SPS Visit to Gloucester Panel

Swindon Panel Society is delighted to announce a visit to Gloucester Panel, thanks to its friends at Network Rail (who will be visiting Swindon Panel in return!)

Gloucester Panel opened a few weeks after Swindon Panel in May 1968. It is a WR Integra turn-push panel exactly like Swindon and controlled from Barnt Green in the north (fringe to Saltley, now West Midlands Signalling Centre (WMSC)), to Sapperton on the Kemble line (fringe to Swindon, now TVSC), Berkeley Road on the Charfield line (fringe to Bristol PSB, now TVSC) and Awre on the Lydney Line (fringe to Newport PSB, now South Wales Control Centre).

The north section of the panel, from Ashchurch northwards, was decommissioned from Gloucester Panel and resignalled to the WMSC in 2016.

SPS’s visit will take place on Saturday 2 November. There will be two visits, allowing two groups with eight members in each, 11.30-12.30 and 13.00-14.00.

The panel is a short walk from Gloucester station. As always with signal box visits, it is dependent on there being no incidents going on at the time, and the visit could be curtailed or cancelled at any time. If you have visited signal boxes before you’ll be aware of the etiquette that we are guests in the signallers’ serious workplace, and we have to respect that in how we behave. That being said, at the majority of signal box visits we have been on the signallers have been very lively and engaging!

Photographs are permitted, respecting that some signallers may not wish to be in them.

The operating room is on the first floor and there is no lift, so anyone who might have difficulty with stairs is asked to contact us first so that we can make sure appropriate help can be arranged.

Places are limited to sixteen, and as interest is expected to be high, to try to ensure fairness the following arrangements apply: SPS members are welcome to express interest in attending this visit. If more that 16 members have expressed interest in the visit then names will be drawn from a hat. Places will be confirmed on Monday 23 September.

Register your interest by contacting Tom Lane either by email or via HOPS. All expressions of interest will be acknowledged.

There is no cost to attend this visit, but please feel free to bring some sweets/biscuits for the signallers on duty.

If there are any questions please let us know.