Closure & Dereliction
Princes Risborough North Signal Box
British
Rail
closed
the
signal
box
in
February
1991,
when
a
new
“Integrated
Electronic
Control
Centre”
at
Marylebone
took
over,
as
part
of
the
upgade
of
the
line.
When
the
closure
was
announced
local
people
successfully
campaigned
to
get
the
building
preserved,
and
it
was
duly
“listed”
Grade
2.
However
there
was
no apparent use or occupier for the building.
Around
the
same
time,
the
Chinnor
&
Princes
Risborough
Railway
Association
(C&PRRA)
had
been
formed,
and
purchased
track
between
Chinnor
and
the
British
Rail
boundary
on
the
outskirts
of
Princes
Risborough.
It
was
hoped
to
soon
be
able
to
negotiate
land
or
running
rights
with
BR
to
allow
heritage
trains
to
run
into
Princes
Risborough
station
using
a
restored
Watlington
platform.
It
was
clearly
sensible
that the Princes Risborough North signal box should pass to the C&PRRA at the same time.
BR
granted
interim
access
to
the
box
by
C&PRRA
members,
who
would
look
after
it
and
restore
equipment
etc.
A
lot
of
work
was
done:
the
roof
was
repaired
and
a
chimney
rebuilt;
the
staircase
was
repaired
and
strengthened;
a
full
repaint
was
carried
out
inside
and
out;
equipment
was
bought
from
other
closing
boxes
to
replace
missing
items
in
the
North
Box.
The
building
was
generally
maintained
in
readiness
for
the
surely not too distant day when it would come back into use… in the early nineties!
Negotiations
dragged
on
and
meanwhile
rail
privatisation
and
health
and
safety
came
along.
In
1998
a
decision
was
made
that
it
was
no
longer
tenable
for
C&PRRA
members
to
routinely
access
the
box.
Maintenance
and
restoration
stopped.
Vandals
seized
the
opportunity
and
broke
197
of
the
421
window
panes. The pigeons were pleased, and moved in.
By
the
early
noughties,
the
place
was
in
a
sorry
state.
Prior
to
some
track
relaying
work,
the
box
was
considered
a
safety
hazard
due
to
the
potential
for
broken
glass
to
fall
on
workers
below.
The
decision
was
taken
by
Railtrack
(or
was
it
Network
Rail
by
then?)
to
board
up
the
box
and
remove the stairs. The building, if not its fate, was sealed.
In
2011
there
was
a
break-in.
The
police
and
Network
Rail
provided
escorts
so
C&PRRA
could
access
the
building.
It
revealed
an
alarming
state
of
affairs:
a
long
term
water
leak
had
flooded
part
of
the
top
floor,
flowing
down
through
the
building
beneath.
The
ceiling
of
an
equipment
room
had
collapsed
as
a
result.
Equipment
was
rusted
and
in
some
cases
full
of
water.
One
of
the
main
structural
timbers
had
rotted
out
and
the
brickwork
showed
numerous
cracks
indicating
some
movement
of
the
structure.
The
arch
over
one
of
the
windows
had
collapsed
and
the
full
extent
of
the
pigeons'
droppings
was
recognised
for
the first time!
Clearly
something
had
to
be
done,
and
Network
Rail
agreed
to
provide
an
escort
occasionally
so
we
could
take
remedial
action,
but
with
perhaps
one
day
of
access
a
month
and
no
funding
we
were
very
limited.
None
the
less,
work
had
restarted
and
progress
had
been made for the first time in 13 years of dereliction!
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