My original idea was to only post my favourite 10 s/boxes on the Kings Cross London area back in the late 1960s and early 1970s so that is why my list isn't in any chronological order?.
Finsbury Park No.5 Built in 1888 and closed in late 1974 from memory anyway plenty of 'glory' working Finsbury Park No.5 and it was always one of my favourite boxes in the London area if not my favourite plus it had a small number of semaphore signals that it worked on all the Down running lines and I particularly liked the three semaphore signals in a row in the Down slow no.1 line anyway I visited No.5 one afternoon either in 1971 or 1972 I can't remember now and spent about an hour in the box with the signalman. Later on towards the end when Harringay (passenger) box closed in August 1973 a Intermediate block section was created or instigated on both the Down fast line and Down slow no.1 line between the Finsbury Park No.5 Down fast line home signal which was converted to a colour light signal and the existing Down slow no.1 line semaphore starting signal with the intermediate block semaphore distant signal being switched from being worked from Harringay (passenger) box to being worked by Finsbury Park No.5 below the starting signal and also the Down fast line intermediate block semaphore distant signal that stood opposite the Down slow no.1 line starting signal on the lattice T-bracket post was switched from being worked by Harringay (passenger) box to being worked by Finsbury Park No.5 with both those Finsbury Park No.5 signals on there individual Down fast line and Down slow no.1 line going as far as a new T-bracket signal post and becoming the new Finsbury Park No.5 intermediate block home signals on both the Down fast line and Down slow no.1 lines. The new intermediate block home signals that were carried on the new T-bracket signal post stood very near to the old Harringay Down lines T-bracket signal post that carried Harringay's Down lines semaphore home signals previously. The Finsbury Park No.5 intermediate block home signals for both the Down fast line and the Down slow no.1 line carried also both the Down fast line and Down slow no.1 lines semaphore distant signals for the Hornsey No.1 Down fast line semaphore distant signal and the Hornsey No.1 Down slow no.1 line semaphore distant signal beneath there respective stop signal above with all x4 signal arms having intensified lights fitted behind them!.
Finsbury Park No.6 I liked Finsbury Park No.6 and nearly went to the box during it's 'dying days' in April 1974 as a telegraph lad transferring from Welwyn Garden City box when the telegraph lads position at WGC was abolished around March/April 1974. Finsbury Park No.6 worked Absolute block on the Up fast & Up slow lines with Harringay (passenger) box while that box was 'switched in' between Monday to Friday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm or if Harringay (passenger) was 'switched out' usually with Wood Green Up Box No.4 but from August 1973 when Harringay (passenger) was permanently closed Finsbury Park No.6 then worked with Harringay Up goods box on the Up fast & Up slow lines when those two running lines were taken over by Harringay Up Goods box for about 15 or 16 months before Harringay Up Goods was finally closed. On both the Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines Finsbury Park No.6 worked with Harringay Up Goods box with those two roads being worked on Permissive block. On the other side of the station on the Up lines with Finsbury Park No.4 with all three running lines including the Up fast, the Up slow and the Up goods lines all being worked under Absolute block. The box employed telegraph lads who more often than not would be working the box to help out the signalman and which gave the telegraph lads practical signalling experience if they became signalmen. Finsbury Park No.6 did quite a bit of telegraph work with Hatfield No.1 with Hatfield No.1 who would be heard in all the other boxes along the Kings Cross to Hitchin telegraph circuit 'sending on' late running Up expresses to Finsbury Park No.6 throughout the day and into the late evening. When the Up Edgware line was open and before the bridge over the main line just to the north of Finsbury Park was still in use until 1969-70 and hadn't been condemned Finsbury Park No.6 worked Absolute block with Finsbury Park No.7. The carriage sidings on the Up side of the main running lines just to the north of Finsbury Park station were known as 'GB' sidings (Finsbury Park No.6 telegraph code was GB) and usually rakes of either maroon liveried or after about 1970 blue livered inner suburban non-corridor coaches along with Rolls Royce DMUs and a few Cravens DMUs would often be seen stabled in the sidings roads 24/7 with the connections to and from GB sidings being worked by Finsbury Park No.6. I think the lever frame was of about 50-55 levers(?) and along with the 'Finsbury Park telegraph circuit instrument' single needle instrument that was mounted on the block shelf amongst the other block instruments the box from a vague memory may have had two or possibly other three individual telegraph instruments positioned near to where the train register desk and train register book was along with the circuit telephones. Finsbury Park No.6 was 'switched in' continuously and I assume that the box couldn't switch out?. I visited the box from vague memory during 1971 courtesy of a relief signalman who I was visiting in Finsbury Park No.5 one weekday afternoon who said to me "Go over to No.6 and have a look around I'll ring No.6 and tell them you are coming over" and that is how I came to visit Finsbury Park No.6. Also a quick mention to be made of the 'homemade' EL CID name that was mounted above the box doorway or Finsbury Park No.6 which may have appeared from about 1970 onwards until the box closed in 1975 which is featured in one or two pictures of the box from that period.
Hornsey Up Goodslocated on the Up side of the running lines near Hornsey station and with several 'good lines' passing in front of the box it was nice to be out of the way and off the main line but it was still close enough to watch the comings and goings on the main line and the box also had a nice long 90 lever frame plus a nice array of semaphore signals mounted on a fine signal gantry and also bracket posts along with several signal posts carrying x3 & x4 miniature arms on the same post as well as ground disc signals. The box by the late 1960s and first half of the 1970s was mostly handling trains of ECS traffic destined for 'the cross' along with light engines with also a fair bit of shunting thrown in for good measure with the green or blue liveried Hornsey 350hp 0-6-0 diesel shunter 'making up' main line departures out of Kings Cross all day long and into the evening formed of rakes of the few remaining maroon B.R.Mk1s but by 1970 mostly all blue/grey B.R.Mk1s & Mk2s and by the early evening the blue liveried GUVs as well being attached for the mid evening and late night departures from Kings Cross to Scotland.
Goods And Mineral Junction Was a nice big and tall box located at the entrance to Kings Cross Goods yard and also to the entrance and exit from the former 'Top shed' loco sheds and standing nearly but not quite underneath the tall North London line railway bridge. The box was built and opened in 1876 and a signalman could watch the trains coming and going from 'the cross' down in Belle Isle if he was so inclined although the box was probably quite a busy box during the GNR and LNER times (I believe a telegraph lad was employed at the box in earlier days) but towards the end of it's life from about the mid-1960s onwards until closure in September 1975 I would assume it had long 'quiet periods' by then when nothing much was happening. Goods And Mineral Junction I assume originally worked with Belle Isle Down box (just outside Gasworks tunnel) until that box closed in 1933 after which it worked with the Kings Cross 1933 box on the Down South London goods line and later still when the 1971 PSB replaced the 1933 box until Goods And Mineral Junction also closed in 1975. The box also worked with Copenhagen Junction via a single lead connection onto the Down slow line at Copenhagen Junction box until that connection was abolished and was lifted in the middle 1960s and with both Holloway South Down and Holloway South Up boxes on the Up & Down goods lines which because both lines went through 'Copenhagen goods lines tunnel' were worked under Absolute block on both lines between all three boxes. Also the box worked with Five Arch shunters cabin in the Goods yard and with Maiden Lane box on the bi-directional single line named the 'Kings Cross incline' that went to & from the North London line. Maiden Lane box closed and was abolished circa 1974 after which Goods And Mineral Junction worked with Camden Road box on the North London line. Goods And Mineral Junction possessed several nice bracket post signals that carried a nice array of full-size and miniature signal arms plus an interesting signal gantry just outside Copenhagen Up goods line tunnel as well. I never visited the box but one Saturday lunch time around July of 1975 I was in Kings Cross goods yard and I was looking at the box thinking about 'having a look in' because the box door was open at the top of the long box staircase but I eventually decided that I wouldn't bother the signalman and so I missed my chance to visit the box and then a couple of months later it was gone!!
Finsbury Park No.4 I grew to like this box down the years along with it's 'Dutton lever frame' that it contained plus it worked a fine array of semaphore signals at the south end of Finsbury Park station on the Up lines and to walk into Finsbury Park No.4 was like stepping back in time to the Edwardian era of the early 1900s as it was very atmospheric indeed with it's dimly lit interior even in natural daylight and patterned floor carpet laying on the wax polished floor in front of the lever frame even in 1970. Finsbury Park No.4 was located beyond the platform ends at the south end of the Up platforms and worked in the rear block sections Absolute block with Finsbury Park No.6 on the Up fast & Up slow lines and Permissive block on the Up goods line. In the advance block sections Finsbury Park No.4 worked Absolute block with Holloway North Up on the Up fast & Up slow lines until Holloway North Up was closed in 1970 after which Finsbury Park No.4 worked with Holloway South Up box for several years until about the autumn of 1974 when Finsbury Park No.4 was closed with Finsbury Park No.4s area being taken over by Finsbury Park No.6 for about a year. Also from Finsbury Park No.4 the box worked Permissive block on the Up goods and Up coal lines with Holloway North Up until that box was closed in 1970 after which it worked with Holloway South Up box instead. The Up Canonbury line between Finsbury Park No.4 & Finsbury Park No.1 box was worked under Absolute block and connections (at the back of No.4 box) gave access to East Goods yard sidings although until sometime during the 1950s Finsbury Park No.4 worked with East Goods yard box on the goods lines as well. From memory sometime either during late 1973 or early 1974 a 'temporary connection' from Finsbury Park No.4 leading from the Up goods line outside the box that was converted to a 'passenger line' status between Finsbury Park No.4 and a new connection near to the former East Goods yard and leading to the 'new' Up Canonbury line at Finsbury Park No.1 box was commissioned for trains heading towards the North London line at Canonbury Junction, I believe the reason for this temporary connection was to do with alterations that were to take place at the south end of Finsbury Park station in connection with the 'new link' towards Drayton Park on the former London Transport Northern line branch to Moorgate?. Also around 1972-73(?) a number of semaphore signal arms were removed that Finsbury Park No.4 worked including x3 arms on the T- bracket signal post with it's array of 'directing signals' standing directly outside the box with the stop signal arm leading to the Up coal line and it's associated 'fixed' distant signal arm beneath it were both abolished and removed and also the 'fixed' distant signal beneath the former Up goods line stop signal was abolished and removed. The former Up goods line stop signal remained being carried along with the other x2 'directing signals' on the signal post outside the box and became the new route towards the Up Canonbury line and Finsbury Park No.1 with the new 'passenger line' from Finsbury Park No.4 as far as the new connection leading onto the 'Up Canonbury line' and Finsbury Park No.1 box. Beyond the 'new connection' leading onto the Up Canonbury line towards Finsbury Park No.1 the line was still the Up goods line towards Holloway South Up box. The old Finsbury Park No.4 semaphore starting signals for the Up fast & Up slow lines with the Holloway South Up semaphore 'motorised' distant signals beneath both stop signal arms and carried on a bracket signal post was abolished and removed and in it's place a new group of three separate 3-aspect colour light signals (mounted in a line side by side) and carried on a bracket signal post for the Up fast, Up slow & Up goods/Up Canonbury line was sited just before the new connection leading onto the Up Canonbury line towards Finsbury Park No1 with all three colour light signals being worked by Finsbury Park No.4 (on a temporary small 'route setting box' mounted towards the left-hand end of the block shelf) with all three colour light signals requiring a 'line clear' release to 'clear them' from either Holloway South Up box on the Up fast, Up slow & Up goods lines and by Finsbury Park No.1 box on the new Up Canonbury line. The Up slow line (platform) home signals at the end of the Up slow line platform which carried x2 stop signal arms one above the other and was carried on a bracket signal post on one doll with the top signal arm leading onto the Up Canonbury line behind the box and the bottom signal arm leading towards the 'directing signals' outside the box was altered with the bottom signal arm being removed leaving just the one top signal arm leading towards the 'directing signals' outside the box and a 'new' red miniature arm to the left of the Up slow (platform) home signal being added leading from the Up slow line platform towards behind the back of the box and a 'dead end' siding road and a set of buffer stops which was in reality a few lengths of the old Up Canonbury line. Several other arms including a full-size stop signal arm carried on a T-bracket signal post (with top finals on both dolls) that stood outside the box that lead towards the Up Canonbury line and the old route towards the old Finsbury Park No.4 Up Canonbury line starting signal with the Finsbury Park No.1 Up Canonbury line distant signal beneath it along with x2 red miniature signal arms also carried on this T-bracket signal post leading into East Goods sidings were all abolished and removed although this T-bracket signal post devoid of it's signal arms remained in situ for a couple of years more. On the Up goods line through the station platform the bottom full-size stop signal arm on a straight metal tubular signal post was removed with the remaining 'top' signal arm leading towards the 'directing signals' outside the box and a new red miniature arm carried further down the signal post 'to the left' leading from the Up goods line to a 'dead end' siding road and a set of buffer stops behind the back of Finsbury Park No.4 box which was in reality a few lengths of the old Up Canonbury line. With regards to myself visiting Finsbury Park No.4 I did for an hour or so one afternoon either in 1971 or 1972 I can't recall the actual year now some 51 or 52 years later?.
