1. MML & Rutland-15.08.81

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1981 > 16. East of England tour-14-18.08.81 > 1. MML & Rutland-15.08.81

After travelling up the previous evening from Bath and camping near Pillerton Priors (Warwickshire) we continued along the Fosse Way to Leicester. We spent some time exploring the mechanical signalling around the city before heading east through Rutland ending up at Melton Mowbray. We camped again, as we did the previous year, at Essendine adjacent to the ECML.

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Images 1-21 of 21 displayed.

Wigston South Junction signal box (MR, 1900)
Taken from the rear Wigston South Junction signal box is seen with its British Railways London Midland Region maroon enamel nameplate which was fitted in the spring of 1961. The box is a Midland Type 3b design that was constructed in 1900 when this section of the Midland Mainline was quadrupled. It contained a sixty-lever London Midland Region standard frame that replaced the original Midland frame in the 1950s. The box closed on 29.06.86 when signalling between Market Harborough and Syston passed to the new Leicester power box. The structure was demolished plank by plank and piece by piece at the start of August 1986.
Keywords: Wigston South Junction signal box MR Midland Railway

Syston South Junction signal Box (MR, 1890)
Syston South Junction signal box looks to be well stocked for the winter with a huge pile of coal bags conveniently placed at the bottom of the steps! The box was a Midland Railway Type 4c design which opened on 26.11.11 fitted with a fifty-seven-lever Midland Railway tappet frame. It was to close on 11.04.87 when signalling from Syston to Loughborough and Frisby passed to the Leicester PSB. Notice the London Midland & Scottish Railway Company post-1935 design nameboard unusually located on the front of the box rather than just below the gable ends as was the MR's usual practice; I hope that it was rescued when the box was unceremoniously demolished.
Keywords: Syston South Junction signal Box MR Midland Railway

Knighton South Junction signal box (LMS, 1936)
Moving closer to Leicester city centre Knighton South Junction signal box is seen in the August sunshine. It was located adjacent to the up slow line at the point where the Midland route to Stenson Junction via Coalville left the MML. This line is still open today as a freight-only route but there are continual plans for it to reopen again for passenger use. The box is an LMS Type 11c design that opened in 1936 that replaced an 1890 box that was located where the relay room is seen to the right of the image. The new box was fitted with a sixty-lever frame. Notice the tall twin structures to the extreme left in this view, they are part of Leicester University located in Victoria Park.
Keywords: Knighton South Junction signal box LMS London Midland and Scottish Railway

Class 120 DMU, 11.37 Leicester-Birmingham New Street, Knighton South Junction
A three-car Class 120 DMU gets into its stride as it leaves Leicester passing Knighton South Junction working the 11.37 Leicester to Birmingham New Street service. The Midland Region had a relatively small allocation of these handsome Swindon-built units based at Etches Park that were used on various routes. The short five-chain Knighton tunnel can be seen in the background as can the 1936 LMS Knighton South Junction signal box. The line branching off to the left leads to Stenson Junction via Coalville which is still in use today as a freight-only route.
Keywords: Class 120 DMU 11.37 Leicester-Birmingham New Street Knighton South Junction Swindon first generation DMU

London Road signal box, Leicester (LMS, 1935)
With much of the railways immediately on either side of Leicester station lying at a low-level photography in this area always required an element of looking down on to the tracks from the various roads and bridges higher above. Getting an image of Leicester London Road signal box just south of the station required this technique. The LMS Type 11c box opened in December 1935 being fitted out with a fifty-lever Railway Executive Committee frame. It would have been a particularly busy box controlling all movements in and out to the south of the station. It closed on 29.06.86 when signalling between Market Harborough and Syston passed to the new Leicester PSB. Notice the LMS' post-1935 design wooden nameboard and the neat row of three fire buckets attached to some hooks on the front wall of the box.
Keywords: London Road signal box Leicester LMS

Frontage, Leicester station
The original Leicester station was designed by William Parsons in the Grecian Revival style, with a two-storey main building which was embellished with a central pediment set forward on fluted columns in front flanked by short single-storey wings and was opened in 1840. In 1892 this was replaced by the station building seen here designed by Midland's favoured architect Charles Trubshaw. The London Road frontage seen here features four entrance archways. Above each of the left-hand pair the word Departure was inscribed and, above each of the other two, the word Arrival was carved in relief. These signs were to assist horse-drawn cab drivers when dropping passengers who intended to catch departing trains, or were plying for hire by passengers who had arrived by train. Notice the clock at the far end of the station. To this day it remains the final example of a hand-wound station clock throughout the network. Incidentally, at the time of writing in 2023, there are ambitious plans in place to completely redevelop Leicester station providing it with a rather grand new entrance and pedestrianised concourse to the western side located to the right of the clock tower seen in this image.
Keywords: Frontage Leicester station Midland Railway

