Rickmansworth Ballast Siding

[Deleted]

Hi
I wasn't sure whether to place this here or in the 'historical' section so apologies if wrong.

During my researches at the Nat Archives at Kew I came across an MT6 file containing plan no 6824 (and 3345) for a signalbox named Rickmansworth Ballast Siding dated from 4th July 1896. The box appeared to have a 9 lever frame (?) and worked a siding on the down and a crossover road. According to the plan the box was located on the down side to the right of the bridge which took the Met over the LNWR branch to Rickmansworth Church Street.

Is anybody able tell me anything more about this box? I can find no reference to it in Mike Horne's excellent signalbox database. None of the Met histories either seem to mention it either. Did this box exist at the same time as Watford Road (opened 23/9/1896) or was it RBS box under a new name?

[Harsig]

natterlee said:

Hi
I wasn't sure whether to place this here or in the 'historical' section so apologies if wrong.

During my researches at the Nat Archives at Kew I came across an MT6 file for a signalbox named Rickmansworth Ballast Siding dated from the 1890s. The box appeared to work a siding on the down and a crossover road. According to the plan it was located near to the bridge which took the Met over the LNWR branch to Rickmansworth Church Street.

Is anybody able tell me anything more about this box? I can find no reference to it in Mike Horne's excellent signalbox database. None of the Met histories either seem to mention it either. Did this box exist at the same time as Watford Road (opened 23/9/1896) or was it RBS box under a new name?

I suspect you are correct in your supposition that Rickmansworth Ballast Siding Signalbox and Watford Road Signalbox are one and the same. I can't provide a definitive answer but I can add a few bits more information:

Alan A Jackson, in his excellent book says:
" In 1902 works were necessary at Rickmansworth, where contracts for gravel and sand movement had been lost because the traffic could not be accomodated; there was also inadequate provision for the GCR freight trains, which often had sto split to get into the existing siding. Two new sidings were provided 1¼ miles on the London side of Rickmansworth, between Croxley Hall Farm Bridge and the canal on the Up side. The existing intermediate signal box at Watford Road ( the former Rickmansworth Yard box, move there in 1899 ) was resited almost half a mile north towards Rickmansworth to control the new sidings whilst continuing its former funtion. This new work cost £1,600 but it guaranteed additional sand and gravel traffic worth a minimum of £4,000 a year."

[mandgc]

'Watford Road' Signal Box and Rickmansworth Gravel Co's siding.

When the line from Harrow North Junction to Rickmansworth was Electrified and Colour Light signalling installed a Signal Box labelled Watford Road Junction was shown approximately at the site of the later named Watford South Junction SB. This controlled the connection from the gravel sidings, which ran behind the SB, to two sidings alongside the Southbound line with a crossover connecting them to it.

When the branch to Watford was opened later in the year the Gravel Sidings were connected by a Slip connection to a trailing crossover between the North- and South-bound Eastern curve lines making it neccesary for trains to the Gravel Sidings to set back from the Northbound Eastern Curve line. Later I think the Gravel sidings were connected directly to the Southbound Eastern Curve line.

The' Railway Engineer' magazine, at the resignalling said "a box was already in use in order to work the connections required by the Contractor for the construction of the branch---and was shown as "C box" or "Watford Road Junction and was further South than the new box"