From the front, Sleights' former signal box is much easier

to recognise for what it is as it is from the rear! The North Eastern box was constructed circa 1876 just at the end of the station platforms. As well as operating the semaphores it also controlled a level crossing for the A169 road that then crossed the River Esk that flows just behind the box. However, the stone built bridge that carried the road over the river was washed away in floods during 1930. This necessitated the construction of the present day bridge just to the west of the station and the closure of the level crossing. Over the subsequent years, the Esk Valley line was rationalised with all of the signal boxes being closed. Despite these closures it still uses a physical token system, modified so that the drivers operate the token instruments themselves. This system of working is known as No Signalman Token Remote. Token cabinets at Whitby, Glaisdale and Battersby and a signalman at Nunthorpe pass on key tokens to train drivers as authority to occupy specific line sections, ensuring that only one train can run on a section at a time.