Holloway South Down I always liked 'South Down' for some reason even though it only worked a semaphore home and semaphore distant signal on the Down goods line with the other two signals on the Down fast and Down slow lines being colour light signals from when I first knew the layout from about late 1967 onwards along with there colour light distant signals back in Belle Isle so not much in the way of actual signals but I liked the box it's self and it's layout. Holloway South Down worked in the rear block sections with originally Copenhagen Junction box on the Down fast and Down slow lines through the Copenhagen tunnel until that box closed in 1967 after which it worked with both the 1933 LNER Kings Cross box until the autumn of 1971 and when that box closed the then newer 1971 Kings Cross PSB. On the Down goods line it worked in the rear block section with Goods And Mineral Junction box in Belle Isle which controlled the entrance & exit to & from the Kings Cross Goods yard. In the advance block sections on all the Down running line 'South Down' worked with Holloway North Down box at the top of the Holloway bank. Holloway South Down along with Holloway North Down were the last two remaining 'mechanical s/boxes' to close in the Kings Cross London area in August 1976.
Finsbury Park No.1 Located beside the Down Canonbury line on the 'Canonbury lines' Finsbury Park No.1 was a bit of a 'mystery box' on the Kings Cross area to some extent and usually only glimpsed briefly from trains on the main line south of Finsbury Park unless you rode on a train between Finsbury Park & Broad Street or vice versa either on a weekday morning or evening peak hour service then you would pass the box on the train. The box worked with several other s/boxes around the area including Ashburton Grove on the Up & Down goods lines, Finsbury Park No.4 on the Up Canonbury line from Finsbury Park and with Finsbury Park No.3 on the Down Canonbury line to Finsbury Park and also with Canonbury Junction box on the Up & Down 'Canonbury lines' on the other side of 'Canonbury tunnel' on the London Midland Region. Finsbury Park No.1 also worked the points that gave access to & from Highbury Vale sidings plus the box also worked a number of other connections (points) in the immediate area of the box plus it also appeared to have a number of semaphore signals that it worked on various straight and bracket signal posts but any trains movements that passed Finsbury Park No.1 were rarely seen from a passing train on the main line?.
Finsbury Park No.2 Again another 'mystery box' to some extent being located in front of a number of goods lines running from Holloway North Down to Finsbury Park No.3 and also to and from Ashburton Grove box on the Up & Down goods lines 'just around the corner' underneath the GN/LNER main line bridge. Also further across the goods lines from the Finsbury Park No.2 box was the 'Down Canonbury line' although Finsbury Park No.2 didn't signal trains on the 'Down Canonbury line' that line was signalled between Finsbury Park No.1 and Finsbury Park No.3 boxes. Finsbury Park No.2 could be clearly seen from passing trains on the main line south of Finsbury Park as opposed to Finsbury Park No.1 being only briefly glimpsed from a passing train on the main line. Also Finsbury Park No.2 was located right beside Finsbury Park diesel depot (or Clarence yard as it was usually called) and that also made it interesting as well plus it was not a bad looking box either containing another Dutton lever frame. From vague memory I believe some local re-signalling took place at Finsbury Park No.2 around 1970 where the existing semaphore signals worked by the box were replaced by colour light signals and being worked off a small temporary switch panel in the box.
Hornsey No.2 I always liked this small compact box which was located between the Up fast and Up slow lines just north of Hornsey Up lines station platforms and only worked the Up fast and Up slow lines between Wood Green Up Box No.4 & Harringay (passenger) box although until the early 1960s there had been a facing and trailing connections in the Up slow and Up goods No.1 line with Hornsey Up Goods box but by the late 1960s the connections had been removed and plain lined. The box primary purpose by the late 1960s and into the early 1970s was to 'shorten the block section' on the Up fast & Up slow lines between Wood Green Up Box No.4 & Harringay (passenger) box especially during the 'morning peak' hours between 7:00 & 9:30 am Monday to Friday so the box opening and closing times were 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Hornsey No.2 was not to far away from Hornsey Up Goods box and finally closed in June 1973 and I thought it would have made an ideal box to have been preserved by someone being as it was small and compact along with Ashburton Grove as well.
Kings Cross area s/boxes
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Kings Cross area s/boxes
Last edited by Mickey on Tue Aug 29, 2023 11:48 am, edited 43 times in total.
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.
Kings Cross area s/boxes
Kings Cross 1933 LNER box and the 1971 PSB. I never visited either boxes although I was at Kings Cross standing alone at the end of the old No.10 platform during the early hours of a Sunday morning when the signalling change over had started when the old 1933 box was decommissioned and the new power box over at York Road was simultaneously commissioned back in the autumn of 1971.
Holloway South Up. Located further down the Holloway bank near to the Caledonian Road road bridge that spans all the running lines and standing on the old Holloway cattle dock platform on the Up side of the line and with Holloway South Down standing diagonally opposite on the Down side of the lines. The box wasn't one of my favourite boxes in the London area compared to other boxes but all Up line trains heading towards Belle Isle and Kings Cross terminus and also York Road platform and the Widened lines beyond and light engines heading for passenger loco were 'sorted out' at this box meaning either if they were heading along the Up slow line towards York Road platform and the Widened lines beyond or the Up fast line heading towards the east side arrival platforms nos 1, 2, 4 & 5 or being routed from the Up fast onto the Up Relief line in Belle Isle by Kings Cross box and heading towards the main line platforms nos 6, 7, 8, & 10 they needed to be kept on the Up fast line when passing Holloway South Up or again trains being routed off the Up fast line onto the Up Relief line in Belle Isle by Kings Cross box and heading towards the west side suburban platforms nos 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 or light engines heading for passenger loco they all had to be kept on the Up fast line when passing Holloway South Up. Also it was fairly common to see main line diesel hauled ECS trains being held at a signal at the top of Holloway bank on either the Up goods or Up carriage lines after Holloway South Up took over the former Holloway North Up area in 1970 when the Holloway South Up signalman would wait until Kings Cross box would tell him when they was ready for the ECS when a platform was available at the terminus. I visited Holloway South Up one afternoon back in 1972 for about 30 minutes with the box telegraph lad who had invited me up the box for a look around. Holloway South Up closed possibly during 1975 but it's closure date is a bit fuzzy now?.
Holloway North Down. A 'modern structure' possibly built sometime during the 1950s and replacing an earlier box at this location. Holloway North Down was a fairly interesting job to work and worked Absolute block with Holloway South Down on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines (the Down slow no.2 line between Holloway South Down & Holloway North Down was abolished and lifted in 1968) also possibly and I am guessing that Absolute block working was also worked on the Down goods line as well between Holloway South Down and Holloway North Down because it was only a short block section and distance between both boxes and because I can't recall ever seeing more than 'one train' on the Down goods line between both boxes at anyone time?. In the other direction heading northwards Holloway North Down worked Absolute block with Finsbury Park No.3 on all the Down running lines and I assume Holloway North Down worked Permissive block on the Down goods and Carriage lines between Holloway North Down and with Finsbury Park No.2. The box had a fair number of semaphore signals that it worked and along with Holloway South Down both boxes from memory were the last two mechanical signal boxes to close on the Kings Cross London area south of Hitchin in August 1976. I did visit the box on two separate occasions the first time either in 1971 or 1972 and the second and last time in 1974.
Holloway North Up. Located at the top of the Holloway bank and standing on the far Up side of the running lines into Kings Cross and standing diagonally opposite Holloway North Down over on the Down side was a weird looking structure?. Holloway North Up box was built in 1867 although an extension was added on it's south east corner in 1876 making the box from memory looking like a kind of a L shape?. Holloway North Up also had a large British Railways Eastern Region blue enamel sign with white letters and was mounted onto the front of the box for the benefit I presume of passengers travelling on trains running into Kings Cross that said KINGS CROSS 1 & 3/4 MILES ---------> (that way) but this large sign was removed off the box shortly before it closed in August 1970. The top of the Holloway bank where both Holloway North Up and Holloway North Down boxes were located was an interesting area from a railway point of view with I presume Holloway North Up in particular giving great views of the railway looking towards Clarence yard, Finsbury Park and East Goods sidings in the distance. The box was 'bricked up' from rail level to underneath the window frames like many other boxes were in the London area in 1940 with the on set of WW2 with the exceptions being Ashburton Grove, Ferme Park South Down, Ferme Park South Up, Hornsey No.1, Hornsey No.2 & Wood Green Up Box No.4. Also an interesting little aside about Holloway North Up was that is worked x3 miniature somersault signals carried on there individual dolls on a bracket signal post as late as about 1967-68 before all three arms were finally removed.
