April 14, 1961
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Where: Kildare, Ireland
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When: 14 April 1961
Try to find the date or year when this image was made.
This photo was taken at Leixlip, Co. Kildare and shows P. McCormick and other C.I.É workers in the middle of a Staff Exchange. It's a little blurry, but that's all part of the flurry of a staff exchange, which Mr McCormick seems to be thoroughly enjoying…
Decided not to attempt a technical explanation of what a staff exchange involved, because I know we have train experts on here who'd do it far better justice. Step forward blackpoolbeach who explained:
"The train cannot enter a single-track section without a token. The fireman puts his arm through the hoop while on the move, or simply swaps it with the signalman. Interlocking machinery in signal boxes ensures that only one token at a time is released." He also gave this link to Wikipedia...
Salmon Leap has a stunning photo of this station in the Big Freeze of 2010, and says that this station "Looks completely different nowadays, of course. The siding to the right is long since lifted, the semaphores long gone and the platform has been extended."
Date: Friday, 14 April 1961
NLI Ref.: ODEA 25/12
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 39344
Decided not to attempt a technical explanation of what a staff exchange involved, because I know we have train experts on here who'd do it far better justice. Step forward blackpoolbeach who explained:
"The train cannot enter a single-track section without a token. The fireman puts his arm through the hoop while on the move, or simply swaps it with the signalman. Interlocking machinery in signal boxes ensures that only one token at a time is released." He also gave this link to Wikipedia...
Salmon Leap has a stunning photo of this station in the Big Freeze of 2010, and says that this station "Looks completely different nowadays, of course. The siding to the right is long since lifted, the semaphores long gone and the platform has been extended."
Date: Friday, 14 April 1961
NLI Ref.: ODEA 25/12
Info:
Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 39344
pmccormick
railwayworkers
cié
corasiompairéireann
train
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railways
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tracks
caps
uniforms
leixlip
kildare
ireland
leinster
platform
friday
14th
april
1961
1960s
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happyman
steam
locomotive
token
tablet
singleline
signalman
nationallibraryofireland
gswrclass101
classj15
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John_McK1966
My hometown station! Looks completely different nowadays, of course. The siding to the right is long since lifted, the semaphores long gone and the platform has been extended. flic.kr/p/7stsbk This is the only shot in my stream of the station now, the NLI shot appears to have been taken at the far end of the now westbound platform. In those days this was the only one as far as I know).
luca marella
Beautiful scene
blackpoolbeach
The train cannot enter a single-track section without a token. The fireman puts his arm through the hoop while on the move, or simply swaps it with the signalman. Interlocking machinery in signal boxes ensures that only one token at a time is released. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Token_%28railway_signalling%29
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32428096@N05 That's a brilliant photo! And thanks for letting us know the changes in your hometown station...
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackpoolbeach Phew! Thanks for saving me the embarrassment of an incomprehensible Staff Exchange description...
blackpoolbeach
See www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/6940680132/ for another photo of Leixlip Station, with a staff exchange machine.
mickey/derry
my father worked on the old G.N.R and there was a signal box outside my family home on foyle road here in derry I remember watching the exchange of keys as a train passed the signal box one onto the train and an exchange which was a key to control the signals stop sign further along the line. if the staff was not used in the signal box then the train would be stopped at the next signal.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/100870438@N06] I thought we had a photo on here of a train backing up because there was a problem with the exchange, but I can't seem to put my hand on it just now. There's a staff exchange machine here at Leixlip in Co. Kildare...
Dive Controller
The staff from the preceding section also had to be returned to the signalman and is seen on the ground on the bottom right. I placed some text boxes on the photo several few years ago that will explain all the components of the exchange further if you hover over them