Wednesday 20 Jun 2007
NETWORK RAIL FINDS NEW HOME FOR HISTORIC SIGNAL BOX
- Region & Route:
Visitors to the Chasewater Railway in Staffordshire are enjoying a change of scenery thanks to Network Rail's donation of a historic signal box. The box at Hademore near Tamworth was removed in April as part of the Network Rail's £350m Trent Valley Four Tracking (TV4) project to increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line.
Network Rail Senior Project Manager for TV4 Keith Riley said: "I’m thrilled that this piece of railway heritage has a new home where it can be enjoyed by enthusiasts. It’s a pleasure to me and the TV4 team to be able to keep the signal box in the region, meaning a part of Staffordshire’s history lives on for people to see.” David Bathurst, Chairman of Chasewater Railway added: “We’re delighted to have the Hademore Signal box at Chasewater Railway. It now provides the facility to improve operational safety, increase track capacity, generate interest for members of the museum and adds a great deal to the ambience of the railway."
Notes to editors
Erected at Hademore in 1899, the signal box controlled the level crossing allowing users of Fisherwick Road to cross the West Coast Main Line. Over Christmas 2006 the level crossing was removed and replaced with a bridge carrying the road over the railway. The new bridge spans four tracks of the widened West Coast Main Line The signal box joins the old Madeley signal box, also donated by Network Rail and will operate at Chasewater Heaths Station The Trent Valley project represents one of the final parts of the £8.6bn upgrade of the West Coast Main Line. The Trent Valley project involves the doubling of the railway to four tracks along a 19km section between Armitage and Tamworth to remove a major bottleneck As well as widening the tracks there are 37 structures to be replaced or modified as part of the Trent Valley project. The majority of the engineering work on these structures has now been completed and the project itself is now 50% complete Hademore Level Crossing was one of the most misused crossings in the West Midlands. It was also the last level crossing on the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and London Euston The West Coast Project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008
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