Birmingham New Street PSB

[matt]

End of an era today as Birmingham New Street Signal Box closes today

End of the line for Brutalist Brummie signal box

The Brutalist building's nerve centre has been helping to keep rail passengers safe since the 1960s.

www.bbc.co.uk

A landmark railway signal box which has helped guide passengers safely into one of the UK's busiest stations will close on Christmas Eve.

The Brutalist building at Birmingham New Street has been in operation since 1966, with much of the technology used on day one still being used this week, nearly 60 years later.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Is anything happening to the structure, or will it still contain signalling equipment in the lower half?
I know it is called "brutalist", but it's not so unique in the Birmingham landscape any more.

 

[lammergeier]

I understand the structure is listed so won't be going anywhere. Not sure what the plans are for it, if any as yet.

 

[The Planner]

End of an era today as Birmingham New Street Signal Box closes today

End of the line for Brutalist Brummie signal box

The Brutalist building's nerve centre has been helping to keep rail passengers safe since the 1960s.

www.bbc.co.uk

Got a bit squeaky bum with the strikes on the lead up as to if it would happen. Pretty sure part of the block has been agreed to come on earlier today to make sure it does.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

All things must pass. I am not sorry. Progress is needed.

 

[crablab]

I wonder if they will leave the equipment in situ or whether it'll be scavenged? Could make a rather nice museum

I visited an old BT exchange about a year ago where lots of original equipment from when the building was built in the 60s/70s had been left, and it was wonderful to be able to see (and touch!) some of the tech that existed before general purpose computers - and me!

 

[The Planner]

All things must pass. I am not sorry. Progress is needed.

Well progress is the same with some minor tweaks in modern form.

 

[304033]

It closes tomorrow, Christmas Eve. Not today.

 

[DelW]

Is anything happening to the structure, or will it still contain signalling equipment in the lower half?
I know it is called "brutalist", but it's not so unique in the Birmingham landscape any more.

I understand the structure is listed so won't be going anywhere. Not sure what the plans are for it, if any as yet.

The BBC caption linked from the first post says

The New Street building, one of the best-known examples of Birmingham's brutalist architecture, is Grade-II listed, and although no formal plans have been announced, it is thought it could be used as a training centre for the next generation of railway signallers.

I remember watching it being built, as I used to catch buses from stops in Navigation Street on my way to school. The design is certainly of its time, contemporary with the well-known Hayward Gallery on the South Bank in London.

The video says that quite a bit of the equipment is original, in which case it's served very well.

 

[Elecman]

It’s still got all the air compressors in the basement

 

[tcm1106]

Got a bit squeaky bum with the strikes on the lead up as to if it would happen. Pretty sure part of the block has been agreed to come on earlier today to make sure it does.

Can confirm on all fronts.

 

[Bungle]

Nice touch!

 

[londonmidland]

And with that, out with a bang, quite literally!

Total loss of signalling at Proof House Jn.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And with that, out with a bang, quite literally!

Total loss of signalling at Proof House Jn.

Deliberately as services have now finished, or is Christmas Eve going to feature mass strandings?

 

[voyagerdude220]

Deliberately as services have now finished, or is Christmas Eve going to feature mass strandings?

Services are/were still scheduled to be run when the Signalling faults occurred. Not good for pax/staff affected at all.

 

[Birmingham]

Deliberately as services have now finished, or is Christmas Eve going to feature mass strandings?

This one is a bug, not a feature

 

[rjennings]

More as a historical reference but 1F62 1527 Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton (which left at 1626 due to the loss of the signalling) was the final service to be signalled off the NX panel at Birmingham New Street PSB.

Realtime Trains | 1F62 1534 Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street | 24/12/2022

Real-time train running information for 1F62 1534 departure from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street on 24/12/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[the sniper]

And with that, out with a bang, quite literally!

It went out fittingly, it died as it lived, in total chaos!

