The Dean Forest Railway (The DFR) is situated just off the A48 at Lydney in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. It runs for just over four miles from its junction with Network Rail in the south to its northern terminus at Parkend.
Its main centre is at Norchard in the middle of the line. This is well sign posted from the centre of Lydney. Norchard has a large free car park, a very well stocked shop, an attractive museum (with a selection of telecoms exhibits among the railwayana), a cafe and workshops, sheds etc. It is usually best to come to Norchard to join the trains as you may catch a train going in either direction and so have the least waiting time.
The main telephone exchange, a UAX13, is housed in the museum at Norchard and is situated behind a glass wall allowing customers to view the apparatus.
Telephones are provided so that calls may be made through the exchange and the progress of the calls can be watched through the glass. The selectors have been equipped with "In Use" lights to help visitors follow the progress of the call.
There is a second Strowger exchange situated at Parkend but this is not visible to passengers.
Both of these exchanges provide a service to the railway's staff and to this end there is a cable network covering the length of the railway. The cable work needed to connect the two exchanges together and provide a linked numbering scheme for the whole railway was completed in September 2010.
Running in the same cables are several local battery telephone circuits connecting the signal boxes to each other and to specific operating spots. These are quite independent of the circuits running from the telephone exchanges and are usually the first choice for the operating staff. Many of these circuits are now being replaced by CB circuits that terminate on line concentrators at Norchard and Lydney Junction signal boxes.
As a final back up, BT lines are installed in the signal boxes and at the main centre at Norchard.
The cable network is also used to distribute 30 second clock pulses and public address speaker connections around the site at Norchard. Equipment alarms at Parkend, Norchard signal box and Lydney Junction signal box are extended back to Norchard. The signal and telegraph group also share the cable network with circuits that control and monitor signals, points treadles etc.
In November 2010 we added PAT testing and minor electrical repairs to our work load.
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