Hamilton Junction Signal Box

Hamilton Junction Signal Box is separated from Hamilton Station by Beaumont Street Level Crossing. The elegant Victorian signal box was built by McKenzie & Holland in 1897, making it one of the oldest surviving mechanical signal boxes in Australia, and also one of the busiest. Originally fitted with a McKenzie & Holland mechanical lever frame, it now has a 56 lever tappet frame designed by Cyril Byles, the British-born NSWR

New South Wales Government Railways

The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...

 Signal Engineer and manufactured in Sydney in the former NSWR's Interlocking Workshops. The frame is linked to mechanical points, colourlight running signals of the Double Light Colour Light type (see Australian railway signalling

Australian railway signalling

Just as the railways of Australia has suffered issues from incompatible rail gauges, the different states have tended to go their own way regarding railway signalling practice.-New South Wales:...

), and a single wire-pull revolving target shunting signal. All running lines are continuously track-circuited, and the method of signalling conforms to the early conventions of Track Circuit Block with block bells. Formerly a much busier location, this signal box once had control of multiple lines, sidings and a short branch for the Vacuum Oil Company. After rationalization in the 1980s and 1990s, the signal box now controls Hamilton Junction, Beaumont Street Level Crossing and entry to and exit from sidings used for storing track maintenance vehicles.

Platform 2 was modified as part of a level crossing upgrade project in 2007. The departure signal, formerly on the Maitland-end of the platform, was removed to a point roughly 50 metres closer to Newcastle. The platform was extended to accommodate eight carriages. These modifications slightly increased the real train running time through Hamilton on the Down Main Line, since the practice of closing the level crossing to road traffic and clearing departure signals before the train's arrival has now been abandoned to some extent, meaning that arriving trains receive more restrictive signal indications on the approach to Hamilton Station.

The signal box is currently manned continuously for an intensive CityRail

CityRail

CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...

 DMU

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

 and EMU

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

 passenger service, a significant number of empty coaching stock movements and occasional track machine activity. There is no provision for switching-out. It is anticipated that resignalling within the next decade will see its closure.

Transport links

Newcastle Buses

Bus routes in Newcastle, New South Wales

Newcastle bus routes connect suburbs in and around Newcastle, New South Wales. Services are largely integrated with the public transport network of Sydney, to the south, however the route numbering system is separate....

 runs one route to and from Hamilton railway station:

• Route 201 - to Newcastle West
  Newcastle West, New South Wales
  Newcastle West is an inner city suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, part of which forms the western end of Newcastle's central business district...