 

[Jimini]

Just spotted the good luck bit at the bottom now too. Nicely done.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Will there be such sentiment when technology brings ROCs to a close?

 

[zwk500]

Will there be such sentiment when technology brings ROCs to a close?

Quite probably. People had similar sentiments about the boxes that PSBs replaced.

Also, look at trains - there were grumbles when HSTs replaced "proper" loco hauled trains, yet they were given the fondest of farewells when IETs came in.

 

[Signal Head]

I wonder if they will leave the equipment in situ or whether it'll be scavenged? Could make a rather nice museum

I visited an old BT exchange about a year ago where lots of original equipment from when the building was built in the 60s/70s had been left, and it was wonderful to be able to see (and touch!) some of the tech that existed before general purpose computers - and me!

So far as I am aware, this is (was) the last operating original 'Westpac' geographical interlocking (also employed at Euston, Wolverhampton and Walsall, all of which have of course, also been resignalled). I'm assuming all the 'NS' satellite interlockings (Soho, Perry Barr etc) have already been renewed (and not just recontrolled elsewhere). If so, most of the kit in there will have little to no value as 'strategic spares'.

 

[Ken H]

I wonder if they will leave the equipment in situ or whether it'll be scavenged? Could make a rather nice museum

I visited an old BT exchange about a year ago where lots of original equipment from when the building was built in the 60s/70s had been left, and it was wonderful to be able to see (and touch!) some of the tech that existed before general purpose computers - and me!

The Avoncroft Buildings Museumin Bromsgrove has a working electro- mechanical phone exchange you can go watch working. Has a collection of working phone kiosks so you can make calls through the exchange.

 

[The Planner]

So far as I am aware, this is (was) the last operating original 'Westpac' geographical interlocking (also employed at Euston, Wolverhampton and Walsall, all of which have of course, also been resignalled). I'm assuming all the 'NS' satellite interlockings (Soho, Perry Barr etc) have already been renewed (and not just recontrolled elsewhere). If so, most of the kit in there will have little to no value as 'strategic spares'.

New St is the last bit to be done and is designated phase 7. Probably got these in the wrong order but 6 was International, 4 and 5 was Soho etc the earlier ones were recontrols I think. Walsall and Wolves were seperate jobs.

 

[Ashley Hill]

As an aside from PSBs closing here’s a festive message from Exeter:-

 

[william.martin]

Does anybody know where the new signalling centre/ ROC is and if the line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is controlled by it or at Shrewsbury?

 

[The Planner]

Does anybody know where the new signalling centre/ ROC is and if the line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is controlled by it or at Shrewsbury?

The signalling centre is down at Saltley and has been for many years now which controls to the fringe of Shrewsbury.

 

[Watershed]

Does anybody know where the new signalling centre/ ROC is and if the line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is controlled by it or at Shrewsbury?

The 'new' box is the existing West Midlands Signalling Centre, in Saltley. It overlooks the line from New Street towards Tamworth and Nuneaton. The line from Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury has been controlled by the WMSC for some years now.

Shrewsbury station and its immediate environs are controlled by a series of mechanical signal boxes, including Severn Bridge Jn, which has the dubious honour of being the largest working mechanical signal box in the world.

 

[FS-2-11]

Does anybody know where the new signalling centre/ ROC is and if the line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is controlled by it or at Shrewsbury?

Maybe a local can correct me on both counts. WMSC is at Saltley, adjacent to the Derby line and on or close to the site of the former PSB. As far as the extent of control of the Shrewsbury line goes, I believe WMSC controls the line approximately as far as Wellington.

 

[The Planner]

Maybe a local can correct me on both counts. WMSC is at Saltley, adjacent to the Derby line and on or close to the site of the former PSB. As far as the extent of control of the Shrewsbury line goes, I believe WMSC controls the line approximately as far as Wellington.

Saltley PSB was over the road before transferring over. Demolished now as it and the maintenance delivery unit was in the way of HS2.