The Signalling Record Society

Regional & Other Boundary Changes

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Signal Fact 30

The Norwich & Yarmouth Railway introduced block telegraph working in 1848 using Cooke & Wheatstone 1830s style instruments.

The instruments were used for general messages as well as authorising train movements.

Over time the various railway companies reoganised and the boundaries of the various traffic and engineering areas changed which can sometimes make it difficult to locate and research signalling information. As one might exxpect, the traffic and engineering changes did not always take place at the same time! Nationalisation and privatisation did not stem this flow of change as Railtrack and Network Rail continued the ingrained habit of reorganisation.

On this page are recorded some of the implemented boundary changes that were published through the medium of weekly engineering notices and the amendments to the timetable appendices or through other sources. Some of the information shown is derived from such copies of the engineeting notices as we have in our digital archive. Looking through this page may well assist in determining where to look for information about specific places of interest at different time periods.

London Midland & Scottish Railway

From 1928 engineering notices seem to have been published fortnightly with a supplement in the intermediate weeks.

Central Division (Former Lancashire & Railway lines).

Notices:

Midland Division (Former Midland Railway lines).

Notices:

Northern Division (Scotland)

Sections covering:

Notices (initially):

Notices (from 1928, possibly earlier):

Western Division (Former London North Western Railway lines).

Notices:

Cheshire Lines.

Southern Railway

Alterations to signalling were published in a series of notices with numbering restarted at 1 with the first notice of each year.

1948 Nationalisation

The bulk of the lines operated by the “Big Four” railway companies were divided into six Operating Areas. Later these were called Regions:

The former London Midland & Scottish Railway lines in Northern Ireland (Northern Counties Committee) intially remained under the control of British Railways and were then transferred to the Ulster Transport Authority in April 1949.

Initially the Regions generally perpetuated the arrangements in place immediately prior to nationalistation.

London & North Eastern Railway lines in the Manchester area transferred to London Midland Region.

1949 Boundary Alterations

From London Midland to Eastern

London Midland Region internal

1949 Weekly Notices

From week 13 (commencing 26th March), possibly earlier, the internal format of the weekly notices was standardised across all regions. The sections were:

The London Midland Region fortnightly notices became weekly notices: week 6 was for one week followed by week 13. However, the situation on Western lines is confusing as week 8 was for 2 April 1949, week 13 for 7 May 1949 and week 37 for 22 October 1949.

1950 Boundary Alterations

From Southern to Western

Cowley Bridge westward Southern to Western: S&T only transferred, Traffic remained Southern.

1953 or 1954

1957 Boundary Alterations

From 12.1 am on Monday 4th March various lines were exchanged between the Eastern and North Eastern Regions and London Midland Region lines in the Leeds and Wakefield areas transferred to the North Eastern Region. An asterisk (*) indicates that the transfer had already taken place.

At the same time, divisional boundary changes took place in both the London Midland and North Eastern Regions. [North Eastern Weekly Notice 8].

Eastern Region to North Eastern Region

London Midland Region to Eastern Region (Doncaster District) *

London Midland Region to North Eastern Region

North Eastern Region new Leeds Operating District

North Eastern Region new Wakefield Operating District

North Eastern Region Wakefield District to Hull District *

London Midland Region Midland Division to Central Division

1958 Boundary Alterations

In 1958 the regional structure based largely on the big four company boundaries was amended to a geographic one. The nature of the change led to it being usually referred to by the term “Penetrating Lines” as the lines that penetrated another geographic region were the ones transferred. The changes were implemented from 12.1 am on Saturday 1st February.

The London Midland Region took the opportunity to transfer various lines from the Liverpool District into the Western Lines.

From Eastern to London Midland

From London Midland to Eastern

From London Midland to North Eastern

From London Midland Region to Western Region

From North Eastern Region to London Midland Region

From Southern Region to Western Region

From Western Region to London Midland Region

From Western Region to Southern Region

London Midland Internal Central to Western Lines

1959 London Midland Region Notices

1962 London Midland Region Traffic Area Reorganisation

From week 46 (10am Sunday 18th November) the traffic control boundaries were altered with lines north of Crewe (Coppenhall Junction), Goostrey, Sandbach Junction (Middlewich Line), North Rode and Christleton moving from Western Lines to North Western Lines.

