A year or two later I was successful in applying for a relief signalman post based at High Wycombe, from where I gradually learned how to work all signalboxes from Princes Risborough all the way south to Northolt Junction where the route to the Western Region, Paddington, via Greenford separates from the route to Marylebone. From Northolt Junction north via High Wycombe and Princes Risborough was, until in 1958, a joint line between the Western Region and Eastern Region, as far as Ashenden Junction, just over nine miles north of Princes Risborough. At Northolt Junction there were two signalboxes, Northolt Junction East, open continuously, and North Junction West, which was open only during the peak hours and was situated next to the up platform of South Ruislip station. There were four running lines between West Ruislip and Northolt Junction. I remember on one occasion when I was working at Northolt Junction West I closed the box at the right time, but when I was on my motorcycle and a few yards down the drive towards the road I heard a train engine whistling. I suddenly realised that I had forgotten to pull off the signals before I close the box. I hurried back and found the station master had just arrived and lowered the signals so there was fortunately little delay to the train. Of course, I never again forgot to pull off the signals when I closed the box.
The Risborough North signalbox was large and the lever frame had about 128 levers, with, of course, a few spares. There were three single line branches starting from Risborough, one to Aylesbury, one to Oxford and one to Chinnor, I think, as well as the through double lines and platform lines which had scissors crossings the main line from south to north. There were goods yard and sidings. During the day shifts a 'staff runner' helped in the box mainly to take the necessary single line token over to the engine driver of a train due to leave over the single line branch. When working in Risborough North signalbox I did quite a lot of walking in getting from one end of the frame to the other. However, I very much liked relieving there. The Risborough South signalbox was much smaller but was very busy as it had the main goods yard. When on early turn (6 am to 2 pm) at that box I remember having to start cleaning out the fireplace, sweeping, dusting and so on, at 12 noon in order to be ready for my relief at 2pm having had to deal with shunting as well as passenger trains during that time. The station master at Saunderton, a small station situated between West Wycombe and Princes Risborough and where I sometimes relieved at the signalbox there, used to visit me while I was on duty, a normal procedure when he signed the train register book, gave me an interest in learning German language and which I have been doing ever since. I expect he lent me a book in it.
There was a good view from the signalbox of trains steaming up the incline from Wycombe to Risborough and beyond, one of the trains being The Master Cutler express of which I believe I took a photograph. One of the regular signalmen at Saunderton lived in a cottage just behind the box. I often relieved at Northolt Junction, West Ruislip, Denham and sometimes at Gerrards Cross, but not at Beaconsfield, the station before High Wycombe. The High Wycombe South signalbox was quite large and during the day shifts a 'booking boy' was in the box to record in the train register book for the signalman. After I had learned the box, I well remember that on the first morning when I took over it was nearly time for a passenger train to leave from the bay to the single line branch via Loudwater, Wooburn Green and Bourne End to Maidenhead, I was at first unable to pull the lever to lower the starting signal, although I had correctly set the route. After I had tried several times and it was only half a minute before the train was due to leave, I discovered that I had left one too many locking point levers forward in the frame. This was the lever which locked the points for trains coming into the bay, so reversing it enabled me to pull off and lower the starting signal for the train to depart at the right time. In other words - I had locked the crossover for trains leaving the bay but also for trains arriving which prevented the signal being lowered. Of course, I would not make the same mistake again.
When relieving at Wycombe Middle signalbox I always had to calculate the time that an expected freight train would take from High Wycombe to Risborough, so that a following passenger train would not be delayed. If there was insufficient time for a freight train on the through line to go in front of a passenger train then the signals would be kept at danger against the freight train and the signals, after getting 'all clear' of course, would be lowered for the passenger train on the platform line to proceed. I well remember an occasion when I had pulled off the signals for a freight train for it to run in front of a passenger train. However, the freight train halted to a stand so that the locomotive could take in water from a water-column next to the signals. Of course, I had to put back the signals to 'danger' against the freight train and keep it there until the passenger train had gone first. To make this clearer, I should mention that at that time there were four running lines between Wycombe South box and Wycombe Middle box and most of the passenger trains, except the few which did not stop at Wycombe, would use the platform lines, and trains not stopping at Wycombe would use the middle lines if available. Outside Wycombe there were just one up and one down line, which now is all the way through the station.
I also occasionally worked as relief signalman at the Wycombe North signalbox, which was only open during the day when shunting was going on in Wycombe Freight Yard. The other signalbox that I worked when required, was the West Wycombe station box; the next signalboxes being Saunderton and Princes Risborough, which I have already mentioned. At Aylesbury I occasionally relieved Aylesbury North signalbox, but not Aylesbury South. I remember on one occasion when I had just come off night duty at Aylesbury North and went to the station for a train to get me back home. In those days the trains from London Baker Street to Aylesbury were Metropolitan and hauled by steam engines from and to Rickmansworth; between Rickmansworth and Baker Street they were hauled by electric engines. However, the train I went for did not seem to go and I was told that the guard had not turned up. The station foreman said to me that if I would act as guard, the train could go, and the regular guard would meet me at, I believe, the third station and take over. Well, I wanted to get home after being on nights, so I agreed. This was the one and only occasion when I acted as guard, which I was quite happy about.
I never relieved in signalboxes where more than one signalman was employed per shift. The very large and very busy signalboxes usually had two or three signalmen working together. In Reading West Main signalbox for example, there were three signalmen on each shift of whom one worked in the middle of the very long lever frame where all his work consisted entirely with working points and locking levers. While I was employed as relief signalman, as well as having experience of working several different signalboxes, I was also required to work in connection with engineering work which usually took place at weekends. Occasionally I was called out from my home by the Control, sometimes very late at night or very early in the morning, to a signalbox at which the normal signalman had been unable to attend for duty. In about twenty minutes a taxi came to take me to the signalbox where I was required. There used to be an intermediate signalbox at Wilton Park, between Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield, and one Sunday I had to be at the box when it was finally closed and the signals, block instruments and telephones were taken out of use. The old signals were replaced with intermediate block signalling (IBS) colour light signals.
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