Editing Marble Arch signal cabin
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}}Marble Arch (prefix CD) was a signal cabin located within the station of the same name on London Underground's Central line. Opened in 1900 | }}Marble Arch (prefix CD) was a signal cabin located within the station of the same name on London Underground's Central line. Opened in 1900, replaced in 1956 and closed in 1999, the 1956 lever frame has been preserved and restored as a demonstrative exhibit at London Transport Museum, Acton Depot. | ||
== Central London Railway == | == Central London Railway == | ||
Marble Arch opened on the inaugural section of the Central London Railway (CLR) between Bank and Shepherd’s Bush on 30 July 1900. The CLR was part of the growing number of lines in London built at a Deep-Level following on from the City & South London Railway (1890) and the Waterloo & City Railway (1898).<ref>Day, John R; Reed, John (2008) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground. Capital Transport. <nowiki>ISBN 978-1-85414-316-7</nowiki>.</ref> Because it was slightly later in development, the CLR benefited from a more modern design ethos ranging from the spacing of stations to the inclining of station approaches to aid headways and the provision of additional crossovers and sidings as turnback points.<ref>Wolmar, Christian (2005) [2004]. The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. <nowiki>ISBN 1-84354-023-1</nowiki>.</ref> | Marble Arch opened on the inaugural section of the Central London Railway (CLR) between Bank and Shepherd’s Bush on 30 July 1900. The CLR was part of the growing number of lines in London built at a Deep-Level following on from the City & South London Railway (1890) and the Waterloo & City Railway (1898).<ref>Day, John R; Reed, John (2008) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground. Capital Transport. <nowiki>ISBN 978-1-85414-316-7</nowiki>.</ref> Because it was slightly later in development, the CLR benefited from a more modern design ethos ranging from the spacing of stations to the inclining of station approaches to aid headways and the provision of additional crossovers and sidings as turnback points.<ref>Wolmar, Christian (2005) [2004]. The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. <nowiki>ISBN 1-84354-023-1</nowiki>.</ref> | ||
The signal cabin at Marble Arch (prefix D) was provided to control one such east facing siding and was equipped with a full size mechanically interlocked Evans O’Donnell frame of 17 levers. The next signal cabin west was Queensroad ( renamed Queensway in 1946) and east at British Museum<ref name=":0">Horne, Mike (2020). [http://www.metadyne.co.uk/pdf_files/LTSB_new.pdf Inventory of Signal Cabins and Other Interlockings]: London Transport Railways</ref> both of which controlled similar layouts to Marble Arch. | The signal cabin at Marble Arch (prefix D) was provided to control one such east facing siding and was equipped with a full size mechanically interlocked Evans O’Donnell frame of 17 levers. The next signal cabin west was Queensroad ( renamed Queensway in 1946) and east at British Museum<ref name=":0">Horne, Mike (2020). [http://www.metadyne.co.uk/pdf_files/LTSB_new.pdf Inventory of Signal Cabins and Other Interlockings]: London Transport Railways</ref> both of which controlled similar layouts to Marble Arch. | ||
== London Transport == | == London Transport == | ||
In 1940, the tunnels built by the CLR were widened to bring them closer to what was evolving into a standard 12 ft tunnel diameter for all Deep-Level lines incorporated into London Transport. Despite this effort to standardize which included the adoption of the 4<sup>th</sup> rail set up for powering trains, several design traits from the CLR remained most notably in stations and track layouts which were largely untouched. Marble Arch signal cabin similarly remained untouched during this period apart from a re-lettering to prefix CD.<ref name=":0" /> | In 1940, the tunnels built by the CLR were widened to bring them closer to what was evolving into a standard 12 ft tunnel diameter for all Deep-Level lines incorporated into London Transport. Despite this effort to standardize which included the adoption of the 4<sup>th</sup> rail set up for powering trains, several design traits from the CLR remained most notably in stations and track layouts which were largely untouched. Marble Arch signal cabin similarly remained untouched during this period apart from a re-lettering to prefix CD.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
In 1956, the signal cabin was re-equipped with a Westinghouse N-style electrically interlocked miniature lever frame of 11 levers.<ref name=":0" /> Whilst the technology that would supersede lever frames already existed by this point, the comparatively small geographic coverage that was a common trait of Deep-Level signal cabins meant that lever frames still represented good value for money. The signal cabin spent the rest of its operational life virtually untouched. | In 1956, the signal cabin was re-equipped with a Westinghouse N-style electrically interlocked miniature lever frame of 11 levers.<ref name=":0" /> Whilst the technology that would supersede lever frames already existed by this point, the comparatively small geographic coverage that was a common trait of Deep-Level signal cabins meant that lever frames still represented good value for money. The signal cabin spent the rest of its operational life virtually untouched. | ||
== Closure and Preservation == | == Closure and Preservation == | ||
By the 1990’s, the signalling on the Central line was deemed to be life expired and was becoming increasingly unreliable to support the ever more intensive service patterns needed to meet growing patronage. With the introduction of the 1992 stock, London Transport developed a fully integrated Automatic Train Operation system in house using off the shelf components supplied by Westinghouse. This computerised system transmitted commands from a network of Signal Equipment Rooms (SER) to computers on board trains giving movement authorities as well as brake and coasting commands. This dispensed with the need for auxiliary train protection and signal cabins and forms the basis for modern Automatic Train Operation (ATO) to this day.<ref>[https://www.davros.org/rail/signalling/articles/central.html Clive's Underground Line Guide]</ref> | By the 1990’s, the signalling on the Central line was deemed to be life expired and was becoming increasingly unreliable to support the ever more intensive service patterns needed to meet growing patronage. With the introduction of the 1992 stock, London Transport developed a fully integrated Automatic Train Operation system in house using off the shelf components supplied by Westinghouse. This computerised system transmitted commands from a network of Signal Equipment Rooms (SER) to computers on board trains giving movement authorities as well as brake and coasting commands. This dispensed with the need for auxiliary train protection and signal cabins and forms the basis for modern Automatic Train Operation (ATO) to this day.<ref>[https://www.davros.org/rail/signalling/articles/central.html Clive's Underground Line Guide]</ref> | ||
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Having remained in situ for several years in the disused signal cabin, the N-style miniature lever frame was dismantled and brought to London Transport Museum, Acton Depot for restoration circa 2009. It now operates as a demonstrator exhibit simulating the operation of a typical through station with multi-home signalling, track circuits, train describers and route setting. | Having remained in situ for several years in the disused signal cabin, the N-style miniature lever frame was dismantled and brought to London Transport Museum, Acton Depot for restoration circa 2009. It now operates as a demonstrator exhibit simulating the operation of a typical through station with multi-home signalling, track circuits, train describers and route setting. | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
[[Category:London Underground]] [[Category:Signal cabins]] | [[Category:London Underground]] [[Category:Signal cabins]] | ||