Hunterston Junction Signal Box. 1984.
One of Scotland's more modern but also short lived signal boxes, Hunterston Junction.
The signal box was built in 1978 to a standard Scottish Region Relay Room design with signalman's area combined. It opened with the commissioning of the short branch off the Largs line into the British Steel High Level Loading Terminal. The new facility built by British Steel allowed iron ore and coal to be rapid loaded to trains direct from conveyors at the Hunterston deep water port replacing what had previously been done at General Terminus Docks on the Clyde in Glasgow. The box opened on 2/4/1978 but initially only controlled movements within the High Level terminal complex and trains running on the 3 mile branch to and from Hunterston Low Level in conjunction with Hunterston BSC Control Tower in the port. It wasn't until 20/7/1986 that it was fully commissioned as a block post on the Largs passenger line when track rationalisation ahead of the electrification of the line resulted in adjacent boxes closing at Fairlie and Holm Junction. Hunterston Junction box ceased to function as signal box when Paisley PSB took over the route on 28//8/1992 when it was down graded to a Ground Frame. So a relatively short life of six years as a fully fledged signal box. It remained in situ controlling access to the High Level Sidings only, being manned by BR yard staff then EWS after privatisation but not in a signalling capacity. With the cessation of coal traffic in 2015 it saw a further downgrade to an unmanned relay room as the branch to the high level was mothballed.
Hunterston Junction Signal Box. 1984.
One of Scotland's more modern but also short lived signal boxes, Hunterston Junction.
The signal box was built in 1978 to a standard Scottish Region Relay Room design with signalman's area combined. It opened with the commissioning of the short branch off the Largs line into the British Steel High Level Loading Terminal. The new facility built by British Steel allowed iron ore and coal to be rapid loaded to trains direct from conveyors at the Hunterston deep water port replacing what had previously been done at General Terminus Docks on the Clyde in Glasgow. The box opened on 2/4/1978 but initially only controlled movements within the High Level terminal complex and trains running on the 3 mile branch to and from Hunterston Low Level in conjunction with Hunterston BSC Control Tower in the port. It wasn't until 20/7/1986 that it was fully commissioned as a block post on the Largs passenger line when track rationalisation ahead of the electrification of the line resulted in adjacent boxes closing at Fairlie and Holm Junction. Hunterston Junction box ceased to function as signal box when Paisley PSB took over the route on 28//8/1992 when it was down graded to a Ground Frame. So a relatively short life of six years as a fully fledged signal box. It remained in situ controlling access to the High Level Sidings only, being manned by BR yard staff then EWS after privatisation but not in a signalling capacity. With the cessation of coal traffic in 2015 it saw a further downgrade to an unmanned relay room as the branch to the high level was mothballed.