First class restoration job on signal box at Chasewater Railway
Chasewater Railway has resurrected a dilapidated signal box after it was donated to them by the National Rail network.
The heritage railway received the box from Madeley Junction – between Shifnal and Telford Central, after the West Coast Mainline, which stretches from London to Glasgow was re-signalled.
Although it was donated in 2006 in a bad state of repair, it has since been refurbished and as of March this year has been used to operate the train line.
Mark Sealey, aged 54, the general manager of Chasewater Railway has been in charge of the project. He said the signal box has made the railway much simpler and safer than it was before.
"We started to refurbish it about 18 months ago. National Rail moved the box in for us but we've built the foundations and brick base around it, he said. "It's had new windows, a new floor, all new gutters and the roof was re-done too and we've obviously painted it as well. The lever frame has been refitted inside, and in the last month it's been connected to the railway."
There are three stations on the line, the Chasetown (Church Street), Chasewater Heaths and the Brownhills West, and the signalling box controls the tracks to ensure all trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the right timetable.
It took staff 18 months to complete the project and was ready to use in time for its first industrial gala in March.
Since then, the railway has saved another two boxes from National Rail to add to the three working ones on the line already. Mr Sealey said: "One of the two has already been rebuilt and we're just waiting to put on a lever now. We're currently working on the other one to save at the moment.
"Heritage railways will soon be the only place where you can see them before there's no more left – railways are moving away from traditional boxes now.
"Chasewater tells a bit more about how the railways used to be ran and how they operated during the time when man power wasn't too much of a problem."
The two-mile line, which is ex-colliery, operates on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays and specialises in industrial trains that were popular is the local coal industry. The next event is a coal train day featuring locomotives on both passenger and demonstration coal trains. Visit www.chasewaterrailway.co.uk
