Last semaphores in East Anglia

66118 approaches Manea with 4L38 from East Midlands Gateway to Felixstowe North

Four years after the final demise of mechanical signalling on the delightful Wherry Lines from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft (February 2020), a continuing threat of replacement hangs over the last ten main line semaphores in East Anglia, controlled by the signal boxes at Whttlesea and Manea.

While it is well over a decade since the route from Ely to Norwich was resignalled, a total of seven signal boxes remain on the considerably busier Ely-Peterborough route, one of the very few lines on our national network where there seem to be almost as many freight workings as passenger services.

755335 passes signal W23 with 2E74 from Ipswich (10.01) to Peterborough

One of that seven – March East Junction – is a listed building and there are a few shunting arms controlled from this box and the equally magnificent March South Junction Signal Box, but the only semaphore signals on the main line are the six at Whttlesea (in a town called Whittlesey!) and the four at remote Manea.

XC 170622 passes Whittlesea Signal Box with 1N57 from Stansted Apt. (10.27) to Birmingham NS.

Beginning my day in East Anglia at Whittlesea (10 January 2024) little seems to have changed since my last visit here more than four years ago (July 2019), with the vast majority of services passing non-stop and no sign of any plans to improve the frequency of the two-hourly Greater Anglia Peterborough-Ipswich services calling at the station.

Network Rail’s Video Inspection Units VIU 4 (153384) and VIU 5 (153379) approach signal W3 while on a circuit from Cambridge that was returning from Peterborough

To the east of the spartan station an attractive green-painted 1887-vintage Great Eastern Railway signal box stands on the south side of the line and boasts a 27-lever frame. Along with the other boxes between Ely and Peterborough it had been scheduled to close in 2020, but happily it soldiers on into 2024.

XC 170620 passes signal W25 with 1N53 from Cambridge (12.00) to Birmingham New Street

In the down (westbound) direction, its trio of semaphores comprise home signal W26, starter signal (W25) which also protects the manually-worked level crossing and section signal W23, which also protects the three nearby automatic level crossings.

66735 approaches Whittlesea with 4M28 from Felixstowe North GBRf to Birch Coppice

Controlling the up (eastbound) direction, the three Whittlesea semaphores are home signal W3 (behind a sighting board), which also protects the manually-worked level crossing, up starter W4 close to the platform end and section signal W5.

XC 170109 passes signal W4 with 1L38 from Birmingham New Street (11.22) to Cambridge

From a photographic viewpoint, the best shots of passing trains are to be had from the eastern end of the up platform, as trains approach the station and signal box, but it is also worth taking the short walk to a nearby user-operated crossing on Aliwal Road, very close to signal W23.

66719 approaches Whittlesea with 4M33 from Felixstowe North GBRf to Hams Hall

Besides the Class 755-worked stopping services, the other passenger workings on this route are hourly Birmingham New Street-Stansted Airport workings, formed of XC Class 170 units and hourly East Midlands Railway services between Liverpool Lime Street and Norwich, formed by single Class 158 units.

XC 170104 passes Manea home signal M23 with 1L40 from Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport

Freight action along this route comprises an endless succession of Class 66-worked services, mainly container traffic to and from Felixstowe Docks, but also including workings to and from Whitemoor Yard at nearby March.

66560 approaches Manea with 4L85 from Tinsley Intermodal to Felixstowe North

Moving on to Manea, I am reminded that this was the very last place I visited (on 18 March 2020) before the country entered the first national COVID-19 Lockdown just days later, with people already being advised not to travel and passenger services on that day running virtually empty.

EMR 158889 passes signal M3 with 1R76 from Norwich (13.54) to Liverpool Lime Street as 158777 approaches with 1L10 from Liverpool Lime Street (10.51) to Norwich

Almost four years on and happily things are a good deal brighter today, with the station boasting a new waiting shelter on the down platform, a smart new (free, but almost empty) station car park and passenger loadings on the up, though villagers here, like those at Whittlesey, are still waiting for that hourly train service.

GA 755329 is about to call at Manea with 2E78 from Ipswich (13.58) to Peterborough

Manea is home to an 1883-vintage signal box is a Great Eastern Railway Type 3 design that boasts a 25-lever McKenzie & Holland frame and stands next to the station and level crossing, just to the east of the up (Ely-bound) platform. On this platform is a rather delightful waiting hut that is cared for by the Hereward Community Rail Partnership.

755329 accelerates away from Manea and passes 66777 with 4L13 from Hams Hall to Felixstowe

The quartet of semaphores controlled by Manea Signal Box comprises up section signal M21 and down home signal M2, both of which can be seen from the station looking south-east towards Ely, while looking west, up home signal M23 is on a bracket on the left hand side of the line, with down section signal M3 also on the south side of the line some way beyond.