The Midland Railway Study Centre Assemblage Trails

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY ASSEMBLAGE TRAILS
"The Enthusiast's Trail"
Stop Eleven: Pioneering Armless Signals

Behind you on the end of the Metal area.

A pair of electric signal lamps with a large light hood protruding from the front of each one, each with two coloured lights

Stop 11

Where: B6 blue (on the end)

What: Derby station colour lights

Material: Galvanised tin plate and glass

Why: It is fair to say that the Signal Department of the Midland Railway were far from the most innovative of the pre-grouping railway companies. They had dabbled with power signalling in the form of an electro-pneumatic installation at Way & Works Sidings at Derby in 1905, but that remained their sole such experiment. It wasn’t until as late as 1919 that the first electric colour light signals (or “armless signals” as they were termed) appeared. Along with a similar set up at Leicester, the signals mid-way along the platforms at Derby which were constricted by the station roof were replaced with the units we see here. Yet again, it was an innovation which failed to take-off. They are pictured below in 1950, not long before the station was rebuilt following air raid damage sustained in the Second World War. We are looking south along Platform 1 from the Locomotive Works footbridge. The colour light signals can be seen mounted on a wooden post between the lines while one of the now empty metal bracket they were originally mounted on descends from the roof over the platform.

Ref:

A photogrpah illustrating the view south along Platform 1 of Derby station in 1952 from the Locomotive Works footbridge. The colour light electric signals we ar elooking at can be seen mounted on wooden posts, with the metal bracket they were once on hangs from the roof over Platform 1.