Knowledge (XXG)

Crewe North Junction signal box

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100: 95: 147:'Up' into those platforms i.e. towards South Junction. Platform 3 was 'bi-directional' so a train could be sent to or from South Junction, meaning there are two block instruments for this platform in both North and South junctions. Platform 2 was 'Down only' and trains could only be sent from South to North. South Junction closed on 2 June 1985, just over a month before Crewe North Junction closed. Signalling was handed over to Crewe Signalling Centre (a power signal box) which still exists to this day. 241: 19: 237:. The box is now used for signalling demonstrations by a signalling team at Crewe Heritage Centre. It is in the same condition as it was when it closed apart from the number of relays have been reduced and the battery backup room removed as these facilities were no longer needed after it was taken from operation. 146:
or visually from the box. 'Out of Section' would be given when South Junction had seen the train leave the platform complete with tail lamp, thus ensuring no part of the train had become uncoupled and left in the platform. Platforms 4, 5 and 6 were 'Up platforms' which meant trains could only be sent
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1168 yards away on the Manchester Lines (Up and Down Manchester) was Sydney Bridge signal box. As on the WCML, Track Circuit Block was operated on these lines. The train describer for these lines can be seen to the right. On 5 June 1959, Sydney Bridge was closed and replaced by Sandbach Power Signal
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Crewe North Junction signal box contained a lever frame of the Westinghouse Style 'L' design (Westinghouse is now part of Invensys Rail) which was commissioned with Crewe South Junction signal box, which was of the same design. Crewe North Junction signal box was built to a non-standard ARP design,
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Box (PSB) (4 miles 869 yards away). Crewe North Junction was unaffected by this change with the only difference being where the train describers were connected to. Sandbach box closed in March 2006, when the Manchester line was resignalled and control handed over to the new Manchester South SCC.
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The signalling at Crewe is now controlled by a power signal box a short distance to the north west of the Station. This controls all lines at Crewe North Junction and Crewe South Junction and entry into the station. This signalling centre was only intended as a 'temporary measure' from 1985 for
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Coal Yard signal box is located 986 yards to the north of North Junction on the West Coast Main Line, with two lines to Coal Yard, Down Fast and Down Slow and two lines from Coal Yard, Up Fast and Up Slow. Operation on this line is
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with a Westinghouse All Electric Style 'L' lever frame which was commissioned, along with Crewe South Junction signal box (which also had a Westinghouse Style 'L' frame), on 29 March 1940 as part of a resignalling project at
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working on platform 1 and Down Through 1, with a bell and direction selector for each in North Junction. As with South Junction, Station 'A' closed on 2 June 1985. Crewe Station 'A' was then preserved and moved to
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Originally there were eight adjacent signal boxes, until November 1958 when Crewe No.3 box and 2 June 1960 when Crewe Station 'B' box was closed. Control of the lines was handed over to Crewe South Junction.
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in North Junction and Coal Yard into which the headcode of the train to be sent is entered. This is then received on the next box's describer. Coal Yard box remains open to this day.
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where it can now be seen. It will shortly (Winter 2010) be re-connected to Crewe North Junction box so demonstrations can be provided with two boxes simultaneously.
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The signal box was staffed by four people: two signalmen, a signal box-lad and a regulator. In the later days it was just the signalmen and the box-lad.
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for each platform to communicate with South Junction. 'Train on line' would be given to South Junction as the train entered the platform as seen from
38:. It saw continued use until 19 July 1985 when it was decommissioned for a redesign of Crewe station and its track layout and signalling. 398: 79:
with 15" thick reinforced concrete walls and an 18" thick concrete roof. This was due to it being commissioned in 1940 during
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Crewe South Junction was a signal box of the same design as North Junction and was commissioned as part of the same project.
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where there are now demonstrations and simulations of the signalling in the North Junction box by a team of signallers.
