Steam railway given go-ahead to rebuild demolished Victorian signal box

In September, Telford Steam Railway requested planning permission to recreate a signal box at Horsehay and Dawley station.

The original signal box was built in 1883 and served the Much Wenlock branch that ran from Wellington to Buildwas, replacing a ground frame on the platform operated by porters.

Along with the station building which housed the ticket office, toilets and waiting room, the box was demolished after the line was closed by British Rail to passenger trains in 1962.

Today, the line is operated by the Telford Steam Railway, a charity organisation run purely by volunteers that operates steam and diesel trains on Sundays and bank holidays.

The line operates from Spring Village and up and through the Horsehay summit tunnel to the station at Lawley, but the charity hopes to one day see the line link to the former Ironbridge Power Station.

The planning statement said the signal box was important to their plans, as they want to "recreate the whole of the station site as near as possible to what it was like before it was closed to the public and demolished".

Foundations for the original remain at the station, along with around two metres of the lower section of the walls. Many of the original bricks have also been reclaimed, cleaned and are ready to use.

According to the plans, the signal box will be rebuilt to be as near as possible to the original, with the exception of a wider door to allow wheelchair access.

Now, Telford & Wrekin Council have approved the plans, with their built heritage specialists concluding that the scheme "would have a positive impact on the character and appearance" of the site.