Tuesday 19 Dec 2023
Virtual reality keeps Birmingham’s iconic power signal box alive
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- North West & Central
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Virtual reality tours inside Birmingham’s iconic signal box are now online a year on from the much-loved building moving its last trains through New Street station.
In September, Network Rail gave special access to the University of Birmingham to completely scan the insides of the Power Signal Box (PSB) so it could be recorded forever.
It involved making a series of 3D laser scans and taking panoramic images over two floors, including the relay room, and signalling panel.
These were then stitched together to build a fully interactive online model compatible with virtual reality headsets, which is now freely accessible to anyone on the internet.
Today (Tuesday 19 December), this has gone live as a Christmas present to architecture and railway enthusiasts, ahead of the first anniversary of the signal box being decommissioned.
The 1960s building was integral to the smooth running of tens of millions of trains over its 56 years in operation.
At its peak up to 1,200 trains were directed by its team of dedicated signallers every day.
That came to an end on Christmas Eve 2022, when its 1960s analogue technology made way for digital and control for all train movements through Britain’s busiest station outside of London was passed over to the West Midlands Signalling Centre in east Birmingham.
John Korbes, Network Rail local operations manager, said: “Having worked at Birmingham Power Signal Box for many years, I’m not alone in saying we all had heavy hearts when we said goodbye to a building which had been integral to the smooth running of the national railway network.
“In its day, the technology inside was cutting edge, and until the very end it worked reliably, day in, day out, getting millions of passengers and millions of tonnes of goods to where they needed to be, over six decades.
“So now, nearly a year on from that emotional day, it fills me with great pride and satisfaction that the team at University of Birmingham have recorded the signal box, nearly exactly as it was when it was powered down, as a permanent reminder of the huge role it played in our railway’s history.”
Bob Stone, emeritus professor in eXtended Realities at the University of Birmingham, said: “It’s been a real privilege to capture the New Street PSB digitally before its historical contents were dismantled and lost forever. Being able to use sophisticated 3D scanning technology to record such a complex installation in less than half a day just goes to show how powerful it is in helping to preserve important regional and national railway heritage assets, leaving a legacy to be enjoyed by future generations, young and old”.
Work is now underway to covert the insides of the building into a training academy for the railway signallers of the future.
The exterior of the signal box however is Grade II listed and will not be subject to change. It was given listed building status in 1995 because of its ‘dramatic and exceptional architectural quality’ and ‘strongly sculptural form’.
It’s applauded for being one of Birmingham's best surviving examples of Brutalist architecture – defined by imposing facades built from pre-cast concrete.
Its insides were also unique too, as the only surviving signal box to use the Westpac Mk 1 signalling system until it closed.
Built as part of the West Coast main line route modernisation, the Birmingham PSB was one of four power signal boxes in the West Midlands, replacing 64 manually operated signal boxes in the 1960s.
To find out more about the history of Birmingham New Street station, visit https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/our-history/iconic-infrastructure/the-history-of-birmingham-new-street-station/
Notes to Editors
More on The University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies team
The University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies team or “HIT” Team, is an award-winning research group established in 2003 by Professor Bob Stone, himself a 37-year “veteran” of the international Virtual Reality community. The Team’s work covers many fields of VR, from the training of defence paramedics to the mental wellbeing and physical rehabilitation of patients in hospitals, care home and hospices, and from developing recreations of historical sites and events to undertaking remote area surveys using drones and underwater vehicles. For the Birmingham New Street PSB project with Network Rail, Prof Stone and colleague Dr Vish Shingari were able to complete the 3D scanning and “spherical” panoramic imagery in just one day, using a Matterport LIDAR-based 3D scanner, and a twin-sensor/lens Insta360 ONE camera, By placing these devices at different locations throughout the PSB’s Relay and Console Rooms, located on two floors, it has been possible to build up an accurate, high-resolution 3D image of the building, often referred to as a “digital twin”.
MATTERPORT 3D SCANS/”VIRTUAL TOUR” INSTRUCTIONS
Click on the “Explore 3D Space” icon in the middle of the image and the collated scans will zoom in as an explorable space. To move around this space, left click your mouse (and keep the button depressed) and look around. You will see faint white circles on the scene floor. Your cursor also takes the form of a white circle. By overlaying the cursor circle onto the floor circles (which will become a little more visible), you can left click the mouse button again and “move” around the scene. The more distant the floor circles, the further you can move in a single click. You can zoom in and out on detail by using the mouse wheel. Dotted around the scene may be various icons. These are additional information or media points, the contents of which appear as the cursor hovers and can be viewed in detail by clicking (see also below).
On the bottom of the screen are a number of icons. From left to right in the bottom left-hand corner of the image, these enable you to:
See the full extent of the 3D scans in “dollhouse” form (the mouse enables you to rotate and translate this image). Zooming in and out using the mouse wheel is also possible. Click anywhere within the “dolls house” representation and this will take you directly to the point of interest. Clicking on the small “walking person” icon , now in the bottom right-hand corner also takes you back into the main scene.
See the floor plan of the space covered by the scans. Again, right- or left-clicking the mouse enables you to translate and rotate the scene and clicking anywhere within the floor pan will take you directly to the point of interest. Clicking on the small “walking person” icon takes you back into the main scene.
Add notes, files, media and links to the scene.
Take measurements, by moving a cursor in the form of a magnified image circle and x-y-z symbol, clicking and moving the cursor to another point (with a “rubber band” dotted line showing distance). Clicking will result in a solid line placed on the image, together with the measurement.
In the bottom right-hand corner of the image, these enable you to:
View the scene on a Virtual Reality headset (the Meta Quest 2 is recommended – instructions are provided).
View the scene in full screen mode.
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