Beighton station & Woodhouse Junction signaL box`s

[Stewpot1 10]

Does anyone remember the railway signalmen from Woodhouse East Junction & Beighton Station signal box`s from the late 60s and 70s, i worked at Woodhouse East Junction in the late 60s as a train recorder.

[owd man 10]

as a paper lad in the early seventies, i used to deliver a morning paper to the signal box at the bottom of junction lane, i think there was about 3 or 4 signalmen in, at around half seven in the morning but don't know if that was change of shift time,

[Stewpot1 10]

yes that may have been a shift change

 

---------- Post added 16-08-2013 at 17:21 ----------

 

having said that shift change is 6am...2pm...10pm or it was when i was in that signalbox so there might have been a signalman and a couple of linesmen

[johnme 10]

Does anyone remember the railway signalmen from Woodhouse East Junction & Beighton Station signal box`s from the late 60s and 70s, i worked at Woodhouse East Junction in the late 60s as a train recorder.

 

hi stewpot. I was a train recorder at woodburn jcn in the mid 60s before going to Sheffield midland south no1. take a look at the tread for millhouses loco sheds and go to thread 40 by ELENAC, on his thread is a book about Sheffield power box. look through the book and it shows pics of all the boxes it took over. I found it very interesting seeing the boxes I had worked in and visited. hope this helps . john:smile:

[Stewpot1 10]

Hi John thanks for your reply, i use to live on Broad Oaks and use to train spot from the Bridge that was only 200 yards from your signal box going towards darnall, I was a train recorder at woodhouse east junction box as it was then in the late 60s its now just woodhouse junction i then went on to be a signal man at Brookhouse colliery

Edited August 16, 2013 by Stewpot1

[victormh 10]

One of the signal box men, but may have ben early 50's and before was a guy by the name of Watkinson. He lived at the bottom of Swallownest Main Stret, just before the shops. His wife was a local District Nurse. They had 2 sons, the youngest being Michael, who will be 73 now and lives on one of the roads off Lodge Lane, Aston, just behind Astpn School. I remember Mr Watkinson died sudenly from a heart attack, and that may have ben around 1950. Hope this helps you. By the way he was with the old L.N.E.R. - my grandfather, Elias Marshall retired about 1955 from the Wodhouse Mill L.M.S. line.

I remember a few names from L.N.E.R. and L.M.S. in the late 40's and early 50'2 because I went with my grandparents every year on the Railway Union Annual Day Trip - usually setting off from Woodhouse Station en route for Cleethorpes with a number of stops on the way to pick up others from different staions

Regards from Grey Eminence - Subang Jaya - Malaysia

[johnme 10]

Hi John thanks for your reply, i use to live on Broad Oaks and use to train spot from the Bridge that was only 200 yards from your signal box going towards darnall, I was a train recorder at woodhouse east junction box as it was then in the late 60s its now just woodhouse junction i then went on to be a signal man at Brookhouse colliery

 

its sad to see all the old boxes that have long gone and think about how many jobs went with their closure, I don't miss catching the 5am bus from hackenthorpe to staniforth rd the walking up woodburn rd to start at 6am though. yes across the bridge then down the little path at the side of the scrap yard to the box, we used to get lots of spotters there. I used to spot at beighton we used to walk down a track besides the line to where the rail bridge went over the top so we could see both lines, it used to get packed in the evening waiting for the fish train to go overhead sometimes pulled by a BRITANIA.my best mate was train recorder at sheepcote lane power box, he was lucky he didn't have to clean all those windows every week.:)

[blue11265 10]

Hi Stewpot, I was a TR lad at Woodhouse Jn in 1981-82 a little later than your enquiry. The head quarters for Sheffield Area was Tinsley Marshalling Yard and I had to get there on my first day for 09:00. I caught the 24 bus from High Street to Brinsworth, but unfortunately got on one that terminated at Tinsley Highgate ( Pike and Herron) I had to walk the rest of the way and arrived at 09:40 !! No one battered an eyelid. Eventually I was taken over to Woodhouse in a van by a District Signalling Inspector called Ken Darnell. Mr Darnell was a really nice bloke and on arrival at the box after introductions he sat and drank a cup of tea and had a puff on his pipe.

 

Once Mr Darnell had left the first thing the Signalman said was " this box will be shut in 18 months" I thought great, redundant before I've even started.

 

The signallers at the time were Alf Antcliff (another nice man the lived in Beighton) I think. Alf retired whilst I was working at the box. Other names that spring to mind were mainly relief signalman, Ralph Smith , best bloke ever, John Marsh (swampy)' Mick Ryalls, Nick Daley, Edwin Nether, Trevor Tuxford and Nogel Bottom.

 

I have happy memories of this place and could write a book, and pleased to see that the box is still operational, for how much longer I don't know.

 

I still work on the railways and enjoy my job and am pleased that my oldest son has also recently started with us.

 

I'm sorry the dates don't fit with your original request but some of the old timers may have been around in your day,

 

Thanks Blue

[elenac 10]

Swampy Marsh is still going in the PSB at Sheffield but is due to retire this year, Mick Ryalls finished about two years ago, I recognise some of the other names.

[blue11265 10]

Retired !! They were young men when I worked with them. Another couple of names of signalmen at the time were Tommy Guinett ( not sure of the spelling, sorry ) he came from The Wath area when those boxes closed , Alan Hadfield who went on to work at Sheffield PSB and the other two district inspectors were Alan Bradley or possibly Bradbury and Pete Piggy Milner, what a character he was.

Edited August 25, 2013 by blue11265

[melthebell 862]

ive just inheritated a framed picture from my dad of woodhouse station (woodhouse east?) looking from near the junction pub to the station, its only 20 (30?) or so years old tho cos it features the newer bridge going over the line, i only just remember when they changed bridges

[elenac 10]

Retired !! They were young men when I worked with them. Another couple of names of signalmen at the time were Tommy Guinett ( not sure of the spelling, sorry ) he came from The Wath area when those boxes closed , Alan Hadfield who went on to work at Sheffield PSB and the other two district inspectors were Alan Bradley or possibly Bradbury and Pete Piggy Milner, what a character he was.

 

How the time obviously flies by!! Both Tom and Alan have been gone for some time now. Tom fills his time with his woodworking and shooting, as for Alan I think it was at a funeral when I last saw him.