Stevens & Co. Drop Flap Signal

These shunting signals were in universal use all over the LSWR system from the earliest days. There were many detailed variations, but the SBM kit portrays the most common.

Inside the post was an oil lamp. When ‘off’ the signal displayed a white light, and when ‘on’ a red light via the spectacle glass on the dropflap. A moving back blinder was contained within the post.

Around the turn of the century, to comply with Board of Trade disquiet, a secondary swinging spectacle was used to present a green aspect when ‘off’, although many were not modified for a long time. They continued in use well into SR days, despite the introduction firstly, of the miniature semaphore arm, and then the rotating disc.

This type of signal was used by other railway companies including North British, Caledonian, Furness and Glasgow & South Western Railways