KSE Signalling Project

Our first blog covers the unique lever frame from Pesspool Junction that will be installed in the S&DR 'box. This article first appeared in two consecutive editions of the Stainmore Railway Co. (SRC) Newsletter and we are most grateful to Tim Warner for kindly giving his permission for it to be reproduced here. Over the last few years, I have been assisting in the background to look into the signalling at KSE after being dragged in by David Hutchinson to assist with setting up a couple of Facing Point Locks. I'm a signaller working for Network Rail, principally at Knaresborough, and spent many years heavily involved with the S&T at Embsay. As part of the logistics for signalling KSE, a lot of attention has been given to the lever frame components that are 'in stock', yet it was not obvious what some of these actually were until much closer inspection and a willingness to NOT believe everything that is in print! It has long been published that there were two fram...

The recent award of £213,108 for ‘West Side Story – the forgotten history of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness’ from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) now enables us to finally commence Phase 1 of our signalling project at KSE.  This will involve rebuilding the remains of the 1861-built Stockton & Darlington Railway signalbox and installing appropriate signalling to enable the box to control shunting movements on the southern side of the site. The ‘box only operated for a short number of years – it was almost immediately found to be too small for the operation at KSE and was soon replaced by the much larger Junction ‘box. However, it survived until the closure of the route, being used as a ‘brew’ cabin by the PW gangs before sadly being largely demolished following closure of the railway. The back wall, sections of both side walls and the foundations remain.  Upon completion, it will be used for part-operational, part-demo...