Holloway South Up. Located further down the Holloway bank near to the Caledonian Road road bridge that spans all the running lines and standing on the old Holloway cattle dock platform on the Up side of the line and with Holloway South Down standing diagonally opposite on the Down side of the lines. The box wasn't one of my favourite boxes in the London area compared to other boxes but all Up line trains heading towards Belle Isle and Kings Cross terminus and also York Road platform and the Widened lines beyond and light engines heading for passenger loco were 'sorted out' at this box meaning either if they were heading along the Up slow line towards York Road platform and the Widened lines beyond or the Up fast line heading towards the east side arrival platforms nos 1, 2, 4 & 5 or being routed from the Up fast onto the Up Relief line in Belle Isle by Kings Cross box and heading towards the main line platforms nos 6, 7, 8, & 10 they needed to be kept on the Up fast line when passing Holloway South Up or again trains being routed off the Up fast line onto the Up Relief line in Belle Isle by Kings Cross box and heading towards the west side suburban platforms nos 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 or light engines heading for passenger loco they all had to be kept on the Up fast line when passing Holloway South Up. Also it was fairly common to see main line diesel hauled ECS trains being held at a signal at the top of Holloway bank on either the Up goods or Up carriage lines after Holloway South Up took over the former Holloway North Up area in 1970 when the Holloway South Up signalman would wait until Kings Cross box would tell him when they was ready for the ECS when a platform was available at the terminus. I visited Holloway South Up one afternoon back in 1972 for about 30 minutes with the box telegraph lad who had invited me up the box for a look around. Holloway South Up closed possibly during 1975 but it's closure date is a bit fuzzy now?.
Holloway North Down. A 'modern structure' possibly built sometime during the 1950s and replacing an earlier box at this location. Holloway North Down was a fairly interesting job to work and worked Absolute block with Holloway South Down on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines (the Down slow no.2 line between Holloway South Down & Holloway North Down was abolished and lifted in 1968) also possibly and I am guessing that Absolute block working was also worked on the Down goods line as well between Holloway South Down and Holloway North Down because it was only a short block section and distance between both boxes and because I can't recall ever seeing more than 'one train' on the Down goods line between both boxes at anyone time?. In the other direction heading northwards Holloway North Down worked Absolute block with Finsbury Park No.3 on all the Down running lines and I assume Holloway North Down worked Permissive block on the Down goods and Carriage lines between Holloway North Down and with Finsbury Park No.2. The box had a fair number of semaphore signals that it worked and along with Holloway South Down both boxes from memory were the last two mechanical signal boxes to close on the Kings Cross London area south of Hitchin in August 1976. I did visit the box on two separate occasions the first time either in 1971 or 1972 and the second and last time in 1974.
Holloway North Up. Located at the top of the Holloway bank and standing on the far Up side of the running lines into Kings Cross and standing diagonally opposite Holloway North Down over on the Down side was a weird looking structure?. Holloway North Up box was built in 1867 although an extension was added on it's south east corner in 1876 making the box from memory looking like a kind of a L shape?. Holloway North Up also had a large British Railways Eastern Region blue enamel sign with white letters and was mounted onto the front of the box for the benefit I presume of passengers travelling on trains running into Kings Cross that said KINGS CROSS 1 & 3/4 MILES ---------> (that way) but this large sign was removed off the box shortly before it closed in August 1970. The top of the Holloway bank where both Holloway North Up and Holloway North Down boxes were located was an interesting area from a railway point of view with I presume Holloway North Up in particular giving great views of the railway looking towards Clarence yard, Finsbury Park and East Goods sidings in the distance. The box was 'bricked up' from rail level to underneath the window frames like many other boxes were in the London area in 1940 with the on set of WW2 with the exceptions being Ashburton Grove, Ferme Park South Down, Ferme Park South Up, Hornsey No.1, Hornsey No.2 & Wood Green Up Box No.4. Also an interesting little aside about Holloway North Up was that is worked x3 miniature somersault signals carried on there individual dolls on a bracket signal post as late as about 1967-68 before all three arms were finally removed.
Last edited by Mickey on Tue Aug 22, 2023 11:25 am, edited 5 times in total.
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.
Re: Kings Cross area s/boxes
Ashburton Grove. Ashburton Grove was a small GN box containing a small 15 lever Dutton frame and stood near to the main line overbridge south of Finsbury Park between the Up & Down goods lines between Finsbury Park No.1 & Finsbury Park No.2 boxes. The box gave access to the Ashburton Grove 'Rubbish sidings' where the 'Ashburton Grove Pullman rubbish trains' originated from and also it worked the connection coming off the Up goods line onto the (famous) 'Creep Up' which was officially named the Up carriage line heading up the gradient towards the GN/LNER main line at Holloway North Up and later on after Holloway North Up closed in 1970 Holloway South Up box. When riding as a passenger on any train into and out of Kings Cross I always glanced over at the box and the Down home signal with the Finsbury Park No.2 distant beneath it to see if the signal was at danger or at clear which usually signified if the box was either open or closed?. I happen to visit the box one summer afternoon with a railway friend back in the summer of 1971 and stayed chatting with the signalman for about 45 minutes as well as my friend taking a couple of pictures with one being of the lever frame that has been posted on this forum in the past under a Ashburton Grove topic thread before we departed the box and left the signalman in peace. The box closed around the spring of 1974 along with Finsbury Park No.1 when a Finsbury Park No.2 received a new temporary NX panel that replaced an earlier temporary switch panel that was installed two or three years earlier.
Finsbury Park No.3. Possibly the 'big job' signalling wise at Finsbury Park amongst the other six Finsbury Park boxes. Finsbury Park No.3 worked with Holloway North Down on the Down fast, Down slow no.1, Down slow no.2 and a Down carriage line also with Finsbury Park No.2 on the Down goods lines and Finsbury Park No.1 on the Down Canonbury line. On the 'other side' of Finsbury Park station Finsbury Park No.3 worked with Finsbury Park No.5 on all the Down running lines. Finsbury Park No.3 stood off the south end of the Down platforms across 'the other side' of the Seven Sisters Road bridge where a couple of small railway buildings along with the bridge ironwork obscured much of the box from view from the Down platforms. The box had a 80 lever frame and telegraph lads were employed in the box (also at Finsbury Park No.6 as well). On the Down fast line there was no points at all just a slightly curving fast line approaching the box before it ran straight through Finsbury Park station towards Finsbury Park No.5. All the 'main action' was on the 'other side' of the box along with the x4 running lines heading towards Finsbury Park No.5. A mass of points and other connections were outside the box where the Down slow no.1 & no.2 along with the Down Canonbury line and the Down goods lines all converged to crossover the Seven Sisters Road bridge on there individual lines and passing through the station. A connection to and from Western sidings was controlled by this box and at onetime two large signal gantries were worked by this box with one gantry on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines being reputed to have been the last signal gantry in the London area to carry somersault signals until around the late 1950s when colour light signals finally replaced the somersault signals and another large signal gantry on the good lines and Down Canonbury line carrying many full-size upper quadrant stop signal arms along with the Finsbury Park No.5 distant signals (which I remember seeing from passing trains) were all replaced by x4 colour light signals along with new theatre light route indicators (on the same gantry) around 1970. I visited the box in 1972 about two years before it closed later in 1974.
Finsbury Park No.7.[/b] This box was another of the Finsbury Park 'mystery boxes' located as it was north of Finsbury Park station on the double-track Edgware branch and was rarely glimpsed by passengers on trains passing through Finsbury Park on the main lines below. The box worked with both Finsbury Park No.5 on the Down Edgware line and with Finsbury Park No.6 on the Up Edgware line plus a 'carriage line' that commenced just beyond Finsbury Park No.7 box and ran parallel with the Up Edgware line across the GN/LNER bridge to Finsbury Park No.6. Going in the other direction Finsbury Park No.7 worked with the London Transport s/box at Park Junction at Highgate. Finsbury Park No.7 eventually closed in October of 1970 (due to the bridge over the GN/LNER main line north of Finsbury Park becoming 'unsafe' for trains) and about a month after it closed myself and a railway friend visited the closed box (the box door was open) and we had a look around inside. The box held a small lever frame of maybe around 20 levers but I can't remember the exact number of levers now some 53 years on?. Other than that I have nothing more to say about No.7 except at onetime there was several photographs of the box interior that were posted 'on line' possibly about the time that myself and my railway friend visited the box in late 1970 after it had closed.
Harringay (passenger). Harringay box was located just off the southern end of the Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines platforms and was built in 1903 (I have also read another date of 1906?) and signalled trains during the B.R. era on the Up slow, Up fast, Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines. The box had a 'opening & closing' switch so was usually 'switched out' during the weekends and nights so by the late 1960s until closure in the early 1970s the box appeared to be only open Monday to Friday mainly for the morning peak services between 7:00 am & 9:30 am and the afternoon peak services between 4:30 pm & 7:00 pm although the box remained open for the rest of the day outside of the morning and evening peaks as a continuous 12hrs shift job and for a signalman that meant 12hrs of 'working on the lever frame' just signalling trains all day long!. By the late 1960s it's primary role as a box appeared to be to 'shorten' the block sections on the Down lines between Finsbury Park No.5 & Hornsey No.1 and on the Up lines between Hornsey No.2 (or Wood Green Up Box No.4 when Hornsey No.2 was 'switched out' during the late afternoon and evenings) & Finsbury Park No.6. A 'turn out' from the Up slow to Up fast line opposite the box was abolished in the late 1960s but a little used 'turn in' off the Down fast to Down slow no.1 line outside the box remained in use very occasionally until the box closed. I visited the box twice in one week during February 1973 about six months before the box finally closed in August 1973.
