Yellow ground disc signals

[Atlantic 3279]

Apologies for my failure to trawl the entire forum in search of a possible answer before posting this question. I admit my guilt now.

Here's the question. Does anybody know please, did the LNER, i.e. pre-1948, not BR(ER), adopt the practice of painting the faces of any former GNR disc signals yellow, to indicate that they could be passed with caution, for instance when the requirement to shunt did not involve use of a crossover that the signal was meant to protect? If the LNER did do this, did it commence at a known date post-grouping, or was it pre-group practice too?

Any pearls of definite wisdom most gratefully received.

[thesignalman]

Certainly they did - but I can't offer exact dates.

An interesting circumstance occurred at Luton where discs on running lines that would be passed at danger in certain circumstances were painted yellow. This was slightly irregular as it authorised wrong direction running (albeit short distances) which might infringe block working clearing points etc. Later, they backtracked and painted them red again. But that did not prevent yellow discs remaining at yard outlets etc which was the typical use.

Rough guestimate is that this happened in the 1930s and the 1950s respectively.

John

[Atlantic 3279]

Thank you for the reply. Further information, if anybody has it, would be most welcome.

[Mickey]

Yellow faced disc signals were around but were also fairly rare in particular on the GN section of the Eastern Region out of Kings Cross by the late 1960s and into the first half of the 1970s. From memory a 'yellow face' ground disc signal was in Kings Cross 'passenger loco' coming off the 'stops' and either heading into the covered single road diesel refuelling point (located nearly beside the Down slow line near to the Gasworks tunnel entrance) with this yellow ground disc being passed in the 'on' position without the disc being cleared or with the 'disc signal being cleared' to the 'off' position it allowed a driver to proceed off the 'stops' and out onto the Down slow line to the entrance to Gasworks tunnel and another running line colour light signal. This yellow disc was eventually exchanged for a 'red face disc' sometime in the early 1970s. Also from memory another 'yellow disc ground signal' was in the Up sidings at Langley (Junction) south of Stevenage until about late 1973/74 when colour light signalling was introduced in the area.

Other than the two 'yellow face discs' mentioned above I can't recall any others on the main line between Kings Cross & Peterborough by the late 1960s and into the first half of the 1970s?.

[Atlantic 3279]

Thanks for those extra notes.