St Albans South Signal Box - Public Open Days in 2018

This preserved 1892 Midland Railway signal box will be open to the public on the following dates in 2018:
Sundays, 2-5pm:
January 14th
February 11th
March 11th

“The Big Weekend” (English Tourism Week conclusion)
Extended opening 10am-5pm
March 24th (Saturday)
March 25th (Sunday)

Sundays, 2-5pm:
April 8th & 22th
May 13th & 27th
June 10th & 24th
July 8th & 22th
August 12th & 26th

Heritage Open Days:
Extended opening 10am-5pm
Saturday, September 8th
Sunday, September 9th

Sundays, 2-5pm:
September 23th
October 14th & 28th
November 11th
December 9th

Entry to this award-winning project is free! (Donations welcome, of course!) All visitors receive a souvenir "Edmundson" card ticket.

The box is one of very few preserved boxes that has been restored where it worked and is still next to a busy main line.

In the garden around the box we have various working signals, colour light and semaphore - the latter can be worked by visitors. There is also a garden railway and displays of old adverts and railway signs. The ground floor of the box has a museum displaying signalling and other railway equipment, and upstairs the restored operating floor with its 44-lever frame is used to demonstrate how the box worked shortly before its closure in 1979.

2018 sees the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Midland Railway's "London Extension" from Bedford to London, and we are commemorating this with special displays.

Light refreshments are available on Open Days.

While there is level access through the garden and down a ramp to the ground floor of the box, there is a lengthy flight of 18 steps to the first floor of the box; visitors unable to use these stairs can be shown a video of the upstairs workings downstairs. Accessible toilet available.

See www.sigbox.co.uk for location information etc. Group visits other than on public Open Days can be arranged - see our website.

 

Reminder:
Extended opening at St Albans South Signal Box this weekend: 10am-5pm Sat 24th and Sunday 25th March.

FREE ADMISSION - donations always welcomed, of course!

And if you are our 20,000th visitor there will be a special treat for you!

 

The "Big Weekend" saw 350 visitors attend over the two days, but not quite enough to take us to the 20,000th visitor, although the numbers got quite close!

But on April 8th, during one of our regular open afternoons, we did have our 20,000th recorded visitor since we started counting in September 2008. The honoured visitor was a nine-year old lad from Nottingham - his family called in on their way back from Kent to their home.

All the latest on this year's activities and future open days can be found at www.sigbox.co.uk - enjoy a good read!

John Webb
(St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust)

 

Keep up the good work. A fascinating museum that I was only able to pay a fleeting visit to in 2015. Hope to go back and spend more time soon......

 

I recently received the following from John Webb. I'm sure he won't mind my copying it on here.

"Due to the nature of our site, the impossibility of having a 'one-way' system and the narrow confines of the box itself, we cannot see ourselves reopening for some time in the present circumstances.


To compensate for this we have produced several videos showing the box and surrounding garden and exhibits. Links to these videos have been posted on the home page of our website. Is there any chance you could modify our entry on your website to reflect the availability of these videos, please?

John Webb
(Publicity Officer/Trustee)"

If you like to have a look at these very interesting videos, you will find their website at www.sigbox.co.uk