Harringay Up Goods. The box was located on the Up side of the goods and passenger lines and was reputed to have been the 'tallest box' on the GN. The box was built in 1893 and the reason for it being built so tall was that the box stood right in front of a footbridge at Harringay station that spanned right across all the running lines and would have obscured the signalman's view looking south towards Finsbury Park if the box hadn't have been built so tall. The box worked southwards to Finsbury Park No.6 on the Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines and with Ferme Park South Up in the rear section coming from Hornsey until that box closed in the mid-1960s and then with Hornsey Up Goods box. The box also worked the southern end of the Harringay 'flyover' from Ferme Park North Down box as well as several siding roads exiting from Ferme Park Up sidings. The box worked all semaphore signals and ground disc signals and also had several nice bracket signal posts as well. The Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines from Hornsey Up Goods to Finsbury Park No.6 were worked under permissive block working. When Harringay (passenger) box closed in August 1973 the Up fast & Up slow lines between Wood Green & Finsbury Park were transferred to being signalled by Harringay Up Goods for about 18 months which didn't seem quite right strangely anyway that arrangement didn't last more than about 18 months when finally the box was closed later in 1974.
Ferme Park South Up. Not much is known about this box by myself other than it was possibly built during the 1890s (like many boxes on the GN appeared to have been) and was located amongst the Up goods lines and Up sidings roads at the south end of the Ferme Park Up sidings quite near to the 'Harringay flyover' that ran between Harringay Up Goods & Ferme Park North Down boxes. Another post on the forum claims that the box closed in 1966 and I do vaguely remember seeing the 'redundant box' which was left standing after closure during the second half of 1967 several times while travelling on a passing train before i noticed one day that it had been dismantled and taken down. The box I would guess held either a 20-25 lever frame and worked with Hornsey Up Goods & Harringay Up Goods boxes either side of it with permissive block working on the Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines running between Hornsey Up Goods & Harringay Up goods. From vague memory Ferme Park South Up may have looked similar to Hornsey No.1 box?.
Ferme Park South Down. The box wasn't built and opened until 1931 although I thought the box was a lot older than the 1931 opening date that I read?. The box was built on Down side of the running lines on stilts off the top of the high retaining wall and embankment a few hundred yards beyond Harringay (West) station. The box was mainly built of wood on iron stilts although from below the window frames to part way down the front and either end of the box it was covered in wooden boarding with the bottom part of the stils being left exposed and not boarded over. The box worked the Down goods line from Finsbury Park No.5 to Ferme Park North Down and also a second Down goods line No.2 that started at Ferme Park South Down and running to Ferme Park North Down. The box also worked a number of connections (points) that gave access to and from the south end of Ferme Park sidings plus also the box worked the points on the GN end of the short single line connection to & from Harringay Park Junction box on the Kentish Town to Barking line. The box finally closed in December 1969 but the box remained standing for a couple of years after closure before finally being dismantled during 1972. Myself and a railway friend got permission from British Rail to visit the 'redundant structure' possibly in May of 1971 from vague memory and spent several hours inside the box one weekday morning and into the early afternoon. The lever frame was still in the box at the time of our visit although all the block shelf had been cleared of it's previous block instruments, signal indicators, 'lamp out' indicator box and track diagram which had all been removed at the time of our visit except for the s/box 'opening & closing' switch that remained on the block shelf.
Ferme Park North Down. Ferme Park North Down box was on the Down side of the main running lines in and out of Kings Cross and was located towards the north end of Ferme Park yards and signalled trains on the Down goods No.1 & Down goods No.2 lines between Ferme Park South Down (and after Ferme Park South Down closed in December 1969 with Finsbury Park No.5) and Hornsey No.1 that was located only several hundred yards beyond Ferme Park North Down box between the Down slow no.1 & no.2 lines. Also when Ferme Park South Down closed in December 1969 Ferme Park North Down took over the south end entrance off of the Down goods line from Finsbury Park No.5 and into the Ferme Park Down sidings being worked by 'motorised points' from Ferme Park North Down box. The same 'motorised' connection was also the exit points from the south end of the sidings heading towards the T&H line on the Kentish Town to Barking line via the 'Harringay single line' working with Harringay Park Junction at the other end of the single line. The box also worked the north end of the line coming over the 'Harringay flyover' which was originally 'double-tracked' but later on was only double-track from the top of the 'Harringay flyover' heading down towards Ferme Park North Down box to a nice signal gantry carrying two primary dolls with home & distant signals near the box, also from the 'motorised points' at the top of the 'Harringay flyover' it was 'single line' to and from Harringay Up Goods box. Ferme Park North Down also worked several other connections (points) in the vicinity of the box plus the box also had a similar type of 'covered veranda' arrangement at the rear of the box similar to Wood Green No.1 & Hatfield No.3 boxes whereby from rail level the box staircase lead up the left-hand side of the box to a covered veranda and then the box door was accessed on the right-hand side. Also I am guessing the box held about 35 levers maximum?. From about mid 1973 onwards until the end of the 1970s Ferme Park Down yard was transformed into 'carriage sidings' for mainly 'main line' coaching stock with new high-rise flood lights being installed in several parts of the yard/sidings so it became common to see trains of main line coaching stock in the form of blue/grey B.R.Mk1s & Mk2s standing or being shunted in the sidings during the day and into the evenings from passing trains on the main line. Also when the yard was being transformed into mainly carriage sidings several new low-rise buildings appeared towards the north end of the yard for use by train crews such as a messroom and a shunters messroom and a yard supervisors office which all gave the appearance of human 'activity' going on just across the siding roads from Ferme Park North Down box. The box just so happened to be one of the last surviving mechanical boxes in the London area eventually closing in December 1975.
Track and signalling alterations between Finsbury Park & Wood Green during 1974.
The Up goods no.1 line between Harringay Up Goods & Finsbury Park No.6 was abolished.
The Down slow no.2 line was abolished between Finsbury Park No.5 & Wood Green No.1 during the spring of 1974 and the track at Harringay (West)
station was 'slewed over' between March to May of 1974 so the former Up fast line through Harringay station became the new Up slow line and the former Down fast line through Harringay station became the new Up fast line. The new Down fast line virtually ran along the course of the old Down slow no.1 line through the station and the new Down slow line ran along the former Down slow no.2 line through the station with the old Down slow no.1 platform being completely removed.
A T-bracket signal post in the Down goods line at Hornsey No.1 had the right-hand stop signal removed when the connection from the Down goods to Down slow no.2 line was abolished at Hornsey No.1
At Wood Green No.1 the large signal gantry just to the south of the box that carried the Wood Green No.1 semaphore home signals on the Down fast, Down slow no.1, Down slow no.2 & Down goods line was abolished and replaced by x3 colour light signals worked by Wood Green No.1 with the Down fast line colour light being a x4 aspect signal with a route indicator and the other two colour light signals for the Down slow & Down goods lines being x3 aspect signals with route indicators. The Wood Green No.1 semaphore distant signals, all seven distant signals that were carried on a signal gantry that spanned all the Down running lines back at Hornsey had the Down fast line distant signal removed and was repositioned further back underneath the existing Hornsey No.1 Down fast line semaphore home signal that was carried on a wooden T-bracket signal post on the approach to Horsey No.1 box (coming off the sweeping curve) with this 'new' Wood Green No.1 distant signal being 'motorised' at the same time as well.
Hornsey No.1. The box stood between the Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines just off the south end of Hornsey Down side platforms and at a guess held a 30 lever frame. The box worked with Harringay (passenger) in the rear sections to the south on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines and with Ferme Park North Down on the Down Goods line (Ferme Park North Down box was only sited about 400 yards away from Hornsey No.1 with both boxes being able to clearly see each other) and in the advance sections to the north with Wood Green No.1 on all running lines. When the Down slow no.2 line was abolished in the spring of 1974 several stop signals that were worked by Hornsey No.1 on the Down slow no.2 line were abolished including the left-hand arm in a group of three stop signal arms on a wooden T-bracket post that were the Hornsey No.1 Down fast & Down slow lines home signals which made the two existing signals and the empty left-hand doll look strange to me?. Anyway I visited the box once during the summer of 1971 for maybe an hour before leaving the box. The box I recall was usually 'switched in' between Sunday to Sunday including a night shift during the week and at weekends although I believe there was a 'opening & closing' switch on the block shelf but I only recall seeing Hornsey No.1 'switched out' on a handful of occasions between 1968-74. Hornsey No.1 eventually closed in December of 1974.
Wood Green No.1. The box stood beside the Down goods line and had a pronounced 'shallow bow' in the front of the box I presume due to the weight of the lever frame holding 75 levers?. The box was usually 'switched in' continuously although on very rare occasions during a couple of Saturday nights back in the early 1970s I noticed that the box 'appeared to be switched out' with all the Down lines signals pulled off and the box in darkness. The box worked Absolute block in the rear sections with Hornsey No.1 on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines and Permissive block on the Down goods line and Absolute block northwards on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines to Wood Green No.3 box at the north end of Wood Green station until the mid-1960s (1965-66?) when Wood Green No.3 was closed after which Wood Green No.1 worked Absolute block on the Down fast & Down slow lines with New Southgate box and Absolute block on the Down slow no.2/Down Enfield line with Bounds Green box with the Down Enfield line commencing just beyond the facing points at the north end of Wood Green station. The connection points just beyond the north end of Wood Green station were 'motorised' between the Down slow to Down Enfield line and Down slow no.2 (straight route towards Bounds Green box) to Down slow line with both connections being worked by Wood Green No.1. Wood Green No.1 was notable in having a large signal gantry which carried all the Down line home signals (8 arms in total on eight individual dolls) with the Wood Green No.3 box distant signals beneath the home signals until the abolition of Wood Green No.3 in the mid-1960s. During February of 1973 when both New Southgate & Cemetery boxes were both closed at the same time TCB (Track Circuit Block) was introduced on all the four running lines between both Wood Green No.1 on the Down lines and Wood Green Up Box No.2 on the Up lines with both those boxes working with New Barnet North Box NX panel. In the early part of 1974 the Down slow no.2 line was abolished between Finsbury Park No.5 & Wood Green No.1 and so to was the Wood Green No.1 signal gantry as well and was replaced by x3 multi-aspect colour light signals (x4 aspects on the fast line and x3 aspects on the slow and goods lines) acting as the Wood Green No.1 'home signals' on individual straight posts with route indicators above there individual signal heads being worked by Wood Green No.1 'on the lever' also the Down fast line 'mechanically worked' distant signal that was carried in a group of seven other individual distant signal arms on a gantry that spanned all the Down running lines back at Hornsey just beyond the station was abolished (on the Down fast line only) and repositioned further back underneath the Hornsey No.1 Down fast line home signal on the approach to Hornsey No.1 box and was also 'motorised' as well and being worked on the lever. I visited Wood Green No.1 either in 1971 or 1972 I can't remember which year it was now over 50 years later and spent an hour or so in the box one afternoon with the signalman and it appeared to be a nice box to work with the nearby Wood Green water reservoir near the rear of the box.