From the same date the former Great Central lines from Marylebone to Culworth Junction were transferred from Midland Lines to Western Lines. The same notice mentioned that trains were being diverted to Marylebone whilst Eusston was being reconstructed and the previous week's notice mentioned that an extract of the Midland Appendix had been produced for trainmen diverted to Marylebone.

Midland Lines transferred to North Western Lines as part of this process (date unknown) were Miller's Dale Lime Co.'s Sidings Down Distant Signal to Manchester Central via Cheadle Heath and via Stockport T.D., Miller's Dale Junction to Ashwood Dale, Chinley to Totley Tunnel East, Macclesfield Central to Manchester (Piccadilly) via Rose Hill, Hayfield to Manchester (Piccadilly) via Guide Bridge and via Belle Vue, Manchester Central and Godley to Liverpool Central and branches, Dunford Bridge to Manchester (Piccadilly).

1963 Boundary Alterations

From Southern to Western

From Western to London Midland

From April four weekly notices containing the accumulated Section D items were introduced to reduce printing the same information every week. The weekly notices still contained Section D items that needed to be published before the next four weekly notice appeared.

Supplementary Operating Notices continued to be published until 1971.

1967 Regional Merger

1968 London Midland Notices Revised Coverage from Week 39

Entries beyond the regional boundary shown separately and not as part of the through route.

M ME MED Midland Lines

N NE NED Western Lines north, formerly NE2

W1 WE1 WED Western Lines south

W2 WE2 WED Western Lines north

1974

From Western to London Midland

Sectorisation

The commercial aspects of the railway were transferred to the new railway business sectors whilst operations remained regional.

1989 Eastern Region Sectional Appendices Reorganised

In 1989 lines were moved from the Eastern Region Southern Sectional Appendix (BR 30015/1) dated February 1988 to the Eastern Region Northern Sectional Appendix (BR 30018) dated April 1986 in a series of stages. The Anglia Region lines remained in BR 30015/1 pending issue of an Anglia Region Sectional Appendix.

Stages 1 & 2 were detailed in Weekly Notices NN&NS18-20; stages 3 to 5 in NN&NS26-31; and stage 6 in NN&NS36-39.

The Signalling Record Society

Regional & Other Boundary Changes

Signal Fact 30

London Midland & Scottish Railway

Central Division (Former Lancashire & Railway lines).

Notices:

Midland Division (Former Midland Railway lines).

Notices:

Northern Division (Scotland)

Sections covering:

Notices (initially):

Notices (from 1928, possibly earlier):

Western Division (Former London North Western Railway lines).

Notices:

Cheshire Lines.

Southern Railway

1948 Nationalisation

1949 Boundary Alterations

From London Midland to Eastern

London Midland Region internal

1949 Weekly Notices

1950 Boundary Alterations

From Southern to Western

1953 or 1954

1957 Boundary Alterations

Eastern Region to North Eastern Region

London Midland Region to Eastern Region (Doncaster District) *

London Midland Region to North Eastern Region

North Eastern Region new Leeds Operating District

North Eastern Region new Wakefield Operating District

North Eastern Region Wakefield District to Hull District *

London Midland Region Midland Division to Central Division

1958 Boundary Alterations

From Eastern to London Midland

From London Midland to Eastern

From London Midland to North Eastern

From London Midland Region to Western Region

From North Eastern Region to London Midland Region

From Southern Region to Western Region

From Western Region to London Midland Region

From Western Region to Southern Region

London Midland Internal Central to Western Lines

1959 London Midland Region Notices

1962 London Midland Region Traffic Area Reorganisation

1963 Boundary Alterations

From Southern to Western

From Western to London Midland

1967 Regional Merger

1968 London Midland Notices Revised Coverage from Week 39

M ME MED Midland Lines

N NE NED Western Lines north, formerly NE2

W1 WE1 WED Western Lines south

W2 WE2 WED Western Lines north

1974

From Western to London Midland

Sectorisation

1989 Eastern Region Sectional Appendices Reorganised

Stage 1 (BR 30018/1), Saturday 5th August 1989

Stage 2 (BR 30018/2), Saturday 5th August 1989

Stage 3 (BR 30018/3), Saturday 7th October 1989

Stage 4 (BR 30018/4), Saturday 7th October 1989

Stage 5 (BR 30018/5), Saturday 7th October 1989

Stage 6 (BR 30018/6), Saturday 2nd December 1989

Lines remaining in BR30015/1

Railtrack Zones

2021 Boundary adjustment

Great Western to London North Western