Signals around London

This collection contains photos I have taken at various locations in and near to Greater London, but for which I don't have sufficient photos to justify separate pages for each location. I have therefore grouped them into related locations and created a separate page for each group:

the former Great Western and Great Central joint line between Northolt Jct and Gerrards Cross (inclusive), prior to the 1990 Marylebone and Chiltern line resignalling;
Marylebone - Neasden (South) Jct on the former Great Central London Extension, prior to the same resignalling;
Acton - Cricklewood on the ex-Midland freight line, which still has semaphore signals today;
Upper Holloway - Junction Road Jct on the Tottenham & Hampstead line, prior to the closure of Junction Road Junction and the conversion of Upper Holloway to a panel;
various North London Line locations, again prior to various resignalling projects;
Camden Jct - Watford on the 'DC lines'; and
Kings Cross - Finsbury Park before the 1970s resignalling.

I have also done dedicated pages for three other London locations:

Greenford, on the ex-GWR Acton to Northolt line;
Harringay Park Junction, on Tottenham and Hampstead line; and
Kew East Junction, between Bollo Lane Jct on the North London line and the Hounslow loop of the ex-LSWR Windsor lines.

There are a few more photos of other, nearby signals and boxes further down this page.

West Ruislip up advanced starter and Northolt Jct East's splitting distant

Despite its transfer to the LMR in the 1960s, the south-eastern end of the former Great Western & Great Central Joint line from Northolt Junction retained entirely lower-quadrant signals until the 1990 Marylebone resignalling. This gantry, which by 1983 had been reduced to West Ruislip's up main advanced starter and Northolt Jct East's splitting distants, is now preserved in the National Railway Museum at York, with its original full complement of arms restored.

The Marylebone - Neasden section of the former GCR line also retained mechanical signalling until 1990, though the section between the two signalboxes was worked by track-circuit block with colour-light signals. This was Neasden South Jct's colour-light splitting distant.

But semaphore signals still survive nearby on the former MR Acton - Cricklewood freight line. This is the junction signal at Neasden (Midland) Jct, from where a chord descends to join the above lines.

The Tottenham & Hampstead line (nowadays more usually referred to as Gospel Oak-Barking) still had semaphore signalling in the early 1980s. Shown here is the unusual half-gantry that carried Upper Holloway's's down home and up starter, with the inner distants of Junction Road Jct beneath.

The North London Line also had a good share of semaphores in the 1980s. This, for example, was the junction signal at Kensal Green Jct, which worked to mechanical signalboxes at Willesden High Level Jct and Gospel Oak.

An experimental system of colour-light signals had been installed on the local suburban lines between Camden Jct and Watford Jct on the WCML from Euston. But this line also hosted this treasure of a shunting signal at Harrow & Wealdstone.

I was also lucky enough to have photographed some interesting signals in the Kings Cross - Finsbury Park area prior to the 1970s electrification and resignalling, such as this awesome Finsbury Park distant signal and some distinctive colour-lights at Kings Cross itself.

Chelsea Basin Junction

January 1979

This unusual splitting distant belonged to Chelsea Basin Junction on the West London Line. 3' goods-arm distants are unusual, but in this case the signal was needed to allow freight trains a decent run up what was a fairly steep gradient.

Kensington Olympia

November 1972

Kensington Olympia was still a busy motorail terminal in the 70s with two signalboxes and much more layout than remains today. This gantry spanned the lines in the middle of the station.

Liverpool Street

September 1972

A platform starter at Liverpool Street station before resignalling. Another different style of signal and shunting disc.

London Bridge

September 1970

A pair of old SR four-aspect signals at London Bridge, with the second yellow aspect below the red, rather than at the top.

Victora

September 1972

A platform starter on the Central side of Victoria station with a floodlit calling-on disc.

Thanks to Steve Gwinnett, John Hinson, Keith and others for sending me information to correct and expand the photo captions on these pages - see the ensuing discussion thread on the Signal Box Forum.