Wood Green Up Box No.4. The box stood just off the south end of Wood Green station between the Up fast & Up slow lines and was a fairly large box and also appeared to be quite wide as well. Wood Green Up Box No.4 appeared to be 'switched in' continuously although it may have had a 'opening & closing' switch but I don't ever remember ever seeing the box being switched out?. The box worked with Wood Green Up Box No.2 in the rear block sections with Absolute block working on the Up fast, Up slow & Up Enfield line and Permissive block on the Up goods (carriage) line. In the advance block sections with Hornsey Up Goods on the Up goods line under Permissive block working and Absolute block working with Hornsey No.2 on the Up fast & Up slow lines until June 1973 when Hornsey No.2 was permanently closed after which Wood Green Up Box No.4 worked with Harringay Up Goods on both the Up fast & Up slow lines until late 1974 when Harringay Up Goods along with Hornsey No.1, Wood Green No.1, Wood Green Up Box No.2 & Bounds Green boxes were all closed and a temporary NX panel was installed and commissioned in Wood Green No.4 to work with Finsbury Park to the south and to the north with the New Barnet North Box NX panel along with Gordon Hill NX panel on the Hertford loop and TCB (Track Circuit Block) was worked on all lines under Wood Green No.4s area of control.
Wood Green Up Box No.4 had a couple of interesting semaphore signals and signal posts that it worked in particular a fairly tall white painted x3 doll T-bracket post mainly of wood that carried x3 co-acting stop signals (the arms were slightly smaller than the normal full-size arms) standing opposite the box on the Up Enfield line. Also standing outside the box on the Up slow line was another x3 stop signal arms (again with the arms being slightly smaller than the normal full-size arms) on a white painted lattice post with each individual signal arm being 'under slung' off the T-bracket post. The Wood Green Up Box No.4 semaphore distant signals were all mounted underneath the Wood Green Up Box No.2 home signals on two separate signal posts also on the Up fast line a 'outer colour light distant signal' that was dual controlled with Wood Green Up Box No.2 and was positioned further back on the 'other side of the Wood Green tunnel' was in a combined colour light signal head with the New Southgate Up fast line colour light starting signal. The Wood Green Up Box No.4 semaphore distant signals underneath the Wood Green Up Box No.2 home signals read from right to left on approaching the signals the Up fast, the Up slow, the Up slow to Up Enfield and the Up slow to Up goods line. Also the Wood Green Up Box No.2 Up Enfield line home signals and the Up Enfield line to Up goods line both with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signals beneath each home signal were carried on a tall white painted lattice T-bracket signal post on two separate dolls on the immediate approach Wood Green Up Box No.2. Also a slightly unusual feature of Wood Green Up Box No.4 was a 'cast iron bell' that was mounted outside the box door on the box landing.
Wood Green Up Box No.2. The box stood a couple of hundred yards north of the Up platforms at Wood Green station (beyond the bridge hole) beside the Up Enfield line and with Bounds Green carriage sidings behind the box and with Bounds Green carriage sheds nearby. Wood Green Up Box No.2 was quite old and I believe may have been called Wood Green North Box in an earlier time?. The box contained about 45-50 levers at a guess although the actual number of levers is referenced on other posts on the forum. The box appeared to be always open so I doubt if it contained a 'opening & closing' swich. Also the box controlled the access to and from the south end of Bounds Green carriage sidings as well as signalling trains on the Up fast, Up slow and Up Enfield line plus the Up goods line from Wood Green Up Box No.2 heading through Wood Green station to Wood Green Up Box No.4. Wood Green Up Box No.2 also controlled the access to several sidings heading around to Bounds Green box and for 'trip workings' heading to and from the Rowntree sidings on the Up side of the running lines opposite the Up slow line. Wood Green Up Box No.2 worked Absolute block on the Up fast, Up slow and Up Enfield line to Wood Green Up Box No.4 and Permissive block on the Up goods line to Wood Green Up Box No.4. In the rear block sections Wood Green Up Box No.2 worked Absolute block on the Up fast & Up slow lines with New Southgate box and sometimes with Cemetery box when New Southgate box was closed and Absolute block with Bounds Green box on the Up Enfield line. When New Southgate and Cemetery boxes were both permanently closed in February 1973 the box worked TCB (Track Circuit Block) with the New Barnet North Box NX panel on the Up fast & Up slow lines only. An interesting feature of Wood Green Up Box No.2 was a tall white painted wooden T-bracket signal post (this T-bracket signal post also had a number of 'guy line' fixed from it) and carried the Up fast line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 Up fast line (inner) distant signal also the Up slow line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 Up slow line distant signal and the Up slow to Up Enfield line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signal and finally the Up slow to Up goods line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signal as well. This tall T-bracket signal post with the x4 individual dolls (posts) each had it's own 'top final' (spike) fixed to the top of each post. Also the Up Enfield line home signal was carried on a lattice T-bracket post along with the Wood Green No.4 distant signal and the Up Enfield line to Up goods line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signal and like the other tall T-bracket signal post standing nearby on the Up fast & Up slow lines and opposite the Up Enfield line home signals the x2 individual dolls (posts) on the Up Enfield line dolls had 'top finals' (spike) fixed to the top of each post. Wood Green Up Box No.2 finally closed in late 1974 when a temporary NX panel was installed and commissioned in Wood Green Up Box No.4. Finally a 'funny feature' of Wood Green Up Box No.2 was the sight of 'potted plants' with green leaves could be spotted on the block shelf amongst the block instruments from passing trains from the 1960s until the box finally closed in late 1974, I presume one of the resident signalmen was possibly into a bit of gardening or keeping potted plants at home?.
Bounds Green. A bit of another 'mystery box' to me unless you lived along the Hertford loop because Bounds Green box stood between the Up & Down Enfield lines where the Up & Down Enfield lines 'part company' with each other with the Up line heading around the curve towards Wood Green Up Box No.2 and Wood Green station beyond and on the Down line after leaving Wood Green station it was on a rising gradient until it crossed over the main line on a iron bridge before descending again past Bounds Green box and then a few hundred yards past the box arriving in Bowes Park station. The box was briefly seen for four or five seconds from trains travelling on the fast and slow lines before of after passing north of Wood Green station and as far as I know the box was usually open so I presume that the box didn't have a 'opening & closing' switch?. Bounds Green box worked Absolute block with Wood Green Up Box No.2 on the Up Enfield line and Absolute block with Wood Green No.3 until that box closed around 1965-66 and then with Wood Green No.1 on the Down Enfield line. Going in the 'other direction' the box worked Absolute block with Palmers Green box until that box closed around 1972 after which it worked TCB (Track Circuit Block) with the temporary NX panel in Gordon Hill box. Bounds Green box controlled the northern entrance and exit to and from Bounds Green carriage sidings and the carriage sheds with the carriage sidings being laid out on a curve between Bounds Green box and Wood Green Up Box No.2 also Bounds Green box controlled the entrance and exit to and from the old Palace Gates double-track branch although by the 1960s & 1970s the branch was shortened back and only went as far as the disused Palace Gates station ending at two individual buffer stops for either road which in reality distance wise was just across from the back of Bounds Green carriage sheds so the old branch didn't go that far past Wood Green. With regards to Bounds Green box it was a rather small looking box with at a guess held about 25 levers(?) although when I eventually went around that part of the Enfield lines circa 1974-75 the box appeared to work a number of connections (points) along with various ground disc signals (some were stacked one above the other I vaguely recall?) and several miniature signal arms plus also several full-size stop signal arms on the Up & Down Enfield lines. Bounds Green box closed in late 1974 along with Wood Green No.1 and Wood Green Up Box No.2 when a 'temporary' NX panel was installed and commissioned in Wood Green Up Box No.4 at the south end of the Up platforms at Wood Green station.
Finsbury Park No.3. Possibly the 'big job' signalling wise at Finsbury Park amongst the other six Finsbury Park boxes. Finsbury Park No.3 worked with Holloway North Down on the Down fast, Down slow no.1, Down slow no.2 and a Down carriage line also with Finsbury Park No.2 on the Down goods lines and Finsbury Park No.1 on the Down Canonbury line. On the 'other side' of Finsbury Park station Finsbury Park No.3 worked with Finsbury Park No.5 on all the Down running lines. Finsbury Park No.3 stood off the south end of the Down platforms across 'the other side' of the Seven Sisters Road bridge where a couple of small railway buildings along with the bridge ironwork obscured much of the box from view from the Down platforms. The box had a 80 lever frame and telegraph lads were employed in the box (also at Finsbury Park No.6 as well). On the Down fast line there was no points at all just a slightly curving fast line approaching the box before it ran straight through Finsbury Park station towards Finsbury Park No.5. All the 'main action' was on the 'other side' of the box along with the x4 running lines heading towards Finsbury Park No.5. A mass of points and other connections were outside the box where the Down slow no.1 & no.2 along with the Down Canonbury line and the Down goods lines all converged to crossover the Seven Sisters Road bridge on there individual lines and passing through the station. A connection to and from Western sidings was controlled by this box and at onetime two large signal gantries were worked by this box with one gantry on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines being reputed to have been the last signal gantry in the London area to carry somersault signals until around the late 1950s when colour light signals finally replaced the somersault signals and another large signal gantry on the good lines and Down Canonbury line carrying many full-size upper quadrant stop signal arms along with the Finsbury Park No.5 distant signals (which I remember seeing from passing trains) were all replaced by x4 colour light signals along with new theatre light route indicators (on the same gantry) around 1970. I visited the box in 1972 about two years before it closed later in 1974.
Finsbury Park No.7.[/b] This box was another of the Finsbury Park 'mystery boxes' located as it was north of Finsbury Park station on the double-track Edgware branch and was rarely glimpsed by passengers on trains passing through Finsbury Park on the main lines below. The box worked with both Finsbury Park No.5 on the Down Edgware line and with Finsbury Park No.6 on the Up Edgware line plus a 'carriage line' that commenced just beyond Finsbury Park No.7 box and ran parallel with the Up Edgware line across the GN/LNER bridge to Finsbury Park No.6. Going in the other direction Finsbury Park No.7 worked with the London Transport s/box at Park Junction at Highgate. Finsbury Park No.7 eventually closed in October of 1970 (due to the bridge over the GN/LNER main line north of Finsbury Park becoming 'unsafe' for trains) and about a month after it closed myself and a railway friend visited the closed box (the box door was open) and we had a look around inside. The box held a small lever frame of maybe around 20 levers but I can't remember the exact number of levers now some 53 years on?. Other than that I have nothing more to say about No.7 except at onetime there was several photographs of the box interior that were posted 'on line' possibly about the time that myself and my railway friend visited the box in late 1970 after it had closed.
