PHOTO GALLERY: CHESHIRE LINES COMMITTEE

Mobberley

OPENED: 1886 CLOSED: 2019

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Although opened at the same date as Knutsford East, Mobberley box is a standard Cheshire Lines Committee cabin in all respects. This design, with separate upper windows and large hipped roof, was used extensively over the period from 1873 to 1903.

Mobberley was a simple wayside station , with level crossing, on the line from Manchester across to Chester.

Inside the box is an example of the Cheshire Lines Committee’s own design of frame. This design is often attributed to Stevens & Sons, although there are no features or markings to suggest this. The size and stroke of the levers did not lend itself to easy pulling, and many boxes had the raised foot supports as seen here to assist with the pulling of distant signals and other heavy levers.

On the right is the wheel to operate the level crossing gates, which are interlocked with the lever frame through the two brown levers at the right-hand end of the frame. On one of these the signalman has placed his “lever duster”. These were standard British Railways issue to protect hands from dirty levers, or to protect levers from dirty hands, depending on the level of obsession with polishing in the box.

Most of the levers retain their original brass “pull plates” although the description plates behind them, which were probably originally hand-painted, are provided with engraved BR traffolyte plates.

The block instruments are to British Railways’ standard bakelite-cased design.

The level crossing was to be automated and the signal box abolished along with others on this section of line in 2019, but it was still there in 2020.