Burghclere Signal Box is located on The Didcot Newbury & Southampton Railway (DNSR) which was built in the later part of the 19th Centuary. The railway was closed some years ago in the 1960’s. The line was a typical cross country route serving very small rural villages in the Counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. It was not until wartime that the line came into its own. With the build up to D-Day, a direct rail route was required from the North to the Docks on the South Coast. The DNSR was just such a route. The infrastructure was upgraded with the building of longer passing loops and sidings. This necessitated revised and updated signalling. New signal boxes were built along the route to a functional wartime design. Burghclere is one of these boxes, built circa 1942 and is the only one to survive on the route to the present day. Burghclere Station survives and is now a private dwelling.
General view of Burghclere Station yard
Front view of Burghclere Signal Box showing the wartime design
Interior view of a wartime signal box similiar to the one here at Burghclere
View of the remains of the stairs to the first floor
Wooden frames used to secure the signalling equipment
Flue position for the boxes stove
First floor beams and top of stairs - note original paint still showing on top stair rails
Rear of stair case
Pulley from which the boxes lighting was suspended
I believe these are the frames which held the hand dynamo that powered the points motor
at the end of the passing loop, which was some distance away
This was the dynamo that was held by the above brackets
Not sure what the purpose of this metalwork was
Great Western Railway embossed metal plate - possibly part of the boxes stove
Window detail - note wooden frame still in-situ
Blue Engineering Bricks used on the platform facings - made by Joseph Hamblet of West Bromwich.
These bricks were famous in their time for being able to withstand a force of 16,000lb's before
shattering
Redundant Brunel designed rails were pressed into use as frames, fence posts etc
Outbuilding - possibly oil lamp store ?
The overbridge at the far end of the station
Thanks for looking.
General view of Burghclere Station yard
Front view of Burghclere Signal Box showing the wartime design
Interior view of a wartime signal box similiar to the one here at Burghclere
View of the remains of the stairs to the first floor
Wooden frames used to secure the signalling equipment
Flue position for the boxes stove
First floor beams and top of stairs - note original paint still showing on top stair rails
Rear of stair case
Pulley from which the boxes lighting was suspended
I believe these are the frames which held the hand dynamo that powered the points motor
at the end of the passing loop, which was some distance away
This was the dynamo that was held by the above brackets
Not sure what the purpose of this metalwork was
Great Western Railway embossed metal plate - possibly part of the boxes stove
Window detail - note wooden frame still in-situ
Blue Engineering Bricks used on the platform facings - made by Joseph Hamblet of West Bromwich.
These bricks were famous in their time for being able to withstand a force of 16,000lb's before
shattering
Redundant Brunel designed rails were pressed into use as frames, fence posts etc
Outbuilding - possibly oil lamp store ?
The overbridge at the far end of the station
Thanks for looking.
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