Midland Railway stone carved insignia, Leicester station
When a new station is constructed today signage is simply attached to or hung from the building. Back in Victorian times railway companies made far more bold statements about their structures as is the case here on the bridge parapet directly opposite Leicester's London Road station. Charles Trubshaw designed the Midland Railway's insignia as a large relief carved into the bridge's terracotta stonework detailing.
Keywords: Midland Railway stone carved insignia Leicester station

45104, 12.10 Sheffield-London St. Pancras (1M21), Leicester North
This well-known view of Leicester North is taken from the bridge that carries Swain Street over the railway. In this scene 45104 'Royal Warwickshire Regiment' slows for its stop at Leicester station leading the 1M21 12.10 Sheffield to St. Pancras service. The train is passing the 1911 Midland-built Leicester North signal box and some of its associated signalling. The superb three-doll bracket signal just beyond the box is notable as is the relatively empty PW yard to the right.
Keywords: 45104 12.10 Sheffield-London St. Pancras 1M21 Leicester North Peak Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Leicester North signal box (MR, 1911)
Using my 135mm zoom lens has enabled this detailed view of the trackwork and signalling to the north of Leicester station to be brought together. The crowded and extensive nature of the infrastructure then is in marked contrast to today with a basic track layout and the absence of all of the Victorian-age signalling. The only real growth is that UKRL depot has taken over the former PW sidings to the extreme right and has developed their depot and maintenance facility, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30024705465/x56081-56312-56104-47843-stabled The 1911 Midland signal box closed in 1985 when the whole area was resignalled with the opening of the Leicester PSB. Notice the unusually designed pair of structures to the extreme top right that also feature in my 2022 image. Until recently they were the home to the Leicester International School which has now closed following a disastrous Ofsted report in 2017.
Keywords: Leicester North signal box MR Midland Railway

Bell Lane signal box (MR, 1891)
Quite how I managed the gall to stand in the middle of the up goods line to take this photograph of Leicester's Bell Lane signal box is lost on me now! I do not think that I had permission so it would have been a case of setting the camera up, checking for trains and nipping on to the track before the signalman had a chance to notice what was going on and take the photograph! The box is a fine example of Midland Railway Type 2b design that was opened in 1891 but has the unusual design feature of the access steps to the rear. It wears its LMS post-1935 wooden nameboard and has a couple of fire buckets hanging on the front. The box was closed in the summer of 1985 when the Syston Junction to Market Harborough MAS scheme was commissioned.
Keywords: Bell Lane signal box MR Midland Railway

Syston South Junction signal box (MR, 1911)
Taken from the southern end Syston South Junction is seen looking remarkably original right down to its finials and windows. The box was a Midland Type 4c design that replaced an earlier 1887 structure on the opposite side of the line. Closure came on 26.08.87 when the signalling from Syston to Loughborough and Frisby passed to the Leicester PSB. Notice the signalman's almost new ('W' registration was 1980/1981) nice and shiny Vespa moped parked up at the bottom of the steps waiting to whisk him home with a haze of two-stroke exhaust following at the end of what would have probably been his two-to-ten shift.
Keywords: Syston South Junction signal box MR Midland Railway

45149, 14.07 Derby-London St. Pancras (1C59), Sileby
The 1C59 14.07 Derby to St. Pancras service passes Sileby at speed going under its fine up bracket signal with its twin dolls for the up slow and fast lines. Not a great picture in really flat summer lighting but a Peak is a Peak after all! 45149 is still with us today operating, after a protracted restoration, on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30025381056/x45149-stabled-toddington-yard-gloucestershire As it is mid-August no railway embankment would be without its fine display of Rosebay Willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium) as is seen in the foreground.
Keywords: 45149 14.07 Derby-London St. Pancras 1C59 Sileby Peak

Sileby signal box (MR, 1887)
Before departing from the MML and heading east Graham and I went for just one more signal box at Sileby. Another example of putting myself in a position to take a photograph that is not now seen as being prudent and one that would never be considered today! I suspect that I was probably somewhere on the down slow line to capture this image of the 1887 Type 2b Midland box. I can find precious else about the box apart from its closure date being 11.04.87. Any further information would be appreciated.
Keywords: Sileby signal box MR Midland Railway

