Telford Steam Railway has plans for a signal box so visitors can see what the station was like before it closed

The Horsehay and Dawley signal box was built in 1883, with the Much Wenlock branch line running from Wellington to Buildwas.

At Buildwas, the line joined the Bridgnorth to Kidderminster line. It continued from Buildwas to Craven Arms to link up with the Shrewsbury to Hereford/Cardiff line.

The line and associated buildings was originally owned by Great Western Railway (GWR) before British Rail took it over. However, it was closed to passenger trains in 1962.

The railway is currently run by Telford Steam Railway, a charity organisation that runs steam and diesel days on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter until the end of September, as well as Christmas specials.

“The signal box is important, as we want to recreate the whole of the Horesehay and Dawley Station site as near as possible to what it was like before it was closed to the public and demolished,” said Paul Sanderson of Telford Steam Railway.

“The box has nine lever frames that operated signals for the station but also the extensive goods yard at Horsehay. The foundations for the box still exist along with approximately two metres of the lower station of the walls.

“Many of the original bricks have been reclaimed from the site and cleaned ready to be used. The intention of the Telford Steam Railway is eventually, as and when funds allow, to rebuild the station buildings.

“The original platform is still in place and used on a regular basis during the operating season. The signal box would not be operational in the first instance, but would be open to the public to view it with the lever frames and other equipment in place to simulate as near as possible what it would have looked like.”