MORTON PINKNEY LEVEL CROSSING - The SMJ Society2024-03-29T15:58:27Zhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/forum/topics/morton-pinkney-level-crossing?commentId=3138568%3AComment%3A86434&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThis is fascinating stuff.
I…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2021-04-17:3138568:Comment:1741372021-04-17T19:18:58.942ZAndrew Emmersonhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/AndrewEmmerson
<p>This is fascinating stuff.</p>
<p></p>
<p>It's a shame that no photograph has turned up but hardly surprising, considering the remoteness of the location. </p>
<p>Assuming the gateman's lodge was constructed at the same time as the station, I think we may reasonably assume that it was built in the same general style as the station: red brick, pointy 'gothic' window and door frames, with polychromatic red and blue bricks above the window and door openings --- and as cheaply as…</p>
<p>This is fascinating stuff.</p>
<p></p>
<p>It's a shame that no photograph has turned up but hardly surprising, considering the remoteness of the location. </p>
<p>Assuming the gateman's lodge was constructed at the same time as the station, I think we may reasonably assume that it was built in the same general style as the station: red brick, pointy 'gothic' window and door frames, with polychromatic red and blue bricks above the window and door openings --- and as cheaply as possible. </p>
<p>Looking at other gatekeepers' lodges on Google Images and at the standard design used on the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway )another hard-up local railway of the same era), it would be easy enough to sketch up a likely design that few people could argue with.</p>
<p>Just two questions if anyone knows:</p>
<p>1. Was the building on one or two levels?</p>
<p>1. Did its longer dimension lie parallel with the tracks? (Looking at the OS 25-inch plan, I think it must have done.)</p>
<p></p>
<p>It must have been a lonely existence there!</p>
<p>Regards,</p>
<p>Andrew Emmerson. </p> I have found another referen…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2020-10-25:3138568:Comment:1032942020-10-25T12:54:18.992ZBarry Taylorhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/BarryTaylor
<p> I have found another reference to Morton Pinkney Gatehouse Crossing in Bill Kendall's recollections of the area - he was around from the 1930s onwards and these have been published in articles in 'British Railways Journal' (on Towcester and Blisworth) and other places.</p>
<p>He notes that-</p>
<p><em>'At Moreton Pinkney there was another member of the staff, Mrs Higgs, a female crossing keeper at the Gate House. The gates at this one room up, one room down brick cottage backed straight…</em></p>
<p> I have found another reference to Morton Pinkney Gatehouse Crossing in Bill Kendall's recollections of the area - he was around from the 1930s onwards and these have been published in articles in 'British Railways Journal' (on Towcester and Blisworth) and other places.</p>
<p>He notes that-</p>
<p><em>'At Moreton Pinkney there was another member of the staff, Mrs Higgs, a female crossing keeper at the Gate House. The gates at this one room up, one room down brick cottage backed straight on to the track and the gates operated up and down distant signals. </em></p>
<p><em>I remember the first time I was booked for holiday relief at the Gate House at Morton Pinkney. When I arrived, Mrs Higgs refused to have her holidays, saying that she had not been advised of same. But when I did do these duties for a week, including Sunday, I never once opened the gates. I expect this was due to the fact that it was in the summer, so no cattle were being moved at that period and no hunting was on</em>'.</p>
<p>This provides interesting detail of the building itself - a proper brick-built job- and the signals being interlocked with the gates. Also that it seems to have been permanently manned, rather than just sending someone along as and when required to open up, and this was presumably the case right up to closure of the line? Mr Higgs would probably have been a local p-way man and his wife the gatekeeper - the usual arrangement on the railways.</p>
<p>Seems that it was for the use of the local farmers as well as the Hunt.</p>
<p>All we need now is a photo..................<br/> <br/> <cite>Ian Merivale said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.smj.me/forum/topics/morton-pinkney-level-crossing#3138568Comment86434"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>A chap called Guy Higgs used to live in the crossing keepers house in the late 50's early 60's!</p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote> Ian Merivale saidtag:thesmjr.ning.com,2020-09-21:3138568:Comment:863832020-09-21T15:39:34.732ZIan Merivalehttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/IanMerivale
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Ian Merivale said</cite></p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Ian Merivale said</cite></p> Guy%20R%20M%20Higgs%20discove…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2020-09-21:3138568:Comment:864402020-09-21T15:35:23.719ZIan Merivalehttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/IanMerivale
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7952514455?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guy%20R%20M%20Higgs%20discovered%20in%201939%20England%20and%20Wales%20Register.html</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7952514455?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guy%20R%20M%20Higgs%20discovered%20in%201939%20England%20and%20Wales%20Register.html</a></p> Great comments by Andy Thomps…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2020-09-19:3138568:Comment:864372020-09-19T14:12:53.695ZIan Merivalehttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/IanMerivale
<p>Great comments by Andy Thompson about Moreton Pinkney (with an "e") - for the record, the signalman was Louis Hawtin (not Les) who later worked at Banbury Lane signal box in Northampton.</p>
<p>Mr and Mrs Pratt (Della and Les) were my Dad's cousins</p>
<p>Great comments by Andy Thompson about Moreton Pinkney (with an "e") - for the record, the signalman was Louis Hawtin (not Les) who later worked at Banbury Lane signal box in Northampton.</p>
<p>Mr and Mrs Pratt (Della and Les) were my Dad's cousins</p> A chap called Guy Higgs used…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2020-09-19:3138568:Comment:864342020-09-19T14:00:13.910ZIan Merivalehttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/IanMerivale
<p>A chap called Guy Higgs used to live in the crossing keepers house in the late 50's early 60's!</p>
<p>A chap called Guy Higgs used to live in the crossing keepers house in the late 50's early 60's!</p> Moreton Pinkney crossing sho…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2015-03-21:3138568:Comment:669192015-03-21T16:28:31.058ZNIGELhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/NIGELALANFURNISS
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1490441585?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1490441585?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></a> Moreton Pinkney crossing shown on a 1950 map. There is a signal post just to the east of the road bridge, which is approx. 700yds from the Oxford Lane crossing. The other signal post to the east of this crossing appears to be approx. 550yds. away, so about right with distances already…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1490441585?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1490441585?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a>Moreton Pinkney crossing shown on a 1950 map. There is a signal post just to the east of the road bridge, which is approx. 700yds from the Oxford Lane crossing. The other signal post to the east of this crossing appears to be approx. 550yds. away, so about right with distances already stated.</p> It may be the case that the s…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2015-03-21:3138568:Comment:669182015-03-21T15:33:54.204ZSimon Dunkleyhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/Regularity
It may be the case that the station master at Morton Pinkney had the key, and knew when the hunt would be in the local area, and sent a member of staff down to unlock the crossing at those times. It is possible that there be some form of indicator to show when a train was on-line between Blakesley and Morton. This might have evolved into a gatekeeper's cottage.
