Wittersham Signalbox detail

Another turn on the railway, this time at the Wittersham Road signal box. A pleasant, if somewhat pongy day in the sunshine. Muck spreading was going on somewhere in the vicinity upwind of the box which lent an agricultural smell to the whole day.

A different day too as one of the inspectors turned up to begin the cycle of continual assessment now that I've been passed out a couple of years. We covered 7 of the 32 assessment modules which will need to be completed in the next few years. All OK though, only another 25 to go.

Also had a visit from Barbara and David and Susan who spent the afternoon in the box watching proceedings, which I think they enjoyed.

I've done many shots of this box and its environs over the past 4 years so I thought a collage of some of the details might be interesting. Clockwise from the top left:

Wire adjusters; used to tighten the signal wires when the weather is hot and the wires expand. Must be loosened off at the end of the day else wires may snap as the contract. These two adjusters are for signals 19 and 20, the up home signals.

Lever plates; providing information on which signal or points they control  and which other levers must be pulled before operating the lever. Red are for signals, black for points and blue for point locks.

Telephone concentrator; the internal, very old telephone system allowing the signalman (ie Northiam or Rolvenden) to talk to other signalmen or to drivers waiting at signals (in this case the down home signals 1 and 2). Took a bit of time to get used to this equipment

Blcok instrument; this is the device which, with the cooperation of the signalman at the other end, allows a token to be withdrawn enabling the  signal which controls entry into the section to be pulled off. Withdrawing token locks all signals from opposing directions. Once out, the token is given to the driver as authority ot enter the single section. This block controls the single line section between Wittersham and Rolvenden.