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This box controlled platform 1 (a Down platform), Down Through 1 and Horse Landing Siding. Crewe Station 'A' operated
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The track layout of Crewe North Junction can be seen below. These images are from the Chester side diagram of the box.
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and all the platforms on the north side of the station. The signal box, still at its original site, is located in
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Salop Goods box is located 760 yards away at Salop Goods Junction on the Up and Down Chester Independent Lines.
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Crewe North Junction box is still located where it was built in 1939 but it now within the boundary of
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is operated with a block instrument in each box. Steelworks is still operating on the Chester Lines.
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Steelworks is located 1 mile and 421 yards away on the Chester Lines (Up and Down Chester).
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Crewe North Junction signal box is located on the junction to the North of
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working was operated between Crewe North and South Junctions, with a
285:"Crewe North Junction Signal Box - Crewe Heritage Centre" 337:
Crewe North Junction Signal Box - Crewe Heritage Centre
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Operations Manual for Signallers Crewe North Junction
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from Crewe South was preserved and is in use at the
58:. The signal box can also see the lines to and from 253:around three years. It still controls Crewe today. 314:Notice of closure of Sandbach & Wilmslow PSBs 22:Down Main Lines and Chester side of the frame 8: 98: 93: 83:so it was built to survive an air raid. 17: 323:www.signalbox.org; Retrieved 2011-10-14 262: 7: 225:block was operated on these lines. 394:Signal boxes in the United Kingdom 14: 347:Westinghouse Style L Lever Frame 27:Crewe North Junction signal box 1: 196:Sydney Bridge / Sandbach PSB 420: 399:Rail transport in Cheshire 319:27 September 2011 at the 271:"Crewe North signal box" 248:Signalling at Crewe now 188:block. This required a 244: 156:Great Cockcrow Railway 23: 243: 235:Crewe Heritage Centre 173:Crewe Heritage Centre 68:Crewe Heritage Centre 48:Crewe railway station 36:Crewe railway station 21: 342:Crewe North Junction 130:Crewe South Junction 56:West Coast Main Line 404:Museums in Cheshire 366: /  370:53.0926°N 2.4349°W 245: 229:The signal box now 24: 162:Crewe Station 'A' 411: 381: 380: 378: 377: 376: 375:53.0926; -2.4349 371: 367: 364: 363: 362: 359: 324: 311: 305: 302: 296: 295: 293: 291: 281: 275: 274: 267: 161: 102: 97: 419: 418: 414: 413: 412: 410: 409: 408: 384: 383: 374: 372: 368: 365: 360: 357: 355: 353: 352: 333: 328: 327: 321:Wayback Machine 312: 308: 303: 299: 289: 287: 283: 282: 278: 269: 268: 264: 259: 250: 231: 219: 207: 198: 190:train describer 181: 164: 132: 123: 115: 108: 92: 89: 76: 44: 12: 11: 5: 417: 415: 407: 406: 401: 396: 386: 385: 350: 349: 344: 339: 332: 331:External links 329: 326: 325: 306: 297: 276: 261: 260: 258: 255: 249: 246: 230: 227: 218: 215: 211:Absolute block 206: 203: 197: 194: 180: 177: 168:absolute block 163: 160: 144:track circuits 136:Absolute block 131: 128: 122: 121:Adjacent boxes 119: 114: 111: 107: 104: 88: 85: 75: 72: 54:Lines and the 43: 40: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 416: 405: 402: 400: 397: 395: 392: 391: 389: 382: 379: 348: 345: 343: 340: 338: 335: 334: 330: 322: 318: 315: 310: 307: 301: 298: 286: 280: 277: 272: 266: 263: 256: 254: 247: 242: 238: 236: 228: 226: 224: 223:Track circuit 216: 214: 212: 204: 202: 195: 193: 191: 187: 186:track circuit 178: 176: 174: 169: 159: 157: 153: 148: 145: 141: 137: 129: 127: 120: 118: 112: 110: 105: 103: 101: 96: 86: 84: 82: 73: 71: 69: 65: 61: 57: 53: 49: 41: 39: 37: 32: 28: 20: 16: 351: 309: 300: 288:. Retrieved 279: 265: 251: 232: 220: 208: 199: 182: 165: 149: 139: 133: 124: 116: 109: 90: 87:Track layout 81:World War II 77: 50:between the 45: 26: 25: 15: 373: / 217:Salop Goods 152:lever frame 388:Categories 358:53°05′33″N 205:Steelworks 140:block bell 60:Manchester 31:signal box 361:2°26′06″W 179:Coal Yard 106:Operation 317:Archived 113:Staffing 64:Sandbach 42:Location 290:18 June 52:Chester 74:Design 257:Notes 292:2019 150:The 62:and 29:is 390:: 158:. 294:. 273:.

Index


signal box
Crewe railway station
Crewe railway station
Chester
West Coast Main Line
Manchester
Sandbach
Crewe Heritage Centre
World War II
Crewe North Junction track diagram from Chester side
Crewe North Junction track diagram from Chester side
Absolute block
track circuits
lever frame
Great Cockcrow Railway
absolute block
Crewe Heritage Centre
track circuit
train describer
Absolute block
Track circuit
Crewe Heritage Centre
Crewe North Junction track diagram from Chester side
"Crewe North signal box"
"Crewe North Junction Signal Box - Crewe Heritage Centre"
Notice of closure of Sandbach & Wilmslow PSBs
Archived
Wayback Machine
Crewe North Junction Signal Box - Crewe Heritage Centre

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