Here the Old and New are working side by side on a daily basis, (except Sundays) With the Mainline from Poole to Wareham operated from the Original Mechanical 59 lever signal box, via modern electric signalling equipment. There are two sidings (at the Poole end of the station over the `Blandford Road' bridge) manually operated through the original mechanical lever frame, point rodding & mechanical interlocking, as are the points on this end of the Hamworthy Goods branch line.
Some of the Original signalling equipment in the Hamworthy Junction signal box, these are the original indicators used to accept & offer trains to and from adjacent signal Boxes at Poole and Wareham. The signalling equipment was installed by the Southern Railway in the late 1800s and early 1900s and is still in use every day controlling the Hamworthy section of the Waterloo - Weymouth Mainline. The SignalBox is switched OUT when not in use, extending the block to the Poole Signal Box. I'm not sure if the tea pot is an original but it certainly looks the part ;-)
Now With modern Class60 & Class66 diesels and a variety of other diesel traction visiting Hamworthy Goods line with stone, ballast, steel & occasionaly imported cars and other vehicles & machinery. There have been THREE Steam workings through Hamworthy this summer, The first was a B.R. `Standard 5' with a rake of MK1 coaches on an enthusiasts special to Weymouth, which returned to the preserved N.Y.M.R. (North Yorkshire Moors Railway) via Yeovil. The second was a simmilar affair, working To Weymouth through Yeovil & returning through Hamworthy, Poole & Bournemouth. It is SO good to see a real `Live' steam engine thundering up the bank from Poole to Hamworthy Junction across the middle of Holes Bay, Much more stirring than the clinical electric sevices that buzz past these days... There was also a GWR King class locomotive which passed on an excursion to Yeovil via Weymouth, it was two hours late and not enough light for photography :( but it rushed up the bank from Holes Bay to Hamworthy with the lower portions of the smokebox glowing brightly and with a rush of smoke & steam it was upon us! I'm sure we could almost feel the power exuding from this loco as it raged past us, its rake of nicely turned out Mk2 coaches charging through the station, followed up by a preserved Class 33 diesel making its own almost musical notes on passing the assembled enthusiasts on the platform, then all too quickly, it was thundering off towards the speed restriction across the Rockley Viaduct, which I'm sure it couldn't have slowed for, but they had miles of open track ahead and plunged onwards into the encroaching darkness. two hours in the cold for a few moments glimpse of the wonderous glory of steam locomotion. A cold but heartwarmimg experience!
Here you can see the old "Electric Key Token" system (the blue box on the right shaped like a little Wurlitzer;) which controls the Hamworthy Goods line, leading to Poole's Cross-Channel Ferry terminal & Poole Harbour Commission's Warehouses and trans-shipment yard.
On the Left you can see a large Cabinet with a glass front which contains the modern microprocessor based control systems. Both old & new equipment are `interlocked' with the signal box lever frame with 59 levers, although only a small number are still in use, most being repainted white to indicate it is a "spare" lever. There used to be a double line connection with the Southern end of the SDJR (Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway) via Broadstone & Wimborne, several goods & carriage sidings and a small engine shed.
The semaphore signal protecting the Hamworthy Goods line is still in use (Jan2000) and is operated by electromechanical connections from the lever frame in the signal box. The lever frame is original with only some minor modifications to allow electical interlocking with some of the the mechanical levers. The Point levers are still mechanically operated and It takes a fair bit of effort to pull a point off even though it is only a short distance from the box, pulling a distant signal would also be a somewhat daunting task at distances of 200 yards and quite often further, the effort required increases dramatically when the signal rodding & control wires are situated around a curve! Added to the task of controlling and signalling all train movements in his section there was also the general day-to-day maintainance of the signalling aparatus under his control, paying particular attention to greasing of point & Signal control rods and associated mechanical linkages. The Railway Signalman's job is by no means an easy one.
NOTE: For technical info on signalling equipment try, `the Signal Box' website on the Stoneybridge LINKS page.