It may be the case that the station master at Morton Pinkney had the key, and knew when the hunt would be in the local area, and sent a member of staff down to unlock the crossing at those times. It is possible that there be some form of indicator to show when a train was on-line between Blakesley and Morton. This might have evolved into a gatekeeper's cottage. Delving through my bits and p…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2015-03-21:3138568:Comment:670122015-03-21T14:17:18.897ZBarry Taylorhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/BarryTaylor
<p>Delving through my bits and pieces has turned up a few other references.</p>
<p>The EWJR and SMJR Working Timetables from 1890 though to1912 have no reference at all to the crossing.</p>
<p>The 1916 SMJ WTT does mention it and states "<em>distant signals are sited on the up side 700yds west of the gates and on the up 600yds east.....both of these signals are connected to the gates and when the signals are at danger the gates are over the line and thus open for the public roadway and drivers…</em></p>
<p>Delving through my bits and pieces has turned up a few other references.</p>
<p>The EWJR and SMJR Working Timetables from 1890 though to1912 have no reference at all to the crossing.</p>
<p>The 1916 SMJ WTT does mention it and states "<em>distant signals are sited on the up side 700yds west of the gates and on the up 600yds east.....both of these signals are connected to the gates and when the signals are at danger the gates are over the line and thus open for the public roadway and drivers must immediately slacked speed and be prepared to stop</em>"</p>
<p>The distants must therefore have been operated from the gatehouse, as they were not in the station signalbox lever frame.</p>
<p>In his Signalling History booklet Mike Christensen states that "<em>the gates at Morton Pinkney were protected only by red lights on the gates and a distant in the down direction where the view of the crossing was obstructed</em>" He also mentions keys being given to Masters of the Hunt for various crossings on the line - certainly the newly formed SMJR also made a big thing of courting the local hunting fraternity to get huntsmen, horses and hounds on to their trains.</p>
<p>This all points to the gatehouse being introduced perhaps shortly after 1912.</p>
<p>In pictures of Morton Pinkney station area in BR days there appears to be a "whistle" board facing up trains just to the east of the roadbridge - this would fit with the up distant being removed and just leaving the down one in place as above.</p>
<p>Finally - and a bit strange - I have some signalbox telephone circuit lists for the line and the gatehouse is not shown in 1945, but appears for 1952 and 1953, and then disappears again in 1959. So it was in contact with other stations and signalboxes, but the omission in certain years is strange - perhaps it was unmanned then?</p>
<p></p> Barry
It's since occured to m…tag:thesmjr.ning.com,2015-03-21:3138568:Comment:667172015-03-21T12:07:05.731ZDick Bodilyhttps://thesmjr.ning.com/profile/Dick
<p>Barry</p>
<p>It's since occured to me that as this was a crossing for the Grafton Hunt it would only have been used very occasionally. So my guess is it was protected by fixed distants. The Hunt used to meet three times a week during the foxhunting season from a variety of meet places over the south of the county. On average they might have been roughly in the area within a few miles of the crossing about once every two or three weeks. One of the places that they met near Morton was at…</p>
<p>Barry</p>
<p>It's since occured to me that as this was a crossing for the Grafton Hunt it would only have been used very occasionally. So my guess is it was protected by fixed distants. The Hunt used to meet three times a week during the foxhunting season from a variety of meet places over the south of the county. On average they might have been roughly in the area within a few miles of the crossing about once every two or three weeks. One of the places that they met near Morton was at Woodend Top Green on New Years Day. Blakesley Green was another and I think Canons Ashby was another. Plumpton Wood next to the SMJ was frequently hunted and the crossing would have been a useful link between this wood and one near Canons Ashby If the hunt were using the crossing they would have had priority by law over the the railway company (a bit like 'sail over steam' on water). In other words trains had to stop to let the hunt pass. As late as the '60s the Hunt was a very powerful influence within the area, any farmer who didn't allow them over his land was considered an outsider in the local community and the hunt often rode roughshot over such land. Their professional huntsmen, Will Pope and Joe Miller, were local celebrities who local kids aspired to be. There was a celebrated court case when a pack of hounds followed a fox into Roade Cutting , were mowed down by an express and the railway company (either LNWR or LMS) had to pay the hunt compensation!</p>