Barnt Green Signalbox
Photograph by Peter Hands
Fifty Years On A ‘GOLDEN JUBILEE’
(In more ways than one)
Monday 13th April was a red‑letter day for me, for after three years of boring office and shop work after leaving school at fifteen years of age, at last, long last, despite my mother’s objections, I had fulfilled my dream of working in a signalbox on British Railways, initially as a train reporter to Birmingham and Gloucester Controls.
My original interest in signalboxes commenced in the late 1950’s at Shirley station on the North Warwickshire line, where, on many a summer Saturday evening I would wait with bated breath for the succession of passenger trains packed with holidaymakers returning from the West Country resorts to Birmingham (Moor Street), Snow Hill and Wolverhampton (Low Level), hauled by GWR locomotives from far‑away depots such as Laira (Plymouth), Newton Abbot and Penzance, most of which would be ‘cops.’
Class 4‑6‑0 No. 45626 Seychelles
Above Photograph by Peter Hands taken on a Brownie 127 : LMS Jubilee Class 4‑6‑0 No. 45626 Seychelles, of 55A Leads (Holbeck), darkens the skyline as it accelerates a fully fitted freight out of the down slow line at Barnt Green on 17th September 1964 and heads for Cheltenham, Gloucester and beyond. The sidings to the right of Seychelles were occupied from time to time with vandalised coaches from football specials ‑ the usual things ‑ slashed seats ‑ broken windows ‑ light bulbs etc.
Photograph by Peter Hands
In between trains I was fascinated by the sounds of the ‘bells’ and ‘signal levers’ being operated inside Shirley box (no longer with us, sadly) and from time to time Frank Docker, one of the signalmen, would invite me inside his domain, where I could only stand in awe whilst he effortlessly went about his daily routine. How I envied him and vowed to myself that one day in the future, I too, would work in a signalbox.
However, as I grew older my interest in signalboxes waned somewhat, that is until January 1964. A spotter pal of mine had secured a position in the ticket office at Hockley station on the Wolverhampton side of Snow Hill and during the course of popping in to see him from time to time on my moped I eagerly took advantage of invited opportunities to visit both boxes at Hockley – South (fully manual) – North (motored semaphores operated by tiny levers) – reawakening my dormant interest.
Barnt Green Station
ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER HANDS TAKEN ON A BROWNIE 127: A panoramic view of the layout of Barnt Green station in 1964 looking towards Birmingham from the footbridge. In the left of the frame are the up signals for the slow and main up lines from Bromsgrove. The signals to the right guard the access line from Redditch and in the left distance is the signalbox.
Photograph by Peter Hands
So, in late March 1964 I paid a visit to Stanier House in Birmingham City Centre, where, after a short interview, I was offered the position of signalbox lad at Barnt Green, which, suffice to say, I grasped with both hands.
Thus it was that I arrived at Barnt Green on my moped on a lovely spring day in mid‑April to begin my signalbox career and it was manna from heaven after my previous employments – fresh air – the sun was shining – the lovely backdrop of the Lickey Hills‑ and – most importantly of all the sights and sounds of steam.
My task, as previously mentioned, was to report the times of the passing trains to Birmingham and Gloucester Controls. To my everlasting regret I did not keep a personal record of all the steam engines which passed the box during the six (happy) months I spent there before departing for pastures new in late September 1964, but having said that, my records are still pretty comprehensive, thankfully.
LMS Jubilee Class 4‑6‑0 No. 45610
ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER HANDS TAKEN ON A BROWNIE 127: At the foot of the formidable 1 in 37 Lickey Incline, a few short miles to the south of Barnt Green, is Bromsgrove station. On Saturday 13th April 1963 LMS Jubilee Class 4‑6‑0 No. 45610 Ghana (17A Derby) has taken on banking assistance in the shape of GWR 0‑6‑0PT No. 8403 as it restarts a Birmingham (New Street) bound express. In the left of the picture in the shed yard at 85D is LMS Class 3F 0‑6‑0T No. 47506 and GWR 0‑6‑0PT No. 9401. To the right of Ghana, waiting in the loop, is LMS Class 6P5F 'Crab' Class 2‑6‑0 No. 42900, based at 21A Saltley, at the head of a loose‑coupled Class 8 Freight.
Photograph by Peter Hands
During 1964 most of the freight traffic was still entrusted to steam whereas the vast majority of normal timetabled expresses were in the hands of ‘Peak’ Type 4 diesels. However, due to diesel failures, many a steam engine saved the day and this is where my themed title of Golden Jubilee comes to the fore. All steam buffs are aware that the last few remaining LMS Jubilee Class 4‑6‑0’s had their swansong over the Settle & Carlisle, to and from Leeds, during the summer of 1967, but in my opinion 1964 was the last year that these handsome and much loved machines were still to be observed at work in any great numbers.
Between 16th and 30th April I noted the following Juilees which were either employed on express freights or standing in for ‘Peaks’ on express workings:
45557 New Brunswick (16F Burton), 45562 Alberta (55C Farnley Junction), 45573 Newfoundland (55A Leeds – Holbeck), 45585 Hyderabad (16C Derby), 45589 Gwalior (55A Leeds – Holbeck), 45620 North Borneo (16F Burton), 45631 Tanganyika (2E Saltley), 45641 Sandwich (16F Burton), 45670 Howard of Effingham (16C Derby), 45682 Trafalgar (82E Bristol Barrow Road) and 45721 Impregnable (16F Burton).
Other recorded sightings, mostly hauling various classes of freights, were as follows:
LMS Class 8F 2‑8‑0’s Nos. 48145 (16A Toton) and 48272 (16E Kirkby). BR Class 5 4‑6‑0 No. 73139 (16J Rowsley) – E64 express. BR Class 4 2‑6‑0 No 76047 (2E Saltley). WD Class 8F 2‑8‑0’s Nos. 90203 (41D Canklow), 90330 (41D Canklow) and 90580 (41E Staveley Barrow Hill). BR Class 9F 2‑10‑0’s Nos. 92000 (2A Tyseley) and 92220 Evening Star (88A Cardiff East Dock), the latter being a regular performer through Barnt Green.
Click here to read BARNT GREEN SIGNALBOX 1964 – 2014 Part Two
Click here to read BARNT GREEN SIGNALBOX 1964 – 2014 Part Three
