Signal Works

The purpose of this site will be to provide details on the historic manufacture and supply of railway signalling equipment giving details of various signal works.. At present we have not determined what format this will take. Watch for developments. In the meantime will be publishing here useful information.

Following the closure of Swindon Historic Castings Limited, Timesegment Limited has recovered a number of patterns it had loaned to that company. The products are now marketed directly by us. The Products include BR Western Region headboards, and certain BR plain style headboards as a well of a variety of other decorative fittings, such as wagon plates, door signs, mile post numbers, trespass signs etc.

Crested Headboards now include the Bristolian; Cheltenham Spa Express; The Red Dragon, Cornish Riviera Limited and Express. Non Crested include the Pines Express. Soon to be available will be the Pembroke Coast Express and the Cornishman. They can be supplied flat backed or with a rear bracket, either GWR or the combined type as fitted to the Pines Express.

Wagon Plates include various 'D' type and GWR rectangular, GWR Tender Plates, and wagon registration plates.

GWR style do not trespass signs are available and as a special service for Heritage Railways, they may be supplied with bespoke Railway Company headings.

The Reading Signal Works Drawing Office produced a large number of drawings in its lifetime. Unfortunately no full index of all the drawings has survived as far as can be ascertained. Timesegment Ltd and The Signal Record Society a registered charity are colaborating to attempt to rectify this. The so far compiled index is being continually updated as information comes to hand.

It is possible to down load the Index we have compiled to date from here. We are looking to expand this index so we would welcome any contributions from anyone who has further information. The existing index has been compiled from a variety of sources, often the drawing schedules associated with various assemblies. This sometimes results in mistakes in drawing titles as the drawings were differently titled from what appears on the parts list. There are a significant number of drawings for which we do not as yet have descriptions. This is illustrated by the gaps in the numbers and or descriptions.
Reading produced a listing that listed every signal box and separately every level crossing box or ground frame and all drawings associated with that box or ground frame. It is hoped to produce a version of that some time in the future, to give some flavour of the records Reading kept. It is likely to be more uptodate than the original Reading list, unless it is decided to stick with the extent of the Reading list. Another Reading register listed all components in alphabetical order and associated drawings. This was discontinued long before the works closed as it was very difficult to keep upto date. Varying part names and titles contributed to this problem. Modern computer searches of digital list is often more effective.

Reading Drawings last updated February 2023

Please Note this document is currently 188 pages long

Useful Signalling Links

IRSE

RSSB

RAIB

SRS

HRA

Signal House

Timesegment

All equipment manufactured by the former Reading Signal Works of British Rail and the associated manufacturing rights © Timesegment Limited.

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