A former railway signal box at Hest Bank has been transformed into a community classroom for schools.
Named the ‘Box on the Bay’, it has been turned into a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) space, which includes displays showing train movements that pupils can follow live.
The London Midland Region Type 15 Box was built by British Railways and opened in December 1958, and helped to operate part of the West Coast Main Line for 55 years before being decommissioned in 2013, when control was passed to the Power Box at Preston.
Gerald Townson, Chairman of the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership said: “It has been a genuine pleasure to work together with Network Rail North West and Central to create this unique space for education about the railway and Morecambe Bay.
“I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the train operators Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express, Northern and CrossCountry for creating a community funding pot and for offering in-kind support for the project”.
The ‘Box on the Bay’ was officially opened by Amelia Routledge, Infrastructure Maintenance Delivery Manager at Network Rail last week, with guests coming from a wide spectrum of the rail industry including train operators and the Community Rail Network.
Amelia said: ‘’This is a first-of-its-kind project.
‘It was really exciting to see the decommissioned signal box turn into an educational centre that the communities can use and benefit from”.
Special guests were the school children and staff from St. Peter’s Church of England Primary School in Heysham, who thoroughly enjoyed the first sessions and activities, on rail safety and bridge construction, to be delivered at the box
Alison Dodd, Headteacher added: ‘’This workspace brings the learning from inside the classroom into a real-life perspective in such a wonderful environment”.
Brian Haworth from the Community Rail Partnership said: ‘’It’s absolutely brilliant.
‘’A core subject for bringing the children here is rail safety, part of the National Curriculum, and I can’t emphasise enough that you won’t find a better location for talking and learning about it.’
Any school interested in joining us at the ‘Box on the Bay’ should contact the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership (The Bentham Line) on 015242 98940 or email the.bentham.line@gmail.com
Further details about the ‘Box on the Bay’ and the Bentham Line can be found online at www.thebenthamline.co.uk
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