Wittersham Road Signal Box

Wittersham Road Signal Box stands on the single line between Tenterden and Bodiam on the Kent and East Sussex Heritage Railway. Trains travel Up to the next box at Rolvenden and Down towards the box at Northiam, although Northiam box is not always open.

In this shot you can see the main elements of any mechanical signalbox. The most obvious are the levers which control the signals and points. Red levers move signals, black move points, blue move point locks, brown with a blue top is a ground frame release to allow access to a siding, the white levers are unused and the brown and white stripy levers are used when the box is switched out at the end of a shift. There are 2 red levers with a white band, these mark the section signals which permit entry to the single line.

Above the levers is the instrument shelf where dials and indicators are displayed, especially to tell you indication of signals you cannot see.

Above the instrument shelf is the box diagram showing the layout of lines controlled by the signalbox together with the position and number of signals, points and crossings together with their distance from the signalbox.

To the left of the shot are the red Block Instruments. These are both Tyler Number 9 Key Token Instruments first introduced in 1912. The Block Instrument on the left controls entry to the single line Up to Rolvenden and the one to the right entry to the single line Down to Northiam.

To permit an Up train to enter the single track and travel to Rolvenden involves the Wittersham signalman asking the Rolvenden signalman if the line is clear for the train by using the brass plunger to give a bell code. If it is clear, the Rolvenden signalman will acknowledge the bell code and on the last beat of the bell allow the Wittersham signalman to withdraw a token. Withdrawing a token allows the Wittersham signalman one pull on the signal protecting entry to the single line, locks all signals which would permit a conflicting move, prevents any more tokens being released and locks signals at the Rolvenden end as well.

The token is given to the train driver as authority to enter the single track and he carries it on the footplate to Rolvenden. Here, he gives up the token and when the signalman there is assured the train has arrived complete the token can be replaced in the Block Instrument and the line is then clear for another train to use the single section.

The process in more involved, but that is essentially what happens. The Wittersham Road signalbox is a Saxby & Farmer box from Deal Junction in Kent which became redundant in 1980, after an operational life of almost 100 years service.

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