Description

Railway Signalling Explained
Compiled from footage shot by Farran Productions in the 1970s, these four short films provide a fascinating insight into the world of railway signalling at a time when manual signal boxes and semaphore signals were still commonplace.

We visit boxes on the Midland Main Line between St Pancras and Bedford; Windsor & Eton Riverside on the Southern Region;
and Oxford with its railway swing bridge over the canal.

Is line Clear?
A Signal Journey from St Pancras to Leicester (colour)
A detailed explanation of how trains are signalled from box to box. Locations include St Pancras, Luton, Leagrave and Harlington, with loco-hauled InterCity trains and local DMUs passing, all in corporate British Rail colours.

The Oxford Swing Bridge (black & white)
We observe the operation of the unusual railway swing bridge at Oxford, which carried tracks serving the Rewley Road goods yard over an arm of the Oxford Canal. Also features A4 Pacific Sir Nigel Gresley passing through Oxford station on a railtour.

Signalling at Windsor & Eton Riverside (black & white)
This film describes the working of the Sykes Lock & Block system of signalling, seen in Windsor & Eton Riverside box. The operation of the adjacent level crossing, using a gate wheel in the box, is also explained.

Trains and Signals: The Making of a Film (colour)
Using additional material and out-takes from the “Is Line Clear?” film, we revisit some of the locations and discover how the film was made. The highlight is a journey from St Pancras to Bedford in the cab of a Peak diesel. We conclude our journey at Leicester, with a brief look inside Leicester North box.