"Dick Not really relevant to this site, but I took pics of the WCML Banbury Lane crossing whilst they were replacing it with that deviation and bridge. You've described the location of Grandad's box perfectly. He died in 1924 so it's…"

" "

"My dad always called it 'The Strawberry and Marrow Jam.'  I assumed it was common usage from somewhere, but it's a bit late to ask him now.  His dad was a signalman at the Banbury Lane crossing on the Northampton-Blisworth…"

"Tony. I thought it was odd when I first saw the picture. The only suggestion I can make, without any confidence, is related to the position of the drum over the tracks, and the angle of the tracks away from the drum. My thought here is that the left…"

"Sorry, I don't seem to have made it too clear after all that. Activity 13 refers to wagons descending/ascending the incline (to this side of the overhead drum.) They would have alternated between the two tracks. Activity 8 refers to wagons…"

"The shadows on the drum are confusing, but looking closely, the rope atached to the left half of the drum is deployed (to the empty wagon down the incline) and what appears to be another rope on the same side is the shadow of the actual rope.…"

"Tony, it depends on whether the rope was continuous or not. The more likely scenario is a discontinuous rope. In that case, to avoid tangling the rope at the passing loop, alternate wgons would use opposite sides of the loop. The point blades could…"

"Andy - apologies. I watched them as a slide show, and didn't see the caption. Mouth open -insert foot. Sooorry"

"Nice pictures, but not of much historical use if not captioned."

"Andy, you'll find comprehensive info re quarries in the area in Eric Tonks' The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands, Part III: The Northampton Area. George"