Restoration - so far… Princes Risborough North Signal Box
Mechanical signal boxes needed to be close to the tracks they controlled to keep the point rods and signal wires as short as possible. But for our group it meant it was too close to the main 90mph running line for us to have safe access, so we could not carry out the repairs which were so urgently needed. The arrival of the fence in 2013 gave us that safe access and has allowed our teams to make unprecedented progress restoring the box. We started from a pretty low base and this page is dedicated to showing just how low that base was. Use the buttons at the bottom for detailed information on each repair page. Pictures expand when clicked.
Flooding hit the box after a pipe burst several years prior Dark, damp and gloomy. And full of pigeon droppings! Our first repair was to prevent the cracks getting any wider The ground floor not much changed from when the Lineman had left it in 1991, just the addition of a few salvaged items No windows, no doors. It's fate very nearly sealed too... Some of the electrical components destroyed by the flooding Roof tiles slipped or missing meant rainwater ingress through the ceiling Cracks in the brickwork caused by the vibration of passing trains Everywhere cobwebs and pigeon droppings
Drying out the flooded floor The cracks were getting bigger Rusty levers & a messy floor Boarded up windows & doors Spares from other signal boxes Roof letting in rainwater Cobwebs and pigeon droppings Rusted waterlogged equipment Cracks in outside walls
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