Instablaster...

Agreed. I'm 62, and after seeing the complexity here, I've decided I don't want to be a signaller when I grow up!😂😂

Might have been done on purpose to signal last train. Or as a prank. Either way cool to watch.

I believe it is tradition(accorrding to another video I watched) when a signal box is being retired to place 7 detonators on the line for the last train. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z82Pha54lsnNXYk.html&t=493

hari sai qwedaz া

@Sean Embry I have the same question

@@G0IMB Using a duster stops the salt in your sweat from the hand palms being transferred onto the bare metal of the levers and corroding them. Use of a towel (duster) is easier; you have to keep taking gloves on and off, and given a signalman/woman in a busy mechanical box is constantly on the go - you would forever be playing round with gloves. Also gloves make your hands sweat! Plus there is the tradition element as well.

It's to keep the lever handles from rusting. The natural oils on our skin would cause the metal to corrode over time. I'd imagine it also helped prevent blisters, as pulling levers (especially point levers) could be quite hard.

It was tradition and I believe also an un written rule to keep their boxes clean and tidy, even the Crossing Keepers huts were kept tidy and they are not proper signal boxes.

Gives a better grip. I was the Signal Engineer for this patch in 99/01

It stops the sweat in your hands from tarnishing the polished metal.

Sort of, yes. The taps are his response to the bells. Each ring of the bell means something. For example, 1 ring of a bell means that the next signalman along is calling for your attention. When that happens the signalman in this box responds with a single tap, which rings a bell in the other signal box to confirm he is listening. An exchange might go something like this when one signal box wants to send a freight train to another: Signalman A: 1 Bell - "Calling Attention" Signalman B: 1 Bell - "I am listening" Signalman A: 3 Bells - "Is the line clear to send a freight train?" Signalman B: 3 Bells - "Yes, the line is clear to send a freight train" Signalman A: 2 Bells - "Train is on it's way to you" Signalman B: 2 Bells - "I understand the train is on it's way to me" Signalman B: 2 Bells then 1 Bell - "The train you sent has arrived safely" Signalman 1: 2 Bells then 1 Bell - "Thanks for telling me the train has arrived safely"

Thanks, very interesting.

No only from Banbury south I think

Pretty hard to screw up, as the signals are interlocked and there are track corcuits, not much more dangerous than the new electronic equivalents

On the old signalling systems, trains are “offered” and “accepted” between adjoining signal boxes by the use of bell codes, which also denote what kind of train it is; and in the case of a multi-track area the instruments that transmit these bell codes also denote what line it is on. Bell codes are also used to indicate when a train is passing one signal box to the next one, to communicate when a train has arrived complete (or not!) and to pass emergency messages quickly.

@ stops the sweat on the hands for corroding the metal

Thankfully, these systems are mechanically interlocked. You CAN'T pull a wrong switch, the locking bars in the room underneath the upper level will not physically let you.

It's as much about the number of bells as the pattern they're in One bell is to get attention, then a code of bells to ask if the line is clear for a specific train. Three bells is for a freight train per someone else's comment on this thread.

That's when we built them. Before anyone else.

I agree, the video would be MUCH better with some sort of narration, either subtitles or a voiceover. A short summary I can give is this: The bells you hear are the result of communications to adjacent signal boxes. Each time the signalman in this video "taps" his instrument, he will cause the bell to ring in the corresponding adjacent signal box. Each bell you hear in this video is the result of an adjacent "tapping" their instrument. The number and rhythm of the bells rang form a code. Its somewhat similar to morse code, but whereas in morse code you have long and short strokes, here you can only ring a bell. So instead, the gaps between the bells make the code unique. For example, a common bell code heard in this video was 3-1-1: 3 beats in quick succession, a pause, then one beat, another pause, and then one beat. I believe this bell code refers to express freight, but I may be wrong. There are many different bell codes, all with different meanings, but arguably the most common and useful bell codes are this: 1 beat (a singular bell) - Call attention 2 beats - train entering section 2-1 (2 beats, pause, one beat) - train out of section. most of the different codes stem from "is line clear for..." This is because each type of train has their own bell code. For example, that express freight bell code mentioned earlier, 3-1-1, means "is line clear for express freight?" As you might expect, the "belling" of these codes become rather quick, and sometimes quite difficult to understand even for qualified signalmen. In this video, the "belling" is somewhat poor, especially 2-1 (train out of section). I doubt an instructor would be very pleased with it! You can probably tell I am rather interested in the subject, but I must disclaim I am merely an enthusiast, and qualified at all. Anyways, I hope that made the video slightly more interesting for you. If you have any questions, I'm sure I could give them a go!

uk