Bury South and Ramsbottom Station SB's

[Johnw]

I would like to improve the captions to these two photographs
http://pics-by-john.photoblog.org.uk/p58509001.html
http://pics-by-john.photoblog.org.uk/p58541694.html
Any information gratefully received

[Mike Hodgson]

The small extra lower windows seen in Ramsbottom are to allow a better view of the wicket gate.

[Simon Foster]

Bury South is an original L&YR structure, but the original lever frame was replaced (in preservation) with a 65 lever LMS 1943 Standard Tappet frame. Incidentally, this box controls the whole of the Bury Bolton St. Station area, not just the south end, with Direction Lever working to Ramsbottom, and OTW with Staff to Heywood.

Ramsbottom is also the original structure, of LMS design and dating from c1938. It contains the original REC/LMS 'Pre-1943' Standard Tappet frame of 40 levers. The level crossing is worked by wheel.
The section between here and Rawtenstall West is worked by EKT.

[MRFS]

The section between here and Rawtenstall West is worked by EKT.

Is this the section controlled by RSCo Key token (or was that what has become direction lever)? One of those two sections is operated with Tyers instruments on hire from the Talyllyn.

[Simon Foster]

The section between here and Rawtenstall West is worked by EKT.

Is this the section controlled by RSCo Key token (or was that what has become direction lever)?
One of those two sections is operated with Tyers instruments on hire from the Talyllyn.

Ramsbottom - Rawtenstall West uses Tyer's instruments.

[Muppet]

Bury South is an original L&YR structure, but the original lever frame was replaced (in preservation) with a 65 lever LMS 1943 Standard Tappet frame.

Part of the original frame is what we are using in Stoneacre! We've just been given some pull board support brackets to go with it from another source...

[Phil B]

Yesterday, a gantry was installed at the rear of Bury South SB. This will carry Up Advanced Starters for Down and Up Main lines (known locally as the Outer and Inner Curves respectively) with a Distant below both arms for the Up Section signal. Once the points under Manchester Road bridge are motorised and everything is working, Bury South’s station limits in the Up direction will be extended to the other side of the ‘Ski-jump’ over the Metrolink line from the current ‘Start of Staff Section’ board at the back of the SB. It will also give us our first working semaphore Distant signals on the ELR.

There are a couple of photos here: http://s923.beta.photobucket.com/user/1 ... ary/Gantry

[Mike Stone]

Visiting the ELR yesterday has raised a couple of queries. I purchased two volumes of Chris Littleworth's LYR books and one refers to Bury-Ramsbottom as Tokenless Block with track circuiting throughout, which I though was a contradiction in terms - the SRS atlas refers to it as TCB with direction levers. The other is Heywood East GF refered to in both but which appeared just to be a set of hand points?

[Chris L]

Mike Stone wrote:

I purchased two volumes of Chris Littleworth's LYR books and one refers to Bury-Ramsbottom as Tokenless Block with track circuiting throughout, which I though was a contradiction in terms - the SRS atlas refers to it as TCB with direction levers. The other is Heywood East GF refered to in both but which appeared just to be a set of hand points?

Sorry, Mike - where exactly did I write these things? The references to the current method of control of the Bury - Ramsbottom section on pages 235 & 237 of part 2 of "Signal Boxes on L&YR Lines - North & West of Manchester" both refer (correctly) to "Direction Lever with Track Circuits" ("DLTC" in the ELR Rules & Regulations) operation over this section (basically "TCB with Direction Levers" is correct, but the ELR have written their own regulations for this method of working). I cannot remember, nor can I find, any reference in my books to Tokenless Block operation on this section (if I have written this anywhere then mea culpa, it is definitely incorrect.)

Nor can I find any reference to "Heywood East GF" in my books - as you say, there currently isn't one! My diagram on p.240 correctly shows the points at the east end of the run-round loop at Heywood Station as hand worked.

So I am more than a little confused by your post - but thanks for buying the books, anyway!

Chris L.

[Mike Stone]

My apologies - I've reread anywhere that might be relevant and can't find any reference to tokenless block.
;
I must say the books are excellent value, especially for what must surely be a niche market.
'

[Chris L]

Thank you very much, Mike.

Chris.

[Stevoid]

The current method of working (I am a volunteer at the ELR, though on the footplate rather than in the signalling department) is indeed something that amounts to TCB with direction levers between Bury and Ramsbottom.

Heywood has two ground frames: Heywood Ground Frame, at the Down (Bury) end of the loop, operating the loop points, and Hopwood Ground Frame, which is on the other side of Green Lane AOCL from the station, and controls trap points at the ELR/NR boundary, and the boundary of the Bury-Hopwood and Castleton-Hopwood staff sections.

The Castleton end loop points at Heywood are hand-worked.