Time’s finally up for the Wonky Signalbox

Well, will you look at it? Is there anything like it anywhere else in the country? This is Fiskerton level crossing gate keeper’s signalbox in Nottinghamshire on the old Midland Railway route from Nottingham to Lincoln, known nowadays as the Castle Line. The box was constructed in 1902. The crossing and the accompanying semaphore signals are still manually operated by the signalman, but only just. It won’t be there for much longer because progress will soon sweep it all away - unless it is swallowed up from below over the next week or two.

The lamp standard and the concrete, level crossing gate post add a vertical dimension to this skew-whiff centrepiece. It was a hot day when I took the photograph. The signalman was entertaining a Network Rail colleague and the signalbox door was wide open. I wondered if they might be suffering from a bit of sea sickness or vertigo in there. If too many people stand towards the rear, is the box in danger of capsizing? Could you perhaps fall backwards rather too easily when pulling the levers?

I had actually called by a few months ago and had a chat with the signalman about Network Rail’s up-grading plans. He had kindly invited me inside. He was only too well aware of the heritage which surrounded him and which was soon to be lost. There were photographs of steam specials passing the location that had been taken and then donated by other enthusiasts and pinned up on the wall. He was proud to show me round. I vowed to return with my camera to record the workings of the inside of the box and he welcomed the idea.

Unfortunately, on the next two occasions I went down there, different employees were on duty and no such invitation was forthcoming. In fact, the largely mono-syllabic responses I received to my friendly opening lines put me off even asking. Whilst trying to avoid becoming known as the local signalman stalker, I did eventually find a friendly face and duly took some photos. The old mechanical systems on this line are now in the process of being replaced with automatic barriers and colour light signals. The traditional way of working is coming to an end here, as it is across the country.

Network Rail now have possession of the crossing, the road is closed and the gated crossing procedures are already a thing of the past. The signalman previously had to brave the elements twice on each occasion that a train was due to pass through. The main gates were drawn across the road by hand and the smaller gates for pedestrians leading to the walkway over the crossing were also locked. Another pedestrian gate, a more recent addition, gave direct access to the up platform from the walkway. The signalman then returned to his cabin, signals were cleared and after the train had passed, all the procedures were reversed. Safety notices in the car park, which is on the down, Newark and Lincoln-bound side of the line, reminded intending passengers to leave sufficient time before their train was due to depart, because once the gates were closed for an approaching train they would not be able to access the up platform.

Pictures on the internet show Fiskerton box in its pre-wonky period and indicating no signs of any inclination to sink into the ground. Quite when and why it decided on a less than vertical disposition is not clear. Network Rail, or their predecessors, Railtrack and before them British Rail, must have taken action at some stage to keep it the right way up. Two steel girders were driven through its sides beneath floor level and placed on the sections of old wooden sleepers that were piled up beneath the protruding ends. Clearly, it was a victory for the functional over the aesthetic. The resulting state of affairs might not have been quite the solution they were looking for, however, as the degree of tilting has certainly not been rectified.

Anyway, with literally only days remaining to struggle through, I’ve got my fingers crossed that it can hold it all together for a little longer. After 114 years of faithful service, Fiskerton signalbox deserves the right to bow out gracefully – even if that may turn out to be only relatively speaking.  

All change at Fiskerton Crossing, 13/10/16.