Signal Box at Glenfinnan Station. Glenfinnan is on the West Highland Railway's extension line from Fort William to Mallaig. Its station opened on 1 April 1901. The signal box, which was built by the Railway Signal Company, controls the signals and points in the area, and was one of 13 similar ones constructed in 1900-01 for the Fort William to Mallaig, and Spean Bridge to Fort Augustus railways. It was in service until as late as 1986, when it was superseded by remote signalling from Banavie Signalling Centre, about 14 miles away. However, it has been preserved as an adjunct to the Glenfinnan Station Museum, where it allows visitors to learn about the system and even try their hands at operating it, with the results of their actions shown on a screen (as below).
Screen set up in the signal box to indicate signal changes.
The signal box is in lovely countryside only about a kilometre away from the Glenfinnan Viaduct, and has been restored, like the station building itself, in recent years. The 15-lever frame with its system was restored to working order in 2013-14.
Photographs, commentary and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or to the Victorian Web in a print document.
Related Material
- Glenfinnan Station and the West Highland Railway
- Glenfinnan Viaduct about one kilometre away.
Bibliography
"Glenfinnan Station Museum: Signal Box." West Coast Railways. Web. 15 October 2017.
Created 15 October 2017