Signals at Banbury

Banbury from the overbridge north of the station

Banbury today has an eclectic mixture of lower-quadrant, upper-quadrant and colour-light signals, and still has mechanical signalboxes at both ends of the station. Both boxes now control colour-light signalling beyond the immediate station area - South box works Aynho Junction, and North the former Banbury Junction area - but the station area itself still has semaphores on all but the main running lines.

The variety of different types of signal reflects Banbury's history. Though originally a GWR station, on the Paddington - Birmingham Snow Hill route, the line through here was reallocated to the LMR in BR days. Since then, signal renewals were carried out using upper quadrants. Nowadays, though Banbury again has trains to Birmingham Snow Hill, these run to Marylebone in the other direction. It also has a frequent service of cross-country trains between the north of England and the south coast.

As there are a good number of photos to show here, I have split this gallery into two pages, covering the areas controlled by the North and South boxes.

I have now included photos of the new semaphores installed at the South box in November 2010 and a video of the new signals in action while FGW HSTs were diverted via here during the Reading blockades.