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Barnham Signal Box
On the 6th December, 2009, the Barnham Signal Box, by then nearly 100 years old, was quite literally picked up and moved to a new location. This was within the Aldingbourne Community Sports Centre grounds a mere 100 yards from our clubhouse.
Barnham Signal Box floats through the air with the greatest of ease (NOT!) as it is delivered to its new home.
You can learn some more about the signal box at http://barnhamsignalboxtrust.org/ and, indeed, a search in Google will provide much more information
This was a massive project and the BRMRC
has been involved since its very early days. Although this rescue is
the work of the Barnham Signal Box Trust, our club and our members
have made many contributions towards its removal and renovations.
The move itself was quite an incredible sight as the huge lorry moved slowly along the relatively narrow roads to its new home. Traffic was brought to a near standstill and it had a constant escort of police cars, together with men watching for obstructions and lifting cables for clearance.
A video of the lift can be found on YouTube: Follow the link
When it finally arrived, an equally large crane hoisted it carefully onto its new foundations and base.
For nearly a year, the Trust volunteers and BRMRC members laboured to restore the box to its former glory. But, then, in November 2010, disaster struck. An arson attack was carried out by some unthinking and uncaring thugs and tremendous damage was caused. Much of the structure was destroyed and little more than a skeletal shell was left standing.
It is almost impossible to describe the emotions of Trust and Club members at this time.
The insurance assessors visited, and after some considerable deliberations, decided that it was repairable. With the access to the funds so provided, Trust and Club members set to again.
As this is being written, nearly a year and a half after the fire, we are pleased to advise that substantial progress has been made. The external fabric of the box has been restored and work on the interiro is well under way.
It is hoped that work will be completed in 2015 - perhaps we can officially re-open it for its 104th birthday. It has been agreed with the Trustees that the box will be used by the Club once completed.
Much mention has been made of the work of the Trust and BRMRC, but none of this would have been possible without the support of many organisations and people.
These include Network Rail, Railway Heritage Trust, Southern Railways, Gaugemaster, Duke of Norfolk plus many others.
Local businesses and attractions supported the campaign by providing entrance tickets. At Toy and Collectors Fairs and the Bluebell Railway the donated tickets were offered as raffle prizes.
The move itself was quite an incredible sight as the huge lorry moved slowly along the relatively narrow roads to its new home. Traffic was brought to a near standstill and it had a constant escort of police cars, together with men watching for obstructions and lifting cables for clearance.
A video of the lift can be found on YouTube: Follow the link
When it finally arrived, an equally large crane hoisted it carefully onto its new foundations and base.
For nearly a year, the Trust volunteers and BRMRC members laboured to restore the box to its former glory. But, then, in November 2010, disaster struck. An arson attack was carried out by some unthinking and uncaring thugs and tremendous damage was caused. Much of the structure was destroyed and little more than a skeletal shell was left standing.
It is almost impossible to describe the emotions of Trust and Club members at this time.
The insurance assessors visited, and after some considerable deliberations, decided that it was repairable. With the access to the funds so provided, Trust and Club members set to again.
As this is being written, nearly a year and a half after the fire, we are pleased to advise that substantial progress has been made. The external fabric of the box has been restored and work on the interiro is well under way.
It is hoped that work will be completed in 2015 - perhaps we can officially re-open it for its 104th birthday. It has been agreed with the Trustees that the box will be used by the Club once completed.
Much mention has been made of the work of the Trust and BRMRC, but none of this would have been possible without the support of many organisations and people.
These include Network Rail, Railway Heritage Trust, Southern Railways, Gaugemaster, Duke of Norfolk plus many others.
Local businesses and attractions supported the campaign by providing entrance tickets. At Toy and Collectors Fairs and the Bluebell Railway the donated tickets were offered as raffle prizes.