Old railway signal box in Lancaster village gets new lease of life
A former West Coast Main Line signal box has been turned into a community classroom.
The new science, technology, engineering and maths education centre at Hest Bank includes a display showing the latest train movements that pupils can follow live.
The London Midland Type 15 box, built by British Railways and opened in December 1968, will welcome groups from over 50 local schools throughout the academic year.
The ‘Box on the Bay’ was officially opened by Amelia Routledge at Network Rail, on July 10 with guests coming from a wide spectrum of the rail industry including train operators and the Community Rail Network.
Amelia Routledge, said it is a “first-of-its-kind project”. She added, ‘it was really exciting to see the decommissioned signal box turn into an educational centre that the communities can use and benefit from”.
The most important guests were the school children and Staff from St. Peter’s Church of England Primary School, Heysham who thoroughly enjoyed the first sessions and activities, on rail safety and bridge construction, to be delivered at the box.
Alison Dodd, headteacher of Heysham St Peter's Church of England Primary School, said the workspace "brings the learning from inside the classroom into real-life perspective in such a wonderful environment".
Gerald Townson, chairman of the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership said: “It has been a genuine pleasure to work together with Network Rail North West and Central to create this unique space for education about the railway and Morecambe Bay”.
“I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the train operators Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express, Northern and CrossCountry for creating a community funding pot and for offering in-kind support for the project.”
Brian Haworth from the Community Rail Partnership who helped set up the exciting new facility with Gerald, said the location is “just absolutely brilliant”.
He noted, “a core subject for bringing the children here is rail safety, part of the the National Curriculum, and I can’t emphasise enough that you won’t find a better location for talking and learning about it."
Any school interested in joining the ‘Box on the Bay’ should contact the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership (The Bentham Line) on 015242 98940 or email [email protected].