Chris Libby
Liskeard branch signal box
Louis Clarence (Charlie) Hutchings.
Date unknown
Dog….. Spot
Liskeard Branch box is one of those forgotten places on the Cornish network.
It was built by Saxby and Farmer, signal contractors to the Liskeard and Looe railway company when the new loop line up from Coombe Junction opened in 1901.
The box at Coombe was its 'twin '.
The Liskeard and Looe was absorbed by the Great Western in 1909 and after that, the only change was the gradual substitution of GWR standard signals for the old S & F ones. The layout was simply an engine loop opposite the platform, plus the facing pointsf for L iskeard and Looe siding' leading to the main line.
The line to Coombe was operated by the electric tablet system - extremely rare on the GW, but common on the LSW lines in the south west. This was a relic of Saxbys.
DMUs arrived in 1961, so the loop became redundant. The box closed on 15th March 1964. A ground frame now works dthe L and L siding points. At the same time, the token instrument for Coombe (token having succeded tablet a fee years before).
Liskeard Branch box had a Saxby and Farmer horizontal tappet frame of 19 levers.
Christmas greetings to all, from an Asian Janner!
Roy
Have a Happy Christmas
Paul Barlow