Bollo Lane (Richmond Line) Crossing

Image: © Martin Addison Taken: 31 Oct 2013

London Overground 378204 crosses Bollo Lane with the 12:08 Richmond to Stratford service. Traffic on Bollo Lane can be very heavy and can result in delays to the trains whilst waiting for the crossing barriers to safely close. On the right is Bollo Lane Junction signal box. It was constructed by the London & South Western Railway in 1878 when Acton Curve was introduced, turning Gunnersbury Junction into a triangle. It was built around 200 yards from the junction it controlled in order to give the signal man good visibility of the Bollo Lane Level Crossing. When the curve closed (late 1960's?) the box only controlled the crossing and its associated signals. In the 1970's the adjacent box on the South Acton Junction - Kew Junctions line was closed and Bollo Lane Junction box took over control of the junction and the second Bollo Lane Level Crossing. In 1983 it took on control of the Level Crossing at Acton Central too - using CCTV to monitor the crossing. In June 2012 the box finally closed as signalling and control of the level crossings passed to Acton Wells. The box is the sole surviving example of the L&SWR's 1877 simple box design - it is to be hoped that its historical importance will be recognised. Fuller details of the box can be found at http://www.signalbox.org/gallery/s/bollolanejcn.php .

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