Hest Bank Signal Box

[Iskra]

Can anyone confirm the current operational status of this box please?


Its fortunes seem to have waxed and waned in recent years. It was obviously in use for many years, but then was (I believe) boarded up a good while, possibly a couple of years even. Passing through the area today I noticed it appears to be in use again and is quite possibly manned still. Did it close for a refurb or was it closed and then reopened ? What signalling does this box actually do, or is it basically just there to supervise the level crossing. I noticed the crossing has new half barriers too.

Hest Bank has always been a nice location, but is now even better with the addition of a micropub which even has a table with a view of the crossing.

 

[pdeaves]

It's a gate box (line controlled from Preston).

 

[The Bear]

It's now unmanned, all of it's functions (along with Bare Lane) have been taken over by a new panel in Preston PSB.

 

[Tomnick]

It's a gate box (line controlled from Preston).

Its functions, plus control of Bare Lane crossing, were transferred to a new crossing panel in Preston PSB several years ago (signalling control of the Bare Lane area was put on the main panel at the same time).

Preston PSB | Signalling Photos

Level Crossing Panel - Preston X1.JPG

photos.signalling.org

 

[driver9000]

It's used by the local Network Rail MOM as an office but there's often nobody home.

The level crossings at Hest Bank, Bolton le Sands and Bare Lane are full barriers worked via CCTV from Preston and have been since around 2013.

 

[Iskra]

Thanks everyone for the information!

It's used by the local Network Rail MOM as an office but there's often nobody home.

The level crossings at Hest Bank, Bolton le Sands and Bare Lane are full barriers worked via CCTV from Preston and have been since around 2013.

Ah, so that explains why it looks habitable then Not a bad little office!

 

[pdeaves]

Its functions, plus control of Bare Lane crossing, were transferred to a new crossing panel in Preston PSB several years ago (signalling control of the Bare Lane area was put on the main panel at the same time).

Preston PSB | Signalling Photos

Level Crossing Panel - Preston X1.JPG

photos.signalling.org

Thanks. Further to the prompt, I've looked at the various bits of information I have; closure (as a gate box) was supposed to be 10 February 2013 but the work was postponed until 28 April 2013.

 

[MadMac]

Thanks. Further to the prompt, I've looked at the various bits of information I have; closure (as a gate box) was supposed to be 10 February 2013 but the work was postponed until 28 April 2013.

Good pic of the arrangements at Preston. Not wishing to digress too far off-topic, but surely this would be a solution for the long-running issue of the shored-up box at Bamber Bridge?

 

[Elecman]

Thanks everyone for the information!


Ah, so that explains why it looks habitable then Not a bad little office!

Doesn’t have any running water though

 

[furnessvale]

Good pic of the arrangements at Preston. Not wishing to digress too far off-topic, but surely this would be a solution for the long-running issue of the shored-up box at Bamber Bridge?

Much busier road than Hest Bank though.