Harringay (passenger). Harringay box was located just off the southern end of the Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines platforms and was built in 1903 (I have also read another date of 1906?) and signalled trains during the B.R. era on the Up slow, Up fast, Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines. The box had a 'opening & closing' switch so was usually 'switched out' during the weekends and nights so by the late 1960s until closure in the early 1970s the box appeared to be only open Monday to Friday mainly for the morning peak services between 7:00 am & 9:30 am and the afternoon peak services between 4:30 pm & 7:00 pm although the box remained open for the rest of the day outside of the morning and evening peaks as a continuous 12hrs shift job and for a signalman that meant 12hrs of 'working on the lever frame' just signalling trains all day long!. By the late 1960s it's primary role as a box appeared to be to 'shorten' the block sections on the Down lines between Finsbury Park No.5 & Hornsey No.1 and on the Up lines between Hornsey No.2 (or Wood Green Up Box No.4 when Hornsey No.2 was 'switched out' during the late afternoon and evenings) & Finsbury Park No.6. A 'turn out' from the Up slow to Up fast line opposite the box was abolished in the late 1960s but a little used 'turn in' off the Down fast to Down slow no.1 line outside the box remained in use very occasionally until the box closed. I visited the box twice in one week during February 1973 about six months before the box finally closed in August 1973.
Harringay Up Goods. The box was located on the Up side of the goods and passenger lines and was reputed to have been the 'tallest box' on the GN. The box was built in 1893 and the reason for it being built so tall was that the box stood right in front of a footbridge at Harringay station that spanned right across all the running lines and would have obscured the signalman's view looking south towards Finsbury Park if the box hadn't have been built so tall. The box worked southwards to Finsbury Park No.6 on the Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines and with Ferme Park South Up in the rear section coming from Hornsey until that box closed in the mid-1960s and then with Hornsey Up Goods box. The box also worked the southern end of the Harringay 'flyover' from Ferme Park North Down box as well as several siding roads exiting from Ferme Park Up sidings. The box worked all semaphore signals and ground disc signals and also had several nice bracket signal posts as well. The Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines from Hornsey Up Goods to Finsbury Park No.6 were worked under permissive block working. When Harringay (passenger) box closed in August 1973 the Up fast & Up slow lines between Wood Green & Finsbury Park were transferred to being signalled by Harringay Up Goods for about 18 months which didn't seem quite right strangely anyway that arrangement didn't last more than about 18 months when finally the box was closed later in 1974.
Ferme Park South Up. Not much is known about this box by myself other than it was possibly built during the 1890s (like many boxes on the GN appeared to have been) and was located amongst the Up goods lines and Up sidings roads at the south end of the Ferme Park Up sidings quite near to the 'Harringay flyover' that ran between Harringay Up Goods & Ferme Park North Down boxes. Another post on the forum claims that the box closed in 1966 and I do vaguely remember seeing the 'redundant box' which was left standing after closure during the second half of 1967 several times while travelling on a passing train before i noticed one day that it had been dismantled and taken down. The box I would guess held either a 20-25 lever frame and worked with Hornsey Up Goods & Harringay Up Goods boxes either side of it with permissive block working on the Up goods no.1 & Up goods no.2 lines running between Hornsey Up Goods & Harringay Up goods. From vague memory Ferme Park South Up may have looked similar to Hornsey No.1 box?.
Ferme Park South Down. The box wasn't built and opened until 1931 although I thought the box was a lot older than the 1931 opening date that I read?. The box was built on Down side of the running lines on stilts off the top of the high retaining wall and embankment a few hundred yards beyond Harringay (West) station. The box was mainly built of wood on iron stilts although from below the window frames to part way down the front and either end of the box it was covered in wooden boarding with the bottom part of the stils being left exposed and not boarded over. The box worked the Down goods line from Finsbury Park No.5 to Ferme Park North Down and also a second Down goods line No.2 that started at Ferme Park South Down and running to Ferme Park North Down. The box also worked a number of connections (points) that gave access to and from the south end of Ferme Park sidings plus also the box worked the points on the GN end of the short single line connection to & from Harringay Park Junction box on the Kentish Town to Barking line. The box finally closed in December 1969 but the box remained standing for a couple of years after closure before finally being dismantled during 1972. Myself and a railway friend got permission from British Rail to visit the 'redundant structure' possibly in May of 1971 from vague memory and spent several hours inside the box one weekday morning and into the early afternoon. The lever frame was still in the box at the time of our visit although all the block shelf had been cleared of it's previous block instruments, signal indicators, 'lamp out' indicator box and track diagram which had all been removed at the time of our visit except for the s/box 'opening & closing' switch that remained on the block shelf.
Ferme Park North Down. Ferme Park North Down box was on the Down side of the main running lines in and out of Kings Cross and was located towards the north end of Ferme Park yards and signalled trains on the Down goods No.1 & Down goods No.2 lines between Ferme Park South Down (and after Ferme Park South Down closed in December 1969 with Finsbury Park No.5) and Hornsey No.1 that was located only several hundred yards beyond Ferme Park North Down box between the Down slow no.1 & no.2 lines. Also when Ferme Park South Down closed in December 1969 Ferme Park North Down took over the south end entrance off of the Down goods line from Finsbury Park No.5 and into the Ferme Park Down sidings being worked by 'motorised points' from Ferme Park North Down box. The same 'motorised' connection was also the exit points from the south end of the sidings heading towards the T&H line on the Kentish Town to Barking line via the 'Harringay single line' working with Harringay Park Junction at the other end of the single line. The box also worked the north end of the line coming over the 'Harringay flyover' which was originally 'double-tracked' but later on was only double-track from the top of the 'Harringay flyover' heading down towards Ferme Park North Down box to a nice signal gantry carrying two primary dolls with home & distant signals near the box, also from the 'motorised points' at the top of the 'Harringay flyover' it was 'single line' to and from Harringay Up Goods box. Ferme Park North Down also worked several other connections (points) in the vicinity of the box plus the box also had a similar type of 'covered veranda' arrangement at the rear of the box similar to Wood Green No.1 & Hatfield No.3 boxes whereby from rail level the box staircase lead up the left-hand side of the box to a covered veranda and then the box door was accessed on the right-hand side. Also I am guessing the box held about 35 levers maximum?. From about mid 1973 onwards until the end of the 1970s Ferme Park Down yard was transformed into 'carriage sidings' for mainly 'main line' coaching stock with new high-rise flood lights being installed in several parts of the yard/sidings so it became common to see trains of main line coaching stock in the form of blue/grey B.R.Mk1s & Mk2s standing or being shunted in the sidings during the day and into the evenings from passing trains on the main line. Also when the yard was being transformed into mainly carriage sidings several new low-rise buildings appeared towards the north end of the yard for use by train crews such as a messroom and a shunters messroom and a yard supervisors office which all gave the appearance of human 'activity' going on just across the siding roads from Ferme Park North Down box. The box just so happened to be one of the last surviving mechanical boxes in the London area eventually closing in December 1975.
Track and signalling alterations between Finsbury Park & Wood Green during 1974.
The Up goods no.1 line between Harringay Up Goods & Finsbury Park No.6 was abolished.
The Down slow no.2 line was abolished between Finsbury Park No.5 & Wood Green No.1 during the spring of 1974 and the track at Harringay (West)
station was 'slewed over' between March to May of 1974 so the former Up fast line through Harringay station became the new Up slow line and the former Down fast line through Harringay station became the new Up fast line. The new Down fast line virtually ran along the course of the old Down slow no.1 line through the station and the new Down slow line ran along the former Down slow no.2 line through the station with the old Down slow no.1 platform being completely removed.
A T-bracket signal post in the Down goods line at Hornsey No.1 had the right-hand stop signal removed when the connection from the Down goods to Down slow no.2 line was abolished at Hornsey No.1
At Wood Green No.1 the large signal gantry just to the south of the box that carried the Wood Green No.1 semaphore home signals on the Down fast, Down slow no.1, Down slow no.2 & Down goods line was abolished and replaced by x3 colour light signals worked by Wood Green No.1 with the Down fast line colour light being a x4 aspect signal with a route indicator and the other two colour light signals for the Down slow & Down goods lines being x3 aspect signals with route indicators. The Wood Green No.1 semaphore distant signals, all seven distant signals that were carried on a signal gantry that spanned all the Down running lines back at Hornsey had the Down fast line distant signal removed and was repositioned further back underneath the existing Hornsey No.1 Down fast line semaphore home signal that was carried on a wooden T-bracket signal post on the approach to Horsey No.1 box (coming off the sweeping curve) with this 'new' Wood Green No.1 distant signal being 'motorised' at the same time as well.
Hornsey No.1. The box stood between the Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines just off the south end of Hornsey Down side platforms and at a guess held a 30 lever frame. The box worked with Harringay (passenger) in the rear sections to the south on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines and with Ferme Park North Down on the Down Goods line (Ferme Park North Down box was only sited about 400 yards away from Hornsey No.1 with both boxes being able to clearly see each other) and in the advance sections to the north with Wood Green No.1 on all running lines. When the Down slow no.2 line was abolished in the spring of 1974 several stop signals that were worked by Hornsey No.1 on the Down slow no.2 line were abolished including the left-hand arm in a group of three stop signal arms on a wooden T-bracket post that were the Hornsey No.1 Down fast & Down slow lines home signals which made the two existing signals and the empty left-hand doll look strange to me?. Anyway I visited the box once during the summer of 1971 for maybe an hour before leaving the box. The box I recall was usually 'switched in' between Sunday to Sunday including a night shift during the week and at weekends although I believe there was a 'opening & closing' switch on the block shelf but I only recall seeing Hornsey No.1 'switched out' on a handful of occasions between 1968-74. Hornsey No.1 eventually closed in December of 1974.
