York has always been a major railway centre, ever since the early days of the railway. Today, it is the location of a Rail Operating Centre, one of only ten such centres that are planned to eventually control signalling over most of the country.
Signalling Centres in the North East 1: York examines how York’s signalling infrastructure has developed and been modernised to meet changing traffic demands. It concentrates mainly on the area within the city boundary but for completeness also extends out to a number of places which subsequently became fringe locations to the 1951 York power signal box. Covers many different topics including:
- Early pointsmen with un-coordinated signals
- The growth of mechanically interlocked signal cabins
- The new 1877 York station
- How the “York Yards” goods lines were controlled
- Expansion of the early twentieth century
- Post World War Two modernisation
- Integrated Electronic Control Centre
- York Rail Operating Centre
Signalling Centres in the North East 1: York has been written by Richard Pulleyn, who once worked as temporary District Relief Train Recorder at various signal boxes in the York area, before going on to become a signalling historian. Richard has drawn on extensive primary research and other archive material to produce this fine account of York’s signalling heritage. Contains over 170 colour and black & white photographs, together with numerous specially drawn signal box diagrams. 136 pages.