Have you ever wondered what goes on in a railway signal box? Soon, you will be able to find out, and experience for yourself what a signalman used to do.
As part of the resignalling of the Nottingham to Lincoln line in 2016, Lowdham Signal box along with several others recently closed. It is part of a national scheme over the next few years to modernise the railway signalling to improve line capacity and train reliability, whilst saving costs.
Lowdham signal box will become a small signalling museum run by a charity, Lowdham Railway Heritage. Shortly we will move the signal box to the old cattle dock at the other end of the station (it cannot stay where it is because it is too close to the railway tracks for public access). Network Rail will give it to us, but we have to pay for its move. New foundations are already for it. We will then restore it, and fit it with period signalling equipment and a gate wheel and then connect it up to a couple of signals. We have planning permission for the move, and are in discussions with contractors. If all goes well, we hope to move it this Summer. As trains run on Sunday mornings, the move will have to be late on a Saturday night, after the last train.
We will need volunteers to help restore and repaint it, and eventually we plan to have open days and demonstrate the vanishing skills of traditional railway signalling.
If you would like to volunteer, please email [email protected] or call David Moore on 0115 9664938, or post a comment on facebook.com/lowdhamsignalbox