Wood Green No.1. The box stood beside the Down goods line and had a pronounced 'shallow bow' in the front of the box I presume due to the weight of the lever frame holding 75 levers?. The box was usually 'switched in' continuously although on very rare occasions during a couple of Saturday nights back in the early 1970s I noticed that the box 'appeared to be switched out' with all the Down lines signals pulled off and the box in darkness. The box worked Absolute block in the rear sections with Hornsey No.1 on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines and Permissive block on the Down goods line and Absolute block northwards on the Down fast, Down slow no.1 & Down slow no.2 lines to Wood Green No.3 box at the north end of Wood Green station until the mid-1960s (1965-66?) when Wood Green No.3 was closed after which Wood Green No.1 worked Absolute block on the Down fast & Down slow lines with New Southgate box and Absolute block on the Down slow no.2/Down Enfield line with Bounds Green box with the Down Enfield line commencing just beyond the facing points at the north end of Wood Green station. The connection points just beyond the north end of Wood Green station were 'motorised' between the Down slow to Down Enfield line and Down slow no.2 (straight route towards Bounds Green box) to Down slow line with both connections being worked by Wood Green No.1. Wood Green No.1 was notable in having a large signal gantry which carried all the Down line home signals (8 arms in total on eight individual dolls) with the Wood Green No.3 box distant signals beneath the home signals until the abolition of Wood Green No.3 in the mid-1960s. During February of 1973 when both New Southgate & Cemetery boxes were both closed at the same time TCB (Track Circuit Block) was introduced on all the four running lines between both Wood Green No.1 on the Down lines and Wood Green Up Box No.2 on the Up lines with both those boxes working with New Barnet North Box NX panel. In the early part of 1974 the Down slow no.2 line was abolished between Finsbury Park No.5 & Wood Green No.1 and so to was the Wood Green No.1 signal gantry as well and was replaced by x3 multi-aspect colour light signals (x4 aspects on the fast line and x3 aspects on the slow and goods lines) acting as the Wood Green No.1 'home signals' on individual straight posts with route indicators above there individual signal heads being worked by Wood Green No.1 'on the lever' also the Down fast line 'mechanically worked' distant signal that was carried in a group of seven other individual distant signal arms on a gantry that spanned all the Down running lines back at Hornsey just beyond the station was abolished (on the Down fast line only) and repositioned further back underneath the Hornsey No.1 Down fast line home signal on the approach to Hornsey No.1 box and was also 'motorised' as well and being worked on the lever. I visited Wood Green No.1 either in 1971 or 1972 I can't remember which year it was now over 50 years later and spent an hour or so in the box one afternoon with the signalman and it appeared to be a nice box to work with the nearby Wood Green water reservoir near the rear of the box.
Wood Green Up Box No.4. The box stood just off the south end of Wood Green station between the Up fast & Up slow lines and was a fairly large box and also appeared to be quite wide as well. Wood Green Up Box No.4 appeared to be 'switched in' continuously although it may have had a 'opening & closing' switch but I don't ever remember ever seeing the box being switched out?. The box worked with Wood Green Up Box No.2 in the rear block sections with Absolute block working on the Up fast, Up slow & Up Enfield line and Permissive block on the Up goods (carriage) line. In the advance block sections with Hornsey Up Goods on the Up goods line under Permissive block working and Absolute block working with Hornsey No.2 on the Up fast & Up slow lines until June 1973 when Hornsey No.2 was permanently closed after which Wood Green Up Box No.4 worked with Harringay Up Goods on both the Up fast & Up slow lines until late 1974 when Harringay Up Goods along with Hornsey No.1, Wood Green No.1, Wood Green Up Box No.2 & Bounds Green boxes were all closed and a temporary NX panel was installed and commissioned in Wood Green No.4 to work with Finsbury Park to the south and to the north with the New Barnet North Box NX panel along with Gordon Hill NX panel on the Hertford loop and TCB (Track Circuit Block) was worked on all lines under Wood Green No.4s area of control.
Wood Green Up Box No.4 had a couple of interesting semaphore signals and signal posts that it worked in particular a fairly tall white painted x3 doll T-bracket post mainly of wood that carried x3 co-acting stop signals (the arms were slightly smaller than the normal full-size arms) standing opposite the box on the Up Enfield line. Also standing outside the box on the Up slow line was another x3 stop signal arms (again with the arms being slightly smaller than the normal full-size arms) on a white painted lattice post with each individual signal arm being 'under slung' off the T-bracket post. The Wood Green Up Box No.4 semaphore distant signals were all mounted underneath the Wood Green Up Box No.2 home signals on two separate signal posts also on the Up fast line a 'outer colour light distant signal' that was dual controlled with Wood Green Up Box No.2 and was positioned further back on the 'other side of the Wood Green tunnel' was in a combined colour light signal head with the New Southgate Up fast line colour light starting signal. The Wood Green Up Box No.4 semaphore distant signals underneath the Wood Green Up Box No.2 home signals read from right to left on approaching the signals the Up fast, the Up slow, the Up slow to Up Enfield and the Up slow to Up goods line. Also the Wood Green Up Box No.2 Up Enfield line home signals and the Up Enfield line to Up goods line both with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signals beneath each home signal were carried on a tall white painted lattice T-bracket signal post on two separate dolls on the immediate approach Wood Green Up Box No.2. Also a slightly unusual feature of Wood Green Up Box No.4 was a 'cast iron bell' that was mounted outside the box door on the box landing.
Wood Green Up Box No.2. The box stood a couple of hundred yards north of the Up platforms at Wood Green station (beyond the bridge hole) beside the Up Enfield line and with Bounds Green carriage sidings behind the box and with Bounds Green carriage sheds nearby. Wood Green Up Box No.2 was quite old and I believe may have been called Wood Green North Box in an earlier time?. The box contained about 45-50 levers at a guess although the actual number of levers is referenced on other posts on the forum. The box appeared to be always open so I doubt if it contained a 'opening & closing' swich. Also the box controlled the access to and from the south end of Bounds Green carriage sidings as well as signalling trains on the Up fast, Up slow and Up Enfield line plus the Up goods line from Wood Green Up Box No.2 heading through Wood Green station to Wood Green Up Box No.4. Wood Green Up Box No.2 also controlled the access to several sidings heading around to Bounds Green box and for 'trip workings' heading to and from the Rowntree sidings on the Up side of the running lines opposite the Up slow line. Wood Green Up Box No.2 worked Absolute block on the Up fast, Up slow and Up Enfield line to Wood Green Up Box No.4 and Permissive block on the Up goods line to Wood Green Up Box No.4. In the rear block sections Wood Green Up Box No.2 worked Absolute block on the Up fast & Up slow lines with New Southgate box and sometimes with Cemetery box when New Southgate box was closed and Absolute block with Bounds Green box on the Up Enfield line. When New Southgate and Cemetery boxes were both permanently closed in February 1973 the box worked TCB (Track Circuit Block) with the New Barnet North Box NX panel on the Up fast & Up slow lines only. An interesting feature of Wood Green Up Box No.2 was a tall white painted wooden T-bracket signal post (this T-bracket signal post also had a number of 'guy line' fixed from it) and carried the Up fast line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 Up fast line (inner) distant signal also the Up slow line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 Up slow line distant signal and the Up slow to Up Enfield line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signal and finally the Up slow to Up goods line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signal as well. This tall T-bracket signal post with the x4 individual dolls (posts) each had it's own 'top final' (spike) fixed to the top of each post. Also the Up Enfield line home signal was carried on a lattice T-bracket post along with the Wood Green No.4 distant signal and the Up Enfield line to Up goods line home signal along with the Wood Green Up Box No.4 distant signal and like the other tall T-bracket signal post standing nearby on the Up fast & Up slow lines and opposite the Up Enfield line home signals the x2 individual dolls (posts) on the Up Enfield line dolls had 'top finals' (spike) fixed to the top of each post. Wood Green Up Box No.2 finally closed in late 1974 when a temporary NX panel was installed and commissioned in Wood Green Up Box No.4. Finally a 'funny feature' of Wood Green Up Box No.2 was the sight of 'potted plants' with green leaves could be spotted on the block shelf amongst the block instruments from passing trains from the 1960s until the box finally closed in late 1974, I presume one of the resident signalmen was possibly into a bit of gardening or keeping potted plants at home?.
Bounds Green. A bit of another 'mystery box' to me unless you lived along the Hertford loop because Bounds Green box stood between the Up & Down Enfield lines where the Up & Down Enfield lines 'part company' with each other with the Up line heading around the curve towards Wood Green Up Box No.2 and Wood Green station beyond and on the Down line after leaving Wood Green station it was on a rising gradient until it crossed over the main line on a iron bridge before descending again past Bounds Green box and then a few hundred yards past the box arriving in Bowes Park station. The box was briefly seen for four or five seconds from trains travelling on the fast and slow lines before of after passing north of Wood Green station and as far as I know the box was usually open so I presume that the box didn't have a 'opening & closing' switch?. Bounds Green box worked Absolute block with Wood Green Up Box No.2 on the Up Enfield line and Absolute block with Wood Green No.3 until that box closed around 1965-66 and then with Wood Green No.1 on the Down Enfield line. Going in the 'other direction' the box worked Absolute block with Palmers Green box until that box closed around 1972 after which it worked TCB (Track Circuit Block) with the temporary NX panel in Gordon Hill box. Bounds Green box controlled the northern entrance and exit to and from Bounds Green carriage sidings and the carriage sheds with the carriage sidings being laid out on a curve between Bounds Green box and Wood Green Up Box No.2 also Bounds Green box controlled the entrance and exit to and from the old Palace Gates double-track branch although by the 1960s & 1970s the branch was shortened back and only went as far as the disused Palace Gates station ending at two individual buffer stops for either road which in reality distance wise was just across from the back of Bounds Green carriage sheds so the old branch didn't go that far past Wood Green. With regards to Bounds Green box it was a rather small looking box with at a guess held about 25 levers(?) although when I eventually went around that part of the Enfield lines circa 1974-75 the box appeared to work a number of connections (points) along with various ground disc signals (some were stacked one above the other I vaguely recall?) and several miniature signal arms plus also several full-size stop signal arms on the Up & Down Enfield lines. Bounds Green box closed in late 1974 along with Wood Green No.1 and Wood Green Up Box No.2 when a 'temporary' NX panel was installed and commissioned in Wood Green Up Box No.4 at the south end of the Up platforms at Wood Green station.
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.
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thesignalman
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Re: Kings Cross area s/boxes
Mickey - The lever frame in Bounds Green grew in size over the years - it started at 20 levers in 1889, extended to 21 in 1893, by 1920 23, and after temporary closure c1942 for remodelling, re-appeared with 33 levers (extended by 3 at the left end and 7 on the right); the box itself was physically extended to accommodate this.
You are right about the lack of closing switch. It would be a tad difficult as a single bell would switch through to two different boxes at Wood Green!
Closure date was 16/9/74.