Frontage, Loughborough station
Dominated by the Brush factory in the background Loughborough's station frontage is a little dwarfed. This 1872 building replaced an earlier station dating from 1840. The reconstruction was in association with the quadrupling of the track from Leicester. The station is Grade II listed despite that its canopies had been cut back many years before. Notice just one car in the car park and that is our trusted Austin 1100! This view remains very similar today if one ignores the huge changes to the car parking, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30049461111/x8-frontage-loughborough-station
Keywords: Frontage Loughborough station

Loughborough signal box (MR, 1892)
I can find precious little out about Loughborough signal box. It was located just to the north of the station and I believe that this was its original full name prior to the closure of the South box. Notice the signalman's period bike leaning against the bottom of the steps. I suspect that the box closed along with others on this section of the MML in 1987.
Keywords: Loughborough signal box Midland Railway

Brush factory, Loughborough
The Brush factory adjacent to Loughborough station is seen in the afternoon sunshine. The building is familiar to those who still travel along the MML and is still present despite it general decline over recent years leading to its closure in 2018. Brush has been involved in many types of manufacturing over the years but of course is probably best known to railway enthusiasts for the traction gear fitted to many classes of locomotives such as Class 31, 47 and 45. In more recent years they had been involved in actual work on locomotives such as HSTs, class 60 and Class 92s utilising their handy rail connection.
Keywords: Brush factory Loughborough

Loughborough station
Loughborough Midland, as it was known for many years so as to differentiate it from the GCR station located a short distance away is seen looking south towards Leicester. Whilst its Victorian character is clear in this photograph it is a shame that the canopies have been cut back at some time in the past. Despite this act of architectural vandalism, the station is Grade II listed. Unfortunately, the latched footbridge seen in this view has also been removed to be replaced by a modern monstrosity! Notice how quiet the station platforms are in this early '80s Sunday afternoon view. Today off-peak weekend travel is far more frequent with Sundays becoming noticeably busier than they ever used to be.
Keywords: Loughborough station

Queniborough Signal Box (LMS, 1941)
The derelict Queniborough signal box is seen just a short distance northeast of Sytston Junction. It was constructed by the LMS in 1941 when the nearby munitions factory was expanded and in full production as part of the war effort. It is a utilitarian ARP-style concrete and brick structure designed to be blast-proof. Sometime after the war, it was closed giving it a very short working life.
Keywords: Queniborough Signal Box LMS

Melton Station signal box (LMS, 1942)
Melton Station signal box is an interesting cantilevered example of an LMS Type 11c structure dating from 1943. Notice the rather flimsy-looking flight of steps leading to the entrance door that today have, obviously, been replaced. Parked behind the box is a Plasser & Theurer tamper stabled in a siding. This area, along with where the pile of coal are seen is today part of the station car park. Also, a large new educational establishment would now dominate this view sitting plumb behind the box above the buildings to the right. Remarkably, the box is still in use today (2023) but is very much on borrowed time with it due to have closed back in 2017.
Keywords: Melton Station signal box LMS London Midland & Scottish

Melton Mowbray station
The history of stations and their various names over the years in Melton Mowbray would warrant a small essay in itself! By 1981, when this photograph was taken, this original 1846 station was opened by the Midland Counties Railway and was the only station in the town. It was designed by William Parsons and Sancton Wood but for once, they did not quite go far enough in their work with a large porte-cochère later added to the frontage as a result of competition from the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway which opened its station, Melton Mowbray North, in 1879. This evening scene shows the station with all of its infrastructure appearing to be in need of a little loving care and attention!
Keywords: Melton Mowbray station

Saxby Junction signal box (MR, 1893)
Saxby Junction was located just east of Melton Mowbray at a point where the original Syston and Peterborough Railway diverged sharply away towards the southeast and Oakham with the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway carrying on eastwards towards Little Bytham Junction, Bourne and ultimately to Spalding. This later route closed on 28.02.59 although the section between Saxby and South Witham remained open for freight with the track in place until at least the early 1970s. The superb Midland box dating from 1893 box is, alas, no longer present closing in I believe 1987 but I stand to be corrected. It was no early evening so Graham and I headed smartly cross country to Essendine to set up camp in the same spot as last year adjacent to the ECML ready for some Napier sounds!
Keywords: Saxby Junction signal box MR Midland Railway

Images 1-21 of 21 displayed.