For the first time in fifty years, Hotchley Hill signalbox has a lever frame.
The original Saxby & Farmer 1888 Duplex was ruined by British Rail when the 'box was downgraded to a shunters' cabin. Last year, we obtained a kit of parts to the same pattern, and last week we fetched it from store to its new home.
This week, we set about bolting it together, starting with the standards; the large upright castings that rise from the beam to the floor above. These are heavy, and certainly not something you want to drop. Two people lowering each down from above, and three below guiding alignment with the base casting made quick work of this, and we were soon onto the flat horizontal bars.
The donor frame had groups of ten levers between standards. Hotchley Hill's, from which we are reusing the base, had bays of eleven. Each bay is then spanned by a flat bar at floor level, drilled like Meccano, to support the row of curved quadrants. The bars from the donor frame had twenty holes, for two bays of ten. We cut these down to fit our bays of eleven, and laid them in place.
Then for the quadrants. These were slightly harder to install, needing shuffling into a order where they all fit, but this was easier than experience says it could have been. Bolts dropped into place, and we were even able to include one of the original quadrants that were thrown out all those decades ago, which has been tucked away at the southern end ever since.
Of course, we couldn't resist fitting one lever, the clunk of a catch dropping home is as characteristic of real signalboxes as block bells ringing.
The whole operation went remarkably smoothly, thanks to a great team, and we even had some time spare to weed the front path. A good day's work!
