Wensleydale Railway have been given a Victorian Signal box by Network Rail which they plan to install, renovate, and use along the line at Constable Burton between Bedale and Leyburn.
 
Presently it is located on the Hertford East Station which is being redeveloped.
 
Work cannot proceed whilst the signal box, built in 1888, blocks the space needed for a platform extension.
 
However Network Rail has to get listed building consent first before it is allowed to dismantle and relocate the historic signal box.
 
Built by the Great Eastern Railway the structure is timber framed and weather boarded, with a gabled Welsh slated roof and a brick chimney.
 
It is a typical example of the standard design which was introduced by the company in the 1880s.
 
With two floors, it originally contained 36 levers which were later expanded to 45.
 
The signal box comes complete with the original lever frame and many of the internal instruments necessary to operate it.
 
Network Rail has agreed to cover dismantling and transport costs and the re-building, the Railway Heritage Trust has also agreed to grant aid to the project.
 
It is due to arrive in the New Year and will be restored on-site at Constable Burton by Wensleydale Railway volunteers who estimate it will take approximately two years to complete.
 
Once finished it will control the signals and points on the Constable Burton passing loop and provide a better working environment for the signallers who presently have to inhabit a caravan.
 
Wensleydale Railway's Volunteer Coordinator Helen Ashworth said, "Being part of the team is hugely enjoyable. We are keen to recruit further volunteers to both help restore and operate the signal box once it is completed. You don't need any special skills but DIY experience such as joinery or painting would help and you would become more experienced as you go along with training given."
 
The Wensleydale Railway carries over 50,000 passengers a year through the heart of the Dale and many of it's communities including Leeming Bar, Bedale, Leyburn, and Redmire.
 
Originally opened in 1948, it closed to passengers in the 1960's but has been restored and run by volunteers since 2000.
 
Janet Gleeson.