The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
News that a Spalding signal box’s days are numbered has sparked a campaign to have it saved.
Network Rail has confirmed that Winsover Road signal box will be demolished after work to automate the level crossing is completed next month. The crossing will then be overseen by a control room at Lincoln.
Rail enthusiast Trevor Smith believes there could still be a life for the then redundant signal box.
“I think it’s really important that this signal box is put to good use rather than end up as a pile of rubble,” he said. “Years ago there must have been about eight signal boxes. If they are going to take away the last one there will be none left to remind us of the town railway’s history.”
The fight to save the signal box mirrors a situation further along the line at Deeping St James.
Campaigners say a Victorian signal box, which has stood on the Great Northern Line since 1869, should be preserved and used as a heritage centre.
Mr Smith (62) used to live in Holbeach and started work as a trainee shop assistant at grocer and delicatessen JW Field in Hall Place, Spalding, in 1968.
He does not want to see Winsover Road signal box go the same way as the Mill Green one at Woolram Wygate, which was demolished during the previous phase of work in the £280million Great Northern Great Eastern line upgrade.
“At the moment, few people are aware of this happening,” said Mr Smith. “In four weeks’ time it could be gone and it will be too late then.”
Mr Smith is a carer for disabled wife Susan, whose late father worked on the M&GN South Lynn to Spalding line. Mr Smith’s grandparents worked on the line at Holbeach.
He said: “We lost four routes – Bourne, Boston, Lynn and March – so let’s use this box to store our railway history in south Lincolnshire.
“The ideal thing in my view would be to see it preserved by rail enthusiasts.
“I believe one of the signal boxes removed from Spalding some years ago went to Nene Valley Railway.
“Maybe this could be used as a railway art gallery or something similar.”
He added: “Unless it’s stopping the work on site going ahead – and from what I can see it wouldn’t – I can’t see why it couldn’t be left for 12 months to see if there’s any interest.”
Network Rail said: “We have not been approached by anybody within the community to save this box, and it also did not meet English Heritage’s criteria for preservation, so our plans to modernise this section of the railway are progressing as planned.
“As part of our safety commitments and to help with ongoing maintenance of the railway, the signal box structure is also due to be demolished after the next block of work.
“If anybody has any questions or concerns, we encourage them to contact us directly via email on CRNE@networkrail.co.uk or call 08457 11 41 41.”
