Train Bells

[programmes1]

Talking to someone recently they mentioned that in Piccadilly Circus cabin there were train bells 1. when a train is north of Lambeth and when a train is south of Baker St, there was also one for the WB Picc line. Anyone shed some light on these and any other cabins that had them.

[mrfs42]

Sounds like they were 'train approaching' annunciators.

[mrfs42]

As a corollary to my previous answer - perhaps they were warning bells that would ring if a train approached the 'box with no train description; but I may be conflating two separate modes of working ('box frame vs. Regulators desk) here.

[c5]

If No TD is set up, when a signal is cleared then an audible warning (ie buzzer or bell will/should sound) to alert/wake up! the operator.

In the boxes I have been in, if a Box in advance doesnt have a TD for a train, there is no buzzer or bell. The TD will either be blank or X.

Harrow (if I recall corectly) has a Train Approaching bell for the Down Chiltern trains, when they are approaching the Home Signals.

[Deleted]

Harrow does have a Train Approaching bell; it sounds once when a train is approaching.

I wonder if it is the original block bell for Absolute Block working to and from Neasden South box, before the activation of Marylebone IECC.

[c5]

Possibly. There is a switch/button that sends "Obstruction/Danger" to Marylebone, which in the olden days would have been six bells.

What year did the block bells come out....?

[Harsig]

theonekea said:

Harrow does have a Train Approaching bell; it sounds once when a train is approaching.

I wonder if it is the original block bell for Absolute Block working to and from Neasden South box, before the activation of Marylebone IECC.

It is not the old block bell but one specially provided and it rings when the train is approximately three miles away from the down home signal. In otherwords as soon as the train occupies BR track circuit on the down line.

[Deleted]

Doesn't Ammy have one too when a Chiltern comes off the Aylesbury route/enters Tfl track boundary?

[wellgroomed]

I understand the Amersham Cabin annunciator is defective, although the track circuit indications are fairly extensive on the Southbound/Up.

[JR 15secs]

When I worked in the cabin at Piccadilly in the mid 70's the bells refered to were for advising the signalman of trains leving the last controlled area i.e. Baker Street & Lambeth North the WB Picc bell was for holding trains primarly theatre traffic when a WB train left Covent Garden. I believe other lines had similar bells, the bells at Harrow & Amersham were for BR working.

[Deleted]

Do the train describers at Amersham and Rickmansworth show the NR train reporting code or something else?

[Harsig]

david5032 said:

Do the train describers at Amersham and Rickmansworth show the NR train reporting code or something else?

Something else. Specifically either LM1, LM2, LM3 or G6. There was also once a G7 description but this has gone the way of the Dodo.
LM stands for London Midland as the London Midland Region of BR was repsonsible for the Marylebone line at the time the LU train describers at Harrow, Rickmansworth & Amersham were installed.
LM1 indicates a London Midland Region Class 1 Express Passenger Train i.e. in theory the digit in the LU train description should match the first digit of the NR reporting number. However only those codes listed above were provided and so anything of class 4 or above takes pot luck. I understand that originally G6 was used for any freight train not stopping on the Met while G7 was for freight trains calling at the intermediate goods yards on the Met. The 6 & 7 are analagous to NR Class 6 & Class 7 trains. G was used in place of LM because some of these goods trains were officially LT rather than London Midland trains.

[Deleted]

the amersham one works ok or at least it did wheni as ther last 2 weks ago. One occasion when you do not get a warning on a train leaving without a t/d is from watford.