Exminster Signal Box History
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Exminster Signal Box was opened by the Great Western Railway on 9th June 1924.
It stands on the down side of the Exeter St. Davids - Newton Abbot section of the ex-GWR, and is seen by thousands of commuters everyday from the windows of passing First Great Western HSTs.
In the early twenties, the GWR was faced with a backlog of maintenance from the First World War, so GWR S&T at Reading took the economic step of using an all-wood design for its signal boxes, instead of the brick-base convention. Exminster is an example of this all-wood design, being of a type 28b. These boxes were common throughout the twenties.
Originally Exminster was equipped with 36 levers and 3-bar Vertical Tappet interlocking, an extra 20 levers were added in 1931.
This frame was replaced by the current one, an 80-lever, in March 1941. It has 5-bar Vertical Tappet interlocking.
The traffic at and through Exminster was varied. Ex-station staff member Greg Crane explains his recollections.
Gradually, from the early 1960s until its closure, the amount of working equipment in the Exminster area decreased. Exminster Box last signalled trains on 17th November 1986, when it was abolished under the Exeter PSB Re-signalling Scheme. When it was closed, only 35 of the levers were worked.
Later, the signal box was leased by Railtrack to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, who used it for bird-watching for a short time, however, their use for it has expired, and it is now a drain on their resources to maintain it.
Network Rail, the owners of the building, have acknowledged that, as it will be their responsibility to maintain the building, which is useless to them, from 2010, it would be beneficial for them for it to go to a better home.
The Exminster Signal Box Restoration Project was launched in an effort to restore the box at Swindon's 'STEAM - Museum of the Great Western'. However, this project, despite a great deal of effort, never came to fruition, and just as if it looked like Exminster Signal Box would be doomed to fall further into disrepair and end up being pulled down, a partnership was formed with the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, to use the box at their new Broadway station.
This involves labelling, dismantling, transporting, and re-building the signal box. Following which, the lever frame and interlocking will be restored, and instruments installed, to make the box a working, operational centre for railway control once again.
| 1840 | Plymouth, Devonport & Exeter Railway Company begin to promote the building of a railway line between Exeter and Newton Abbott. |
| 1843 | Plymouth, Devonport & Exeter Railway Company change their name to South Devon Railway, I.K.Brunel appointed Engineer. |
| 4th July 1844 | Act for construction of railway through Exminster passed. Double track was proposed, but single broad guage (7ft 1/4inch) prevailed with atmospheric propultion. |
| 30th May 1846 | Exeter to Teignmouth route (through Exminster) opened. |
| 30th December 1846 | Teignmouth to Newton Abbot section opened. |
| 20th July 1847 | Newton Abbot to Totnes section opened. |
| 23rd February 1848 | Atmospheric system used east of Newton Abbot. |
| 20th September 1848 | Atmospheric system abandoned. |
| 1850 | 8 trains through Exminster per weekday. |
| August 1852 | George Hennet provides passenger accomodation at Exminster in the station building. Hennet owned all twleve goods sidings on the route. |
| January 1857 | George Hennet goes bankrupt, his station buildings were sold to the SDR. |
| 1859 | Passing siding added. |
| 1860 | 4 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| September 1860 | Exminster to Starcross track doubled. |
| 1861 | Doubling of track. Down platform and road bridge added. |
| June 1861 | Exminster to Exeter St. Thomas track doubled. |
| 1869 | Down shelter built. |
| 1870 | 5 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1st February 1876 | SDR absorbed into Great Western Railway. |
| 1880 | 5 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1882 | (C.) First Exminster Signal Box opened. |
| 1890 | 6/7 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1892 | Conversion to standard guage. |
| 1892 | Urinal Added beyond the down platform. |
| July 1981 | Second Exminster Signal Box ordered from Reading Works. |
| 1892 | (C.)First Exminster Signal Box closed. Replaced by… |
| 1893 | (C.)Second Exminster Signal Box opened - 14 levers - Type 5. This box measured 17'1" x 12' and housed 14 levers. |
| 1903 | 9 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1905 | 19 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1911 | Extention to 1852 up side station building. |
| 1913 | 13 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1921 | 20 lever, stud frame installed in Exminster Box (2nd). |
| 1924 | Goods connection from up line removed. |
| 9th June 1924 | Second Exminster Signal Box closed. Replaced by… |
| 9th June 1924 | Third and final Exminster Signal Box opened - Type 28b, 36 levers, 3-bar VT interlocking; Working to new Powderham Box to the south. Size 25'2" x 11'2", elevated 11'. |
| 1929 | Centre bridge span replaced. |
| 1931 | Signal Box reframed - 56 levers 3-bar VT locking; Quadruple track through the station; 1911 extention to up side building removed; Two additional bridge spans; 4 platform faces; New shelters; New water tower (unusually near middle of platform) up side; New Good Siding (Loop). |
