Swindon MAS Stage 1

Swindon MAS Stage 1 - Uffington to Highworth Junction

The first stage of the Swindon MAS scheme was planned to be introduced over the period Saturday 12th November to Monday 14th November 1966 between Uffington and Highworth Junction.

As part of this stage of the scheme, Knighton, Ashbury Crossing and Marston Crossing West Signal Boxes were all taken out of use, with all the signalling removed and the level crossings at Knighton and Ashbury temporarily closed pending conversion to AHB. Knighton Signal Box was planned to be taken out of use between 0700 and 0800 on Saturday 12th November, preliminary to the main occupation.

Continuous track circuiting was installed on both lines from Uffington to Highworth Jn, and track circuit block (TCB) applied between the two boxes.

Uffington’s Up Main Distant and Home and its Down Main Starting were all removed in favour of the new sequence of automatic signals west of the loops.

Highworth Junction’s Down Main Distant and Up Main Outer Advanced Starting were similarly treated. [Numbers??]

A new ground frame was installed at Ashbury to control the trailing connection from the siding there named "Ashbury Up Siding Ground Frame". The existing ground frame at Ashbury, controlling the emergency crossovers remained. Both ground frames were locked by Annetts keys released from Uffington, the protecting signals were UM71 on the up and DM70 on the down.

On the Up Main, the MAS signal sequence, and number of aspects, was: UM73R (Y/G), UM73 (3A), with telephones to Highworth Junction SB. And UM72 (4A), UM71 (4A, semi-automatic, protecting Ashbury GF), UM70 (4A), UM69 (4A), UM68 (3A), UF22 (3A, entrance to Uffington up loop), UF16 (3A, exit from Uffington up loop), UM65 (3A) with telephones to Uffington). Uffington already controlled several more automatics on the Up Main east of the loops, since the Reading MAS scheme.

On the Down Main, the MAS signal sequence, and number of aspects, from Uffington was: DM64 (3A), UF32 (3A, entrance to Uffington down loop), UF4 (3A, exit from Uffington down loop), DM67 (4A), DM68 (4A), DM69 (3A), DM70 (3A, semi-automatic, protecting Ashbury GF), with telephones to Uffington. And DM72 (3A), DM73 (4A), HW1 (4A) with telephones to Highworth Junction SB. Uffington already supervised several more automatics on the Down Main east of the loops, since the Reading MAS scheme.

Telephones to Uffington were also provided at the handcrank release instruments at Uffington and the ground frames at Ashbury.

Swindon MAS Stage 1