Highgate Depot

Photograph

This is part of Highgate Depot, on the Northern Line.

To the right of number 1 road (under the roof) and also between the two outside tracks (the tamping spur on the left and the engineers siding on the right) it is possible to see the backs of shunting signals. Unlike the Railtrack equivalents, these show two red lights for "stop" and one white light for "go". The yellow boxes on the left contain isolating switches, allowing the current to be cut off from a siding. The box with a red label is for the positive rail, while one with a blue label does the negative rail (since the visible label is for isolator 458, the negative one will be 458A). The power cable from the former can be seen running to the piece of positive rail just beyond the points, and thence to various other locations around the depot.

The points in the foreground are number 41 points, and are worked by a hand lever (normally left padlocked in the position shown). A train can be signalled up to these points all the way from platform 3 at East Finchley - signal NH60 will show 1 in this case. There are two separate plungers at East Finchley, one for each siding, plus a third one to request a move to the depot itself. The box near the right-hand blade tip detects the position of the blades (most of the thickness of the cable coming out of the near side is for protection against damage).


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