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 The Signal Box at Leeming Bar dates from 1901. For most of its life it was located at North Wootton on the King’s Lynn to Hunstanton line. It was bought by the local Scouts following the line’s closure in 1969. By 2007 it had become life-expired and was donated to the Wensleydale Railway Trust. With the help of a Heritage Lottery Grant of £21,500, it was completely restored at Leeming Bar over a period of twelve months and was re-opened on 2 May 2009.
It is a GER Type 7 with timber frame and cladding. Very few of this type have survived due to their vulnerability to wood rot and worm attack. A team of over 40 volunteers and apprentices have supported the restoration, contributing in excess of 600 hours labour. We were committed to carrying out the work ourselves rather than employing contractors, so this required the volunteers to learn traditional construction techniques.
The original specifications issued by GER to its contractors guided our restoration. We have however used modern (micro-porous) paints, as these are much easier to maintain and provide superior protection to the timbers. In appearance, the finish is very close to that which the Victorians would have achieved with their lead-based paints of the time.
Of the nine main windows, only two could be saved. The remainder had to be made from scratch. A new set of external steps was also needed and apprentices from Darlington College built these from the Victorian drawings and specifications.
The researching of the history of the signal box has been rewarding in itself. In particular it has helped us to restore it with greater certainty where detail has been missing from the original drawings. The testimony of those who know and worked these boxes is as much part of the heritage as the building itself. The Information Point opposite the signal box is very modern but provides a window on this past world. We think that this blend of old and new makes the signal box more accessible, in particular for young people who visit the railway.
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