Favourite photo-spots: Melton Mowbray

Many years after it was supposed to have been replaced, there remains a significant amount of mechanical signalling interest along the busy cross-country route linking Leicester and Peterborough, with six of the seven signal boxes along a 20-mile stretch of the line retaining some semaphores. 

Largest and most impressive of this half dozen is Melton Station Signal Box, a tall and attractive LMS Type 11c box, which dates from 1942 and stands west of Melton Mowbray station on the north side of the line. A total of six semaphores are among 21 working levers on its 45-lever frame, including a rarity in motor-worked up distant MN19.

That is considerably more than any of the other boxes along the section of line eastward from here to Ketton and, as this shot of the signal box diagram shows, its other semaphores comprise up outer home MN20 and home signal MN21, while in the down direction there are home signal MN30, section signal MN28 and MN45- protecting exit from the down goods loop.

What the diagram also shows is that blue and brown-painted lever 13 controls access to the famous 13½-mile long Old Dalby Test Track, which has been used for more than half a century to test new rolling stock and runs north from Melton Junction, west of the station and signal box, to Edwalton. This was part of a route to Nottingham that closed to passenger traffic in May 1967.

Once lever 13 has been pulled off by the Melton signaller, the crew of a train wanting access to the test track can then operate a ground frame controlling points at the junction and seen in this photo (above) of 170109 passing the junction with 1L40 from Birmingham New Street (12.22) to Stansted Airport.

On the day of my visit to the famous pork pie-making town (16 October 2023), one very special visitor to the Old Dalby Test Track was a train of four ex-XC HST power cars (43321/303+43357/301), which formed 0Z60 from Exeter Riverside Yard (11.00) and all destined for a new life with Colas Rail. 

It was certainly a day for HST action at Melton Mowbray as the arrival of the Old Dalby-bound quartet was preceded by celebrity retro-liveried 43184 (253051) and 43304 working from Neville Hill to Great Yarmouth (photo above), prior to being shipped off for a new life rather further afield – in Nigeria!

There was another surprise earlier in the day when Hitachi bi-mode 805003, destined for a future working along the North Wales Coast for Avanti West Coast, passed the signal box with test working 5Q33 from Oxley Carriage Sidings in Wolverhampton to Merchant Park Sidings in Darlington.

From the station platforms at Melton Mowbray the only semaphore in view is up (eastbound) home signal MN21, which stands just beyond a road over-bridge some 400 yards west of the station. Looking east from the station, both down home MN30 and MN45 controlling exit from the down goods loop are hidden behind sighting boards.

Taking a walk westwards to the Dalby Road (B6047) over-bridge gives you a chance to see trains up trains passing MN21, though it is too close to the bridge for a decent photos, while a little further west, and also on a bracket, is down section signal MN28.

Moving west to another over-bridge taking the A607 over the railway gives you a good view of Melton Junction and its ground frame, with up outer home MM20 just beyond the junction, but sadly obscured by a sighting board.

But the real prize comes by continuing west along the A607 then following a footpath to the right, which runs parallel to the railway line for some distance, and eventually brings you to a great vantage point from which to see and photograph trains passing up distant signal MN19.

Passenger traffic along the Leicester-Peterborough route comprises almost hourly and over-crowded XC Class 170-worked Birmingham New Street to Cambridge/Stansted Airport services, while regular freight traffic comprises containers or aggregates workings, almost invariably Class 66-worked.

Continuing in an easterly direction from Melton Mowbray, the other signal boxes along the route to retain some semaphore interest are Whissendine (1), Ashwell (2), Langham Junction (4), Oakham (2) and finally Ketton, where the celebrity lower quadrant Midland Railway down section signal K14 recently had its wooden arm renewed.

Huge thanks to signallers Andrew King and Adrian Barlow for arranging and hosting my visit to the signal box and for their invaluable wisdom and insights into this fascinating route.