The trainee signaller stood perplexed for a moment as two trains approached Hornby junction – should he let the local to Stopham go first, as it was already late, or hold it to let the express from Gatestown have a clear run? He decided to let the local go first, and breathed a sigh of relief as it departed from Belston on time. He tapped two beats on the ‘penguin’ (the black and white block instrument) to the signal box in advance.
Then came a friendly word in his ear – his ‘instructor’ reminding him about the need to put the signals behind he departing train to danger, and send out of section to the box in rear. He released the catches and pushed the highly polished levers back into the shiny black frame, gave one beat on the ‘penguin’ to the signal box in rear, and tapped out 2.1.
An everyday occurrence at a small mechanical signal box somewhere on the London North Western part of Network Rail? No, this ‘signal box is located on the third floor of the 1909 station buildings at Manchester Victoria station – part of the Manchester Signalling Training Centre. The centre follows a proud tradition, for it was here – in the very same room – in 1910 that classes in railway operating had first been provided by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, when 100 students enrolled for the first session. Over the next 40 years thousands of railway employees (mostly men) successfully passed courses and exams. Such was the interest that in 1924/25 some 4,981 students gained a certificate. In 1912 the company installed a large scale model railway, signalled just like the real thing, with full size block instruments and miniature signal boxes, with interlocked lever frames.
From 1953, under the control of the late Cliff Weir, the school was used solely to train Signalmen (Signallers). Since then thousands of students have passed through. Inevitably the very fine model became life expired, and it was moved to the National Railway Museum at York, where it has been fully restored.
For a time training was centred at Crewe, but when Network Rail identified the need for a modern training centre for signallers in Manchester, it was an obvious answer to locate it where the former Signalling School had been.
Thus it was that 14 members of the IRO recently had the opportunity to try out what in effect is a signalling simulator. There are two signal boxes, one mechanical and one power box – entry/exit – panel. The trains are no longer models, but exist in computer software. The trains appear on the NX panel or the illuminated diagram above the lever frame according to a timetable, which can be manipulated from the computer by the tutor to create operating problems. The tutor can also intervene to create other problems such as signal failures.
Our thanks go to Neil Lucock, Network Rail’s Signalling Inspector, for a most enjoyable evening that brought back memories for some members and gave others a rare and valuable insight into the secret world of signallers.