Postland signalbox (Lincolnshire), 3/8/13
I was tipped off to this particular signalbox by a tweet on the Railways Illustrated twitter feed a few weeks ago and decided to pay a visit.
Postland was a station on the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway line between Spalding in Lincolnshire and Whitemoor Jn. north of March in Cambridgeshire that opened in 1867. Named Crowland until 1871, Postland station closed in September 1961 but the line remained open until 27 November 1982 after which all traffic was diverted via Peterborough. I'm not sure when local services between Spalding and March ceased but the line was in use by long-distance trains linking East Anglia and the north right up until the end.
The Signalbox itself is a Great Northern Railway 'type 1' dating from 1882 and amazingly still contains it's original 35-lever frame. I can only assume that the cut-off rear corner of the box is to provide extra clearance for the road which curves sharply at this point.
Postland signalbox lever frame, 3/8/13
I should point out here (before somebody else does) that strictly the section of line between Whitemoor Jn. and Spalding wasn't 'Joint' at all, being opened solely by the Great Northern Railway but is regarded as being part of the GN&GE.
Other boxes on the line also survive, notably at Cowbit and French Drove & Gedney Hill but have been (or are being) converted into private homes and as such enthusiasts may not be able (or welcome) to view them.
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