Dave's at work page
Contrary to all popular belief I do work for a living and do not just attend my work QTH as a way of passing the time. This is Kirkby Stephen signal box on the famous Settle - Carlisle railway, known to enthusiasts as “The Long Drag” and as you can see the old Victorian mechanical signalling system (absolute block) is still in use. The picture above appears on my QSL cards. I used to be a "resident" signalman at Kirkby Stephen until the beginning of 2005 when I became a free day relief at Kirkby Stephen, Garsdale and Appleby. In December 2005 my job was done away with due to all the boxes going 24/7 so I was displaced to become a resident man at Appleby.
This is Garsdale (formerly Hawes Junction) signal box, scene of one of Britain's worst rail accidents, NO, it was 1910, before I worked there!
This is my new haunt, Appleby North, where I now work 12 hour shifts. It seems that I spend more time doing paperwork than signalling trains these days, the way of the world I think.