Bala Lake Railway: Survey of the Raynar Wilson Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway signal

Hall Royd Junction Box nameboard as preserved at the East Lancashire Raiway, Bury

NEW! Upper and Lower Quadrant 2mm signal transfers!

Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway signalling survivors:
the Raynar Wilson Home and Subsidiary arm

The front of the Raynar Wilson Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Llanuwchllyn starter signal and subsidiary arm feature in many photographs of the Bala Lake, but very few show the rear of the signal. This survey included a detailed survey of the spectacle plate and mechanics.

Bolton West - the last Lancashire & Yorkshire signal in BR service as seen on Saturday 23 April 1966, and as it is today at the Bala Lake Railway

Photographer (left) Eric F Bentley, both images Copyright J K Wallace

L & Y lower quadrant signal at the western end of Bolton Trinity St station as photographed on Saturday 23 April 1966, an as it was at the Bala Lake Railway's Llanuwchllyn Station on 16 July 2015.

Three quarters front of Rayner Wilson stating signal, Llanuwchllyn, showing home and subsidiary arm, 16 July 2015 Three quarters rear view of Rayner Wilson stating signal, Llanuwchllyn, 16 July 2015

Modellers may want to note how the signal is operated, with the rod from the balance weight attached to the spindle at the REAR of the post, and not through a hole in the arm. The gloss red applied in or around 2002 on top of the BR red is starting to flake, and the original BR paint is starting to show through.

Close-up view of rear of Rayner Wilson home and subsidiary arms on LYR signal, Bala Lake Railway 16 July 2015. Note metal straps on arm, in this restoration painted white. Close-up view of front of Rayner Wilson subsidiary arm on LYR signal, Bala Lake Railway 16 July 2015 showing how the metal spectacle plate is only held on by one screw, and that it has rotated in an anti-clockwise direction.

Close-up view of rear of Rayner Wilson arm on LYR signal showing relationship between arm stop and spectacle plate, Bala Lake Railway 16 July 2015. Close-up view of lamp of Rayner Wilson LYR signal, Bala Lake Railway 16 July 2015

Close-up view of rear of Rayner Wilson arm on LYR signal, Bala Lake Railway 16 July 2015 showing how the rodding is connected to the spindle. Close-up view of front of Rayner Wilson arm on LYR signal showing stop and corresponding ridge on spectacle plate , Bala Lake Railway 16 July 2015

Base of Raynar Wilson signal post at Llanuwchllyn Station, 16 July 2015 showing reinforcement with old rails. L&YR subsidiary arm with dimensions

Finally, I'm very grateful to Vernon Sidlow for permission to use his photograph of Stanier Black 5 45025 entering Bolton with the last steam-hauled 'Belfast Boat Train' on Saturday 5 May 1968. To the right, just in front of Bolton Wet box, is the signal in its original location.

Stanier Black 5 45025 enters Bolton with the last steam-hauled 'Belfast Boat Train' on Saturday 5 May 1968.

And whilst not strictly pure Raynar Wilson, this photograph by Eric Bentley taken on 23 April 1966 at 14:10 hrs captures the pair of bracket signals that controlled trains leaving the station for Preston and Wigan.

Finally a view looking the other way showing the arrangement of tracks at the junction and signalling. Train 1Z30, the 10.00 Kearsley – Morecambe Promenade holiday period special leaving Bolton Trinity Street at 10.15 a.m. on Saturday 25 June 1966 hauled by a Stanier Black 5.

1Z30 10.00 Kearsley – Morecambe Prom period special Bolton Hols leaving Bolton T St 10.15 Sat 25/6/66

Photographer Eric F Bentley, Copyright J K Wallace

The main dimensions of the subsidiary arm are shown here.

Note that due to the poor (rotting) condition of the arm, the spectacle plate has actually become detached and has rotated anti-clockwise by about 19 degrees.

Raynar Wilson : 1912 : Shunting arms : Mechancial ground signal : Pneumatic ground signal : Other : More