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Oldest working signal boxes on the national network

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Railway World

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After Friday's closures on Teesside:
 
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GRALISTAIR

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Mixed feelings from me. On the one hand I love seeing progress but on the other hand it is sad. I saw the signal boxes between Preston and Blackpool north demolished on the lines electrification and they were moments tinged with sadness.
 

30907

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Crediton in Devon must be pretty old, its a LSWR vintage box
1875, and IIRC the only one of its type still left on NR - the Watercress line has 3 or 4 of the same Type 1, though they haven't seen continuous service.
The linked article lists several "up North" that are 1871-2, though.
 

davetheguard

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Crediton in Devon must be pretty old, its a LSWR vintage box

Small & perfectly formed imho. I'd be interested to see the Watercress Line boxes mentioned by 30907 when we can travel again; are all their boxes of the "Type 1" mentioned?
 

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vectra33

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Bromley Cross is 1875 , it has a preservation order on the building.(Bolton -Blackburn line)
 

83G/84D

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Par in Cornwall dates from 1879 although the structure was extended later. I think I am correct in saying that it is the only remaining operational signal box to have signalled broad gauge trains.
 

Trackman

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Mixed feelings from me. On the one hand I love seeing progress but on the other hand it is sad. I saw the signal boxes between Preston and Blackpool north demolished on the lines electrification and they were moments tinged with sadness.
That was sad.
I reckon anyone could have bought one for a few quid, it's the taking it to bits, transport and re-assembling that costs money even with volunteers.
It's been done with Exeter West SB at Crewe so it is possible.
Bromley Cross is 1875 , it has a preservation order on the building.(Bolton -Blackburn line)
Baffles me as it only protects the foot crossing. If they built a footbridge surely it would save NwR money in the long term.
Could be wrong, unless there is more to it than this.
 

Ianno87

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Baffles me as it only protects the foot crossing. If they built a footbridge surely it would save NwR money in the long term.
Could be wrong, unless there is more to it than this.

Doesn't strike me as a particularly easy location to get an accessible bridge in - the rail corridor is quite hemmed in by Chapeltown Road and adjacent properties.
 

30907

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Small & perfectly formed imho. I'd be interested to see the Watercress Line boxes mentioned by 30907 when we can travel again; are all their boxes of the "Type 1" mentioned?
From the railway's website, yes AIUI, though the origins of the Alton box are uncertain. Alresford is the only one that is in its original location.
 

4630

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Batley Crossing, originally called "Lady Anne's Crossing, between Morley and Batley on the line from Leeds to Huddersfield dates from 1878.

That's beaten by a few years by Knaresborough, which dates from 1873.
 

Flying Claret

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That was sad.
I reckon anyone could have bought one for a few quid, it's the taking it to bits, transport and re-assembling that costs money even with volunteers.
It's been done with Exeter West SB at Crewe so it is possible.

Baffles me as it only protects the foot crossing. If they built a footbridge surely it would save NwR money in the long term.
Could be wrong, unless there is more to it than this.
Did this used to be a road crossing in days gone by, or have I dreamt that?
 

Gloster

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Baffles me as it only protects the foot crossing. If they built a footbridge surely it would save NwR money in the long term.
Could be wrong, unless there is more to it than this.
According to the Signalling Atlas and Signal Box Directory (Third Edition) (Peter Kay, 2010) the box ‘...serves to transcribe train details between incompatible Preston PSB and Manchester Piccadilly train describer systems.’ It also has four levers for wickets and slots.
 
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MadMac

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According to the Signalling Atlas and Signal Box Directory (Third Edition) (Peter Kay, 2010) the box ‘...serves to transcribe train details between incompatible Preston PSB and Manchester Piccadilly train describes systems.’ It also has four levers for wickets and slots.
That sounds rather bizarre. The inner workings of TDs aren’t my particular field of expertise, bit I’d have thought there would be some way to get them “talking”.
 

Gloster

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That sounds rather bizarre. The inner workings of TDs aren’t my particular field of expertise, bit I’d have thought there would be some way to get them “talking”.
I am no expert on PSB Signalling, but they are of different generations: Preston was early 1970s, so realistically late 1960s, while that section of Piccadilly appears to date from the end of the 1990s.
 

Elecman

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That sounds rather bizarre. The inner workings of TDs aren’t my particular field of expertise, bit I’d have thought there would be some way to get them “talking”.
Blackrod box was retained for the same reason till eventual closure a few years ago
 

headshot119

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I am no expert on PSB Signalling, but they are of different generations: Preston was early 1970s, so realistically late 1960s, while that section of Piccadilly appears to date from the end of the 1990s.

Bromley hasn't transcribed the TDs between the two for a while now, it's just a gatebox these days.
 

noddingdonkey

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Knaresborough, 1872 according to the listing. I think somebody said that the boxes on that line were remaining operational?
 
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