British Railways Western Region Signalling Collection of Photographs

A collection of photographs featuring British Railways (Western Region) Signalling, c1950-1977. Approximately 1,570 silver gelatin prints, colour and black and white, numbered and captioned; 322 transparencies, 35 mm; 51 triacetate "safety" film negatives, 35 mm to 4 x 5 ins; 8 transparencies, large format, 7 lantern slides and one 8 mm cine film "Signal Erection No 2". The work of official photographers, complete with manuscript register.

This collection features signalling on British Railways Western Region, the lines previously served by the Great Western Railway. Covering Wales, the West Country and the Midlands, the photographs depict permanent way equipment, staff at work, lifting barriers, level crossings, marshalling yards, stations, control panels, signal box interiors, relay rooms and the signals themselves. These themes are repeated in the 35mm slides and lantern slides, but images of circuit diagrams feature more prominently, as do close-ups of the workings of signals. The prints are mainly from the 'C' Series of official negatives produced by British Railways Western Region although a small number were produced by County Photos of Plymouth. The collection was transferred to the NRM by Opal Engineering, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Railways based in Reading, which was responsible for Western Region signalling in the 1990s. Sometimes referred to as the 'Opal Collection'.