Shrewsbury's 'big daddy' signals joy for enthusiasts
Shrewsbury's massive signal box is flagged up as a rare surviving gem of the British railway system in a new book which salutes the network's rapidly disappearing semaphore signalling system.
Lifelong transport enthusiast Gareth David puts the Shrewsbury signal box at the top of his personal top 20, saying it is the "biggest – and simply the best."
He adds: "For the sheer joy of appreciating mechanical signalling in action, there can surely be no better place in Britain to visit than Shrewsbury.
"Here, no less than three major signal boxes can be seen from the station platforms. The majority of signalling remains mechanical and there is not only a curious mix of upper and lower quadrant signals, but you will find two extremely rare wooden arms, the likes of which I have only ever seen at Liskeard and Droitwich Spa."
Book author Gareth says that while it was originally intended to replace all mechanical signalling by the millennium, numerous outposts of the old ways remain.
