QUICK LINKS

Caverswall

PHOTO GALLERY: LONDON, MIDLAND & SCOTTISH RAILWAY

Caverswall

OPENED: 1942, CLOSED: —-

Click or tap the images for enlarged views

Not every box built during the second world war was built to the sturdy but bland design seen at Greetland No2, so it must be assumed that the government coffers subsidising the construction of this type were not always open!

Caverswall SB, 1976
John Hinson

Caverswall, opened in 1942 when new goods loops were provided to help handle the increased wartime traffic, was a standard LMS type (like Kettering Junction) with the only concession to wartime economies being the absence of locking-room windows.

Most signal boxes have the staircase facing trains, for safety reasons, but here it is positioned at the other end to allow the box to be as close as possible to the level crossing it controls.

Caverswall SB, 1976
John Hinson

As might be expected, the frame is of the LMS standard REC type, but instead of the small steel Midland-style lever badges, larger bakelite plates manufactured in a keyhole shape have been provided. Each is coloured to match its lever, and those on the detonator placing levers even have chevrons on. This type was introduced during the war, because all the levers were initially painted grey as an economy measure, and the only indication of function was the colour of the lever badge.

Interestingly, both of the levers working the power-operated points at the far end of the loops (those with the shortened handles) are painted black. Normal convention would be for the top half of the lever to be painted blue to indicate the integral Facing Point Locks in the motors.

Although the track layout and lever frame was at this time in very original, almost everything above block shelf level dates from BR days.

Caverswall is located south of Stoke-on-Trent on the Derby line. It was scheduled to close in 2016 but at the time of writing (2020) it remains in use.