Signal Box, Leek Brook Junction, Churnet Valley Railway
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Signal Box, Leek Brook Junction, Churnet Valley Railway by Jo and Steve Turner as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Signal Box, Leek Brook Junction, Churnet Valley Railway
Image: © Jo and Steve Turner Taken: 1 May 2016
Grade II Listed this is the oldest surviving signal box on the former North Staffordshire Railway and is one of the oldest surviving examples in the country. Dating from 1872 it is of a design by McKenzie and Holland and retains the McKenzie and Holland 40 lever No. 6 pattern frame of 1903. The frame was installed when the line to Waterhouses and Caldon to the east opened. Originally Cheddleton Junction it was changed to Leek Brook in 1935 following the abolition of the East and North Junction boxes that had worked a triangular junction. Leek Brook railway station closed to all traffic on 7 May 1956. The last train at Leek Brook Junction ran on the 8th February 1989, and the box was "mothballed" for possible future use. It was officially abolished on 21st August 1993. Planning permission for full restoration of the site was granted in November 2011 and the box was externally restored as part of the Lottery funded "Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership" in 2014. Internally all but the lever frame itself has been removed.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
53.081059
Longitude
-2.029517