailWest cover specific L&BR signalling topics in more detail - click here for an Index.

By the time that the L&BR was opened in 1898 railway photography was becoming quite common, so there is a fair photographic coverage of the early installations before any significant changes were made. However the signalling was not usually the focus of any photographer's attention, so much of it appears in pictures only by chance and views of signal-box interiors and equipment are virtually non-existent. A limited number of paper records have come to light, but not in sufficient quantity to give more than a brief glimpse into this complex subject. Consequently there remain many gaps in the author's knowledge of L&BR signalling, but it is hoped that the various pages in RailWest will provide a useful reference on the subject.

Original Signalling

The L&BR was opened at a relatively late date in terms of railway construction in Great Britain. Consequently it was signalled throughout at the beginning by a single contractor, which meant that the signalling installations all conformed to a consistent style - it did not have various signalling installations added intermittently over the years by different contractors to different styles. The firm of Evans O'Donnell (EoD) were chosen as the signalling contractor for the L&BR and so all the signalling equipment originally used reflected the practice of that company. After the takeover of the line by the Southern Railway (SR) in 1923 some different equipment did appear as a result of alterations and general maintenance and these are described in more detail in the separate RailWest page on L&BR Signals.

Evans O'Donnell erected signals and signal-boxes at the two terminal stations at Barnstaple and Lynton, at Pilton Yard, and at the intermediate passing-loops at Chelfham, Bratton Fleming, Blackmoor and Woody Bay stations. Barnstaple and Pilton Yard signal-boxes each had 9-lever frames, whilst all the other boxes had 7-lever frames. There was a fairly standard provision of signals across all the installations and further details are given in other RailWest pages about the actual signals and the intermediate passing-loops. One feature of all the installations was the use of 'economic' Facing Point Locks. There were two gated level-crossings on the line, both of which came under the control of Pilton Yard signal-box. One crossing was across Pilton Causeway immediately next to the signal-box, while the other one was at Braunton Road (a short distance towards Barnstaple Town station), where a crossing-keeper was provided. The line was regarded as 'Up' to Barnstaple and 'Down' to Lynton and it was divided into six different single-line sections - the operating arrangements are described in more detail in a separate page about the Electric Train Tablet (ETT) instruments.

Signal Boxes and Ground Frames

The restored Woody Bay signal-box At Barnstaple and Pilton the signal-boxes (SB) were fairly conventional elevated structures of timber construction, and probably would have been manned throughout the day by their duty signalmen. Photographic evidence shows that at Barnstaple the lever-frame was mounted at the front of the SB and it is believed that this was also the arrangement at Pilton. However at the other stations only simple small platform-level wooden huts of identical design were provided and the photograph shows the former Woody Bay SB (after restoration in 1999) - this SB was recorded in the 1935 Sale Catalogue as measuring 6’x5’x7’. In each hut the entrance door was in the front wall with the lever-frame mounted ‘back-to-track’ against the rear wall. This arrangement probably reflected the fact that these SBs were not manned permanently, but simply was visited as and when necessary by the stationmaster or porter who also acted as signalman. Apart from (probably) at Barnstaple and Pilton the single-line ETT instruments also were kept in the booking-office.

As well as the SBs and their lever-frames, a small number of uncovered ground-frames (GF) existed on the railway. One GF was located at the Lynton end of Pilton loop and worked the points for the exit from the yard at that end - this GF was unlocked by the tablet for the section to Chelfham. At Blackmoor a new Down Siding was installed shortly after the line was opened and this was worked by a separate GF - the control for this was probably by a key from the main signal-box lever-frame, but records are conflicting. Each of these GFs contained just a single lever. Between the two level-crossings at Pilton there was a siding to serve a wharf on the River Yeo and in later years (when the siding points faced toward Barnstaple Town) this was also worked by a local GF - it is unclear whether originally (when the points faced towards Pilton) it had a GF or was worked directly from Pilton signal-box.

Economic Facing Point Locks

The use of 'economic Facing Point Locks' was a feature of the original signalling on the L&BR which merits further comment. It is a requirement of signalling installations for any points over which passenger trains pass in a facing direction to be properly secured to prevent accidental movement under the train. For convenience and ease of operation this is achieved usually by means of a device called a 'Facing Point Lock' (FPL), in effect a large bolt located between the rails which engages with a stretcher bar between the point blades to prevent them moving. An FPL would be operated in the controlling signal-box by a separate lever from that which worked the points themselves.

Because of the need for an extra FPL lever and associated mechanical rodding, the provision of FPLs added to the cost of a signalling installation, so many railways (including the L&BR) saved money by using 'economic' FPLs. The basis of an economic FPL was that it was worked by the same lever as that which worked the associated points, thereby saving money (hence the term 'economic') by avoiding the need for the second lever and additional rodding. There were a number of different designs of economic FPL used on various UK railways, but in most cases they employed some form of cam mechanism to enable a single movement of the rodding from the signal-box lever to withdraw the bolt, move the points, then re-insert the bolt.

L&BR 'economic' FPL arrangement Because of the narrow gauge used by the L&BR the operating mechanism for their economic FPLs (including the lock-bar) was located outside of the running rails, rather than between them as was normal on standard-gauge lines. Unfortunately it is not known yet whose pattern of economic FPL was used by the L&BR, because the few available photographs show a design unlike any others known to the author or described elsewhere. Although Evans O'Donnell were the signalling contractors, it would have been quite possible for them to have used under licence some specific item of equipment such an economic FPL which had been patented by another engineer.

Later Changes

During the L&BR's 25 years of independant existence very little of any significance happened on the line that would have required substantial changes to the signalling installations. It was not until a few years into the period of Southern Railway ownership that noticeable changes begin to occur:-

Barnstaple. As the Southern Railway now controlled both the former London & South Western Railway (L&SWR) and L&BR parts of Barnstaple Town station, it was no longer economic to employ two signalmen in separate signal-boxes. It is unclear exactly how or when the various alterations were achieved, but in essence the control of the L&BR passed to the ex-L&SWR signal-box, which now housed the single-line ETT instrument for the section to Pilton. The ex-L&BR signal-box appears to have been relegated to the status of a ground-frame - probably normally unmanned - and some levers in the ex-L&SWR signal-box were used to work 'slots' on the L&BR signals. Consequently it was possible now for just one signalman to control trains on both the main and narrow-gauge lines.
Bratton Fleming. About 1931/2 the passing-loop here was taken out of use. The signal-box was closed and replaced by a new uncovered ground-frame, which was unlocked by the single-line tablet for the extended Chelfham - Blackmoor section.
Lynton. All the main signals were renewed and the signal-box itself was replaced by another small ground-level hut of L&SWR/SR design. It was probably at the same time that the 'economic' facing-point locks were replaced by the conventional pattern worked by separate levers and this would have required alterations to the lever-frame interlocking - whether the lever-frame itself was replaced at the same time as the signal-box is unknown.

� Chris Osment 2003