European Railroad Discussion > semaphores in scotland

Had a wonderful vacationtrip through scotland last August.
And found in Blair Atholl near the famous Blair Castle this treasure of a semaphore.
It looks like the technical progress make a step around this line. Beautiful.

Philipp from Berlin - Germany

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The Highland mainline still has plenty of semaphores I'm pleased to say - Dunkeld, Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, Dalwhinnie, Kingussie and Aviemore are all primarily signalled by semaphores using a single track system called Scottish token-less block working.

Thank you for the your explantation. It's good old railroading!!! Fine to see this in the present days of modernization.
Phil

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Lovely to see these semaphores in their original condition. Many have now been totally bastardised by he addition of the health and safety access platforms and protected ladders. Chris uk

This is another one that my dad and I missed last year by riding the Megabus on the A9 to Inverness instead of the train. I'm glad you got some good pictures and shared them here. I especially like the pictures showing how the cable is attached to the mast arm.

Jim

I believe the "lattice" masts were unique to the Highland Railway.

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> I believe the "lattice" masts were unique to the
> Highland Railway.

Lattice posts were common in Scotland but not unique either to the country or the Highland Railway. One of the biggest users was down in the south of England - the London & South Western Railway - who passed the fashion on to their successor the Southern Railway, although the Southern soon developed its own cheap and cheerful 'old rail' posts. This example of the L&SW style (although installed by the Southern) is the Down Starter at Amberley on the Arun Valley line and only 50 miles south of London. Unfortunately this signal and others at Amberley, Pulborough and Billingshurst and the boxes at all three locations was swept away a couple of months ago when control of the Arun Valley reverted to the signalling centre at Three Bridges

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tq-07fan Wrote:
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> This is another one that my dad and I missed last
> year by riding the Megabus on the A9 to Inverness
> instead of the train. I'm glad you got some good
> pictures and shared them here. I especially like
> the pictures showing how the cable is attached to
> the mast arm.
>
> Jim
Hi jim,
I was really surprised to see a Semaphore with a cable on the mast arm.
Don't know that from our signals in Germany. You will find here more an arrangement of rods from the foot to the mast.
And it was almost my only one meeting with the railroad on this trip in Scotland. Saw also the Strathspey Steam Railway. It run between Avimore and Broomhill via Boat-of-Garten.
It is a wonderful preserved biotope in railroading.

Phil from Berlin in Germany

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Nice pictures, it is a nice railway isn't it? A bit off the beaten track so it tends to get forgotten. In terms of signals cables were generally used whilst points were rod driven.