About this image
'Staveley Town' station was renamed 'Staveley Central' station in 1950. In tandem with this the names of the station's signal boxes were also altered. The track diagram at the top of the picture shows the name 'Staveley Central North Junction'. Therefore the date of this photograph is post-1950.
Regarding the track-layout diagram above the block-instrument shelf: having run parallel to the main line through Staveley Central station, the track for the loop-line via Chesterfield Central station is shown curving away at Staveley Central South Junction (at bottom right). The sidings for the Hartington Colliery branch line are at bottom left. There are more sidings located in the middle of the diagram parallel to the main line; these were the Up Sidings.
The discs on the front of each of the signal and points levers would show a number which corresponded with the schematic diagram above them. The signal-levers' are colour-coded to reflect the various signal functions. Those controlling 'Distant' signals' (i.e. signals which are fish-tailed in appearance, with yellow and black arms) are painted canary-yellow, stop-signal levers' are scarlet. Points' levers' and points-locking levers' are black and Royal Blue; white-painted levers' are 'spare' (i.e. redundant). Regarding the 2 levers leaning away from the others: an interpretation of their colour (as above) reveals a lever for a Distant on the left, so the other lever must be for a stop-signal (i.e probably a 'Home' signal; the 'Starter' signal-lever must be out of the picture; it is not possible to pull a Distant-signal lever unless the appropriate stop-signal levers' have changed position first unless, of course, the train has already passed and the Starting-signal lever has been put back!). These levers' have 'pulled-off' signals to allow the passage of a train approaching from the left of the camera.
The 4 circular, glass-fronted dials fixed to the front of the wooden shelf are signal indicators, for signals' which are not clearly visible from the box. When a lever is pulled-off, the pointer in the appropriate dial confirms the signal arm is physically in the 'off' position (i.e. at 45 degrees). In hot weather the signal-wire would expand (especially if a signal was quite a way from the signal box) and the tension would be insufficient to produce the ideal amount of movement of the signal arm. In cold weather the wire contracted, making the signal-lever harder to pull (in this situation, when released, some levers' would whip-back and slam against the lever frame). Signal-wire characteristics could alter quickly, for example, during the morning of a still, sunny day following overnight frost. When necessary the tension in a signal-wire could be adjusted from the signal box.
On the shelf are wood carcasses encasing the block instruments (sometimes the timber used for these was pale and finely grained). Those positioned directly above the wheel against the window include a telegraph to communicate with adjacent signal boxes by means of a bell code (often the bells were made of brass). The taller box holds a pointer. The signalman would change its position as a reminder, when a train was present on a section of track controlled from the signal box. This view is typical of the equipment installed in a Great Central Railway signal box.
At least in the North Midlands, anyone spending time in a signal box was discouraged from wearing red-coloured clothing. This was because of the colour's railway association with the instruction 'stop', and the consequent potential for a red object in a signal box to distract the driver of a passing train.