Mechanical signal boxes and semaphore signals are the last vestige
of Victorian technology still to be found on Britain's railways.
Still surviving against all the odds in a digital era, only a few
hundred 'boxes' remain in use out of the 10,000 originally built to
control train movements across every inch of the network. Sadly,
almost all of them are to be abolished within the next decade and
replaced by twelve computerised Regional Operating Centres. The old
system is still alive and well throughout a number of locations
seemingly lost in time, from the remote Scottish Highlands to the
busy Great Western main line. The world's largest 'box' at
Shrewsbury - containing 180 levers - contrasts with many tiny level
crossing cabins in Yorkshire, while single-track electric token
systems have also remarkably stood the test of time on some
secondary routes. In this book, Gordon D. Webster looks at the last
signal boxes and semaphores with a vast selection of photographs,
showing the various trains that pass in an intriguing blend of old
and new. Interior views are included, showing the traditional
working environment of the signalman which will also soon be lost
forever.
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