John
You are right about the lack of closing switch. It would be a tad difficult as a single bell would switch through to two different boxes at Wood Green!
Closure date was 16/9/74.
John
"BX there, boy!"
Signalling history: https://www.signalbox.org/
Signalling and other railway photographs: https://433shop.co.uk/
Signalling history: https://www.signalbox.org/
Signalling and other railway photographs: https://433shop.co.uk/
Re: Kings Cross area s/boxes
Thanks John. Bounds Green looked a bit of a 'cramped looking box' and I mostly only ever saw it from a distance riding on trains on the main lines through Wood Green with the box standing a few hundred yards away on the Enfield lines and I only really saw the box 'up close' right at the end of it life in it's final few months before closure.thesignalman wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 3:41 pm Mickey - The lever frame in Bounds Green grew in size over the years - it started at 20 levers in 1889, extended to 21 in 1893, by 1920 23, and after temporary closure c1942 for remodelling, re-appeared with 33 levers (extended by 3 at the left end and 7 on the right); the box itself was physically extended to accommodate this.
You are right about the lack of closing switch. It would be a tad difficult as a single bell would switch through to two different boxes at Wood Green!
Closure date was 16/9/74.
By the way all what I have written on the previous topic pages above about other individual signal boxes on the Kings Cross London area between the end of the 1960s and the early 1970s is from my own memories of when I was active on the Kings Cross area travelling around the area first as a railway enthusiast and then when I worked on the railway as a 'box lad' at Welwyn Garden City between 1972-74 because didn't make any written notes about any of the signal boxes that I have mentioned.
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.
Re: Kings Cross area s/boxes
Wood Green Up Box No.4. George Croft a onetime signalman on the Kings Cross area during the 1950s & 1960s once told me back in the 1980s that when he was on the early turn at Wood Green No.4 during the weekday 'morning peak' (7:00-9:30 am) he would do (he would signal) about 200 trains before he cooked his morning breakfast!. Maybe old George added an extra 100 trains to make it sound more impressive ha ha.. although it was a busy box especially in the weekday mornings even into the early 1970s signalling trains on the Up lines only with a constant flow of traffic coming up the fast and slow lines and also coming off the Up Enfield line at Wood Green Up Box No.2 and all heading up road towards Hornsey No.2 (box) and on forward to Finsbury Park and either into Kings Cross, Moorgate and Broad Street. By the late 1960s and into the early 1970s diesel loco hauled trains of ECS usually formed by either some existing Brush type 2s (class 31s) still in B.R. green livery or by 1970 the more common blue livery hauling ten to a dozen blue/grey B.R. Mk.1s or Mk.2s coaches would be departing from the nearby Bounds Green carriage sidings at Wood Green Up Box No.2 throughout the day and heading slowly along the Up goods line through Wood Green station and passing Wood Green No.4 and continuing on along the Up goods lines passing Harringay Up Goods (box) and Harringay Up Goods (box) before invariably be halted at Finsbury Park No.6 on the Up goods line.
Holloway North Up. I also recall George saying to me that when he worked Holloway North Up box on a night turn (10:00 pm to 6:00 am) that usually between about midnight and half-past midnight there was always a 'little gap in the traffic' where it went quiet for about half an hour so you could close your eyes for about thirty minutes every night and that thirty minutes 'shut eye' would carry you through the rest of the shift till your mate showed up at 6:00 am.
Later on during the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s George Croft was an Ops Manger on the North London line before retiring in the late 1990s.
Holloway North Up. I also recall George saying to me that when he worked Holloway North Up box on a night turn (10:00 pm to 6:00 am) that usually between about midnight and half-past midnight there was always a 'little gap in the traffic' where it went quiet for about half an hour so you could close your eyes for about thirty minutes every night and that thirty minutes 'shut eye' would carry you through the rest of the shift till your mate showed up at 6:00 am.
Later on during the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s George Croft was an Ops Manger on the North London line before retiring in the late 1990s.
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.
Re: Kings Cross area s/boxes
Ferme Park South Down. I posted this before some years ago. Back in the summer of 1971 a railway friend and myself with permission from B.R. in writing in a 'covering letter' were allowed access to the then redundant but still standing Ferme Park South Down a rather tall box opened by the LNER in 1933 and partly built standing on iron stilts against the brick embankment wall that ran from Harringay West station on the Down side of the running lines around into Ferme Park sidings with the box having closed permanently in December 1969. Anyway my railway friend and myself spent a weekday morning and the early part of the afternoon in the box which was basically stripped of all it's electrical equipment by the S&T that included the track diagram, block instruments, lamp out indicator & signal/points indicators on the block shelf although a solitary 'opening/closing block switch' was left on the block shelf (more of that later?) anyway my railway friend with a set of spanners and a monkey wrench in his hand went 'underneath' and after awhile with a bit of 'loud banging' going on managed to unbolt various nuts & bolts from the lever frame and along with my help 'up above' holding each individual lever managed to remove 6-levers from the extreme right-hand end of the lever frame, the high-numbers (the written B.R. 'covering letter' that he had with him also allowed him to do this as well). Anyway after a couple of hours the 6-levers and there various slides and quadrants from the lever frame were removed and we both carried all the 'ironwork' outside and put the lot at the bottom of the box staircase after which we both went back into the box and my friend then removed the solitary 'block switch' that was still sitting on the block shelf and thought no more of it?.
Around 2:30 pm we left the box and carried all 6-levers and the various slides & quadrants along with the block switch over to Harringay (West) station (that took several trips from the box to the station and back to the box before all the ironwork was sitting on the Down slow No.1 line platform) before eventually being loaded onto a Down passenger train (a non-corridor inner suburban brake coach riding with the guard I recall?) and set off back to Welwyn Garden City.
About 40 years later a forum member on here in around 2011 or 2012 posted that he was in possession of those 6-levers that we had removed from Ferme Park South Down box that day back in the summer of 1971.
The redundant box remained standing for about 2 years after closure before it was finally dismantled and the remains were removed in 1972.
The box also had an excellent 'panoramic view' of the sweep of all the running lines from the north end of Harringay West station platforms and of the tall Harringay Up Goods (box) leftwards towards the Harringay 'flyover' where it crosses the Up & Down fast & slow lines. Featured in a Transport Video Publishing DVD of railways in the capital some rare armature colour film footage that was shot in 1959 high up from the box is featured in a couple of minutes sequence of this panoramic view looking down from the box of the sweep of the running lines and features various steam hauled trains passing by the box that includes (from memory) an A1 on a passing express, N2s, Hornsey J50s and the odd early diesel loco in B.R. all green livery.
Finally regarding the signal box 'opening & closing switch' which thinking about it many years later it was quite possibly still 'live' when my railway friend removed it from the block shelf that day and therefore he may well have inadvertently caused a 'block failure' between Finsbury Park No.5 and Ferme Park North Down on the Down goods line between both boxes?. Ooops!
Around 2:30 pm we left the box and carried all 6-levers and the various slides & quadrants along with the block switch over to Harringay (West) station (that took several trips from the box to the station and back to the box before all the ironwork was sitting on the Down slow No.1 line platform) before eventually being loaded onto a Down passenger train (a non-corridor inner suburban brake coach riding with the guard I recall?) and set off back to Welwyn Garden City.
About 40 years later a forum member on here in around 2011 or 2012 posted that he was in possession of those 6-levers that we had removed from Ferme Park South Down box that day back in the summer of 1971.
The redundant box remained standing for about 2 years after closure before it was finally dismantled and the remains were removed in 1972.
The box also had an excellent 'panoramic view' of the sweep of all the running lines from the north end of Harringay West station platforms and of the tall Harringay Up Goods (box) leftwards towards the Harringay 'flyover' where it crosses the Up & Down fast & slow lines. Featured in a Transport Video Publishing DVD of railways in the capital some rare armature colour film footage that was shot in 1959 high up from the box is featured in a couple of minutes sequence of this panoramic view looking down from the box of the sweep of the running lines and features various steam hauled trains passing by the box that includes (from memory) an A1 on a passing express, N2s, Hornsey J50s and the odd early diesel loco in B.R. all green livery.
Finally regarding the signal box 'opening & closing switch' which thinking about it many years later it was quite possibly still 'live' when my railway friend removed it from the block shelf that day and therefore he may well have inadvertently caused a 'block failure' between Finsbury Park No.5 and Ferme Park North Down on the Down goods line between both boxes?. Ooops!
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.
Re: Kings Cross area s/boxes
Ashburton Grove. My railway friend (the same person who was at Ferme Park South Down box) and myself also visited Ashburton Grove (box) during the summer of 1971 during one weekday afternoon for about 45 minutes. This box visit wasn't an official visit the both of us just showed up at the box unannounced to the surprise of the signalman. Anyway my railway friend took a couple of photographs one outside the box and one inside the box of the 15-lever Dutton frame and block shelf featuring several GNR permissive block instruments which were both posted on here about twelve years ago. The box track diagram was possibly the original GNR non illuminated diagram dated around 1890/91?. The signalman who was at the box that afternoon was a friendly elderly Indian bloke who I recall saying that he had been a signalman at Palmers Green (box) on the Hertford loop for sometime before coming to Ashburton Grove. The box itself was very small and located to the south of Finsbury Park and stood between the Up & Down Goods lines between Finsbury Park No.1 & Finsbury Park No.2 and also the Down Canonbury line that ran parallel to the Up goods line although the box had nothing to do with signalling trains on the Down Canonbury line because that line was worked between Finsbury Park No.1 & Finsbury Park No.3 boxes. Ashburton Grove box stood very close to the main lines overbridge south of Finsbury Park that carried all the running lines into and out of Kings Cross. The box controlled the points coming from Finsbury Park No.2 to the legendary 'Creep up' which from memory I believe may have been marked on the box track diagram as "The Up Carriage line" heading towards Holloway North Up (box) on a rising incline to meet the other running lines at the top of the Holloway bank. Also from a faded memory there may have been a second line running parallel to the 'Creep Up' a little bit further up the incline with access gained through a set of trailing points possibly called 'The Engine line' which also continued up the rising incline to possibly the Hornsey Bridge Road sidings?. Ashburton Grove also controlled the points to the Drayton Park 'rubbish sidings' where 'the famous' Ashburton Grove 'rubbish trains' started from on there journey to Blackbridge sidings in Hertfordshire. Ashburton Grove along with Finsbury Park No.1 from memory both closed during 1974 although the actual closure date in 1974 is posted elsewhere on this forum.
Original start date of 2010 on the LNER forum and previously posted 4500+ posts.