Product Description
A Great Western Railway cast iron signal lever reminder appliance, these reminders would be placed over a signal lever by the signalman to prevent him operating the lever in circumstances such as a Train waiting at the Home signal. This example is of the earlier pattern which measures around 5" in diameter and was used on the original 5 1/4" center lever frames. Some terrible accidents have occured the U.Ks railways due to signalman failing to use these small devices .
Hawes Junction on the Settle & Carlisle, now known as Garsdale was such a case at Alfred Sutton, forgot about a pair of light engines waiting at his down (northbound) starting signal to return to their shed at Carlisle. They were still waiting there when the signalman set the road for the down Scotch express. When the signal cleared, the light engines set off in front of the express into the same block section. Since the light engines were travelling at low speed from a stand at Hawes Junction, and the following express was travelling at high speed, a collision was inevitable. The express caught the light engines just after Moorcock Tunnel near Aisgill summit iMallerstang and was almost wholly derailed. Twelve people lost there lives!