| 1935 | 14 Down trains through Exminster per day. |
| 1936 | £3m scheme prepared for a line between Exminster and Bishopsteignton (avoiding the coast). |
| 1937 | Shorter diversionary route planned between Dawlish Warren and Newton Abbot. |
| 1940 | Extention to Signal Box ordered to take reframing… |
| March 1941 | Signal Box reframed to 80 levers; 5-bar VT locking, 80 levers at 4" centres. Down loop line laid behind signal box. Additional water tank added (Down Side). Down refuge siding converted to Goods Loop. (Levers 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 as we know them were all spaces. Date of introduction into use unknown.) |
| 1942 | 1941 Sidings extended south. |
| 1st January 1948 | GWR became British Railway (Western Region). |
| 1949 | Land purchased for diversionary scheme sold. |
| February 1951 | (C.) TC 23T provided. (SRS) |
| February 1951 | 46AT recovered. Approach locking on signals made through 39T occupied. |
| November 1954 | Loop Siding to Down Platform Line Backing Signal renewed as disc. (Drawing Date Only) (SRS) (Signal No 38) |
| 27th October 1957 | Loop Siding to Down Main bracket signal renewed, ringed arms not reproduced. (SRS) (Signals 63 & 64) |
| November 1957 | N & R detection fitted to Down Main to Down Goods Loop facing points. (SRS) (Drawing Date Only) |
| September 1958 | Up Platform Line Startings, Up Main Starting, Down Platform Line Startings & Down Platform Line Homes renewed. (SRS) (Drawing Date Only) (Signals 5&18, 3, 52&74, 62&75 respectively) |
| November 1960 | TCs provided between Down Main Inner Homes and Down Main Starting. FPL bar recovered (SRS) (Drawing Date Only) (FPL = 58?) |
| 18th March 1962 | Down Main Homes renewed on down side at same distance & reduced to 25' 6". (SRS) |
| November 1962 | Signals 14 & 15; Points 20, 21 & 25; Discs 16, 22, 32 & 33 all abolished. Levers made spare. (GAP - gives date as 9th). Up Refuge Siding and associated signals and disc recovered. Stop block proided in up siding (SRS - gives date as 5th). |
| December 1963 | (June-December)Down Goods Loop Abolished. Points 57, 59 & 61; Signals 63, 64, 65 & 79*; Discs 42 & 60 all removed. Levers Made Spare. Track Circuits 61T and 79AT abolished. TC 79T shortened to 200 yards. (GAP - gives date as 10th June). Down Goods Loop Recovered. TCs between Down Main Homes and Inner Homes combined. (Loop clipped out of use 10/06/63). (SRS - gives date as 29th December) (*-See 21/2/65) |
| 9th February 1964 | Up Main Distant renewed as colour light at 1725yds. (SRS) |
| 17th March 1964 | Powderham Box closed. (SRS) |
| 30th March 1964 | Station closed to passengers. |
| 21st February 1965 | Down Main Distant renewed as colour light. Down Home recovered.(? - Did 79 hang on until now?) TC in rear of Down Main Inner Home shortened. (SRS) |
| 6th September 1965 | Exminster Station closed to goods. |
| 11th September 1965 | West Crossover and Up Siding abolished. Points 19 & 26; Discs 13, 17, 30, 31 & 34 all removed. Levers made spare. (SRS) (GAP gives same date but for 1968) |
| 12th November 1965 | Down Sidings 1, 2 & 3 all spotted off at north end. Signals 53, 54, 55 & 62; Points 48, 49 & 50; FPL 51; Disc 41 all abolished. Levers all made spare. (GAP), except FPL 51 which was either "worked to maintain interlocking" or "bolted reverse". |
| 4th December 1967 | Exminster Station closed to coal. |
| 11th September 1968 | West Crossover and Up Siding abolished. Points 19 & 26; Discs 13, 17, 30, 31 & 34 all removed. Levers made spare. (GAP) (SRS give same date but for "1965?") |
| 23rd March 1969 | Points 43 & 44; FPL 45; Signal 74; Disc 40 all removed. Signal 38 replaced by disc. Down Platform Line now Down Goods Loop. Also, Spur Removed, abolishing Points 28; Signal 18 & Disc 35. Levers all made spare (GAP & SRS agree), except 45 which was either "worked to maintain interlocking" or "bolted reverse". |
| 15th February 1970 | Shunting Neck Removed. Signal 47 Recovered. (GAP & SRS agree) Drawing Date 9/69) |
| 1970 | Centre bridge span replaced. |
| 16th June 1971 | Up Main to Up Platform Line FPL recovered. (SRS) (FPL = 23) |
| 15th October 1972 | Up Platform Line now Up Goods Loop. (SRS) |
| 17th October 1972 | DS&TE wrote letter instructing of some interlocking change to Exminster. (SRS) |
| January 1973 | DS&TE instructions for change drafted. (SRS) [We don't know what the change was!] |
| July 1974 | AWS i/l/o ATP installed. (SRS) (Drawing Date Only) |
| 28th May 1976 | Up Goods Loop (ex-Up Platform Line) now dead end refuge siding. Signal 4; Points 24 & FPL 23 all removed. (GAP) (SRS) |
| 28th May 1976 | Down Main Starting (77) and Down Goods Loop Starting (52) recovered. (SRS) [We are not sure about this - ESB Ed] |
| 1979 | Local Exminster population 3300. |
| July 1981 | Block release modernised. Interlinking provided. [ESB Ed - No idea what this was] |
| 17th November 1982 | Up Siding Mains X-over recovered. [ESB Ed - Again, this does not seem to make sense!] |
| 17th November 1986 | Exminster Signal Box closed - control passes to Exeter PSB. |
| 2002 | Exminster Signal Box Preservation Society Formed. |
| 2006 | Preservation Society starts to lose momentum. GWSR becomes involved. |
| 15th July 2006 | GWSR make initial feasibility visit to the signal box. |
| 16th September 2006 | Work starts on stripping out the signal box. |