The LNER Encyclopedia

Between the age of 15 & 17 I was a telegraph lad at the box between July 1972-March 1974 after which the 'lads job' was abolished.

The box was built by the LNER and opened in 1926 and closed in September 1976. The box contained two separate lever frames (although not when the box originally opened) with a smaller 20 lever frame that worked the various small collection of signals and points that were in the 'Luton single line branch' that include a couple of sidings and signals near the box that ran through platform no.1 (nowadays platform no.4) and a second larger main lever frame containing 85 levers that contained all the levers that dealt with the other running lines and connections which included all the various FPL levers, points levers both for individual sets of points and for double-ended sets of points, the main to main crossover along with disc signals and the main running line signals. Both lever frames were sited at the back of the box facing away from the main running lines outside.

The box contained x4 block instruments of the wooden Thompson LNER three position type with a number of single stroke block bells housed in wooden cases mixed in and duplicating the Thompson block instruments 'bell tappers' on the fast and slow lines to the boxes either side of the box located on the long block shelf. A glass fronted track diagram was mounted on the long block shelf roughly in the center of the main lever frame which had a wooden back and a wooden surround to the glass front. A 'stand alone' wooden single needle telegraph instrument that was connected to x4 separate single needle telegraph circuits that were housed in a separate wooden cabinet was located roughly opposite the main lever frame in the area of about lever nos 55-65 with the box telegraph code being C.T. in morse on the single needle telegraph.

The box was sited just off the north end of the Down slow line platform and was extended in length at some stage although at the time of the 1935 crash the box appears to have still been in it's original smaller length going by old photographs of the crash?. The box had 'two metal stirrup handles' protruding low down in the main lever frame to work the two separate 'detonator placers' in the Up & Down fast lines only immediately outside the box. The line leading directly from the Down slow line and through the facing connection just outside the box towards Digswell that line became the Down goods line beyond the facing connection outside the box. All passenger trains heading north beyond WGC to places like Hitchin, Royston, Cambridge & Peterborough that had stopped in the Down slow line platform were then 'turned out' along the Down main line to run towards Welwyn North box.

Extra information-

1.The two separate lever frames the smaller 'Luton frame' and the main lever frame I believe were both Saxby & Farmer?.

2.The x4 single needle telegraph circuits were-

1.Kings Cross-Hitchin
2.Hatfield-Sandy
3.This telegraph circuit was disused when I was at the box although I suspect it was the old Hatfield-Luton West circuit?.
4.This telegraph circuit was disused when I was at the box although I suspect it was the old Hatfield-Hertford North circuit?.

3.The 20 lever 'Luton frame' when I was at the box 18 of the levers were all unused and may have been painted white but I can't remember(?) except for 2 brown painted levers that worked the individual barriers on the Up & Down side barriers on the barrow crossing that went right across the four running lines outside the box.

4.In the main 85 lever frame levers 51-59 were all redundant when I was at the box although I don't think any of those levers were painted white as spare levers but were still left in their old colours anyway those levers worked various signals, disc signals & motor operated points at the 'top end' of the Up yard when a Up goods line existed between WGC & Hatfield No.2 box.

5.The Down goods line from WGC towards Digswell was worked under permissive block regulations between WGC & Welwyn North box.

6.The Down fast & Down slow lines from Hatfield were worked under Absolute block regulations between Hatfield No.3 & WGC boxes until November 1969 when Hatfield No.3 was abolished and the Down fast & Down slow lines were transferred on to Hatfield No.2 box although those two Down lines were still worked under Absolute block regulations between Hatfield No.2 & WGC.

7.I was at the box when the 'Welwyn flyover' was built during most of 1973 which was completed by the end of that year with the single line track being laid over the flyover at the very start of 1974.

8.I was also at the box when the NX route setting panel was delivered, installed and commissioned during August-September of 1973 with multi-aspect colour light signalling being commissioned simulaneously during one weekend in September 1973.

9.While Absolute block working was in force between Hatfield and WGC the old B.R. rule no.147 applied to trains arriving in the Down slow line platform that usually terminated at WGC where the guard would ring up the box on a fixed line telephone attached to the wall on the Down slow line platform and inform either the telegraph lad or signalman (whoever answered the phone?) that his train had arrived complete with a tail lamp in the Down slow line platform so that the signalman could then give 'train out of section' back to the signalman in Hatfield No.3 or later on the signalman in Hatfield No.2 and then maybe accept another train.

10.As previously posted the box single needle telegraph initials were C.T. The single needle telegraph instrument from memory sort of fell out of use shortly after the lever frame was abolished and the NX panel was commissioned although I can't remember if it was actually disconnected by the S&T or it just wasn't used anymore?. I think the telegraph instrument and the x4 telegraph circuits in the wooden cabinet may have been removed by the time that I left the box around about March of 1974?.

11.Early in 1973 (February I believe?) the box toilet at the north end of the box was enlarged which necessitated one of the sash windows being removed to enlarge the toilet.