L & B INFRASTRUCTURE

With pilton yard being earmarked as the possible terminus for the L&BR in the southern end as the line can't go any further due to development on the old trackbed,it would seem that the pilton yard signal box which is still in existence,wont actually be needed on the revived L & BR as no rail traffic will actually be going any further than the yard itself,to use it anywhere else on the line would be out of context with the heritage of the line so,if rescued it might as well be restored and placed somewhere where it can be viewed by enthusiasts,i was thinking maybe on some spare ground at snapper,i wonder what others views are on this?

 

Would in not be usefull controlling the loop at Blackmoor Gate....

 

Why wouldn't there be a signal box at the terminal station?

 

Two possibilities:
1. Leave it where it is and use it as a museum/kids' hands on experience with (non-connected) signal
levers, etc
2. Move it to a busier location such as Blackmoor Gate or Wistlanpound, Chelfham, etc
Snapper seems a non-ideal location as there won't be traffic there for along time, and even then it wouldn't need a box, surely?

 

It's in a private garden at the moment

 

Does that mean that it is owned by the owner of said private garden? If so, no doubt they are going to have a significant say in what happens to it.

 

Yes it is owned by the home owner at the moment but it will be coming into my possession hopefully in the very near future and yes there are conditions attached

 

Well if Meatman is buying it then that answers why he's suggesting Snapper. Andy is an Exmoor Associates supporter (and, it would seem no particular fan of the current L&B Trust management). Exmoor Associates own Snapper; Andy rebuilt the L&B hut there (and made a fine job of it too).
If EA want to make something more of a visitor attraction at Snapper then the signal box could be a useful addition. However in the medium term, with the extension to Wistlandpound, it would make much more sense to locate the box somewhere along the line. Perhaps by then there will be a general rapprochement between all L&B supporters (maybe even the pioneer and the engineer!!), and the signal box can come into its own again: controlling signals and turnouts?

 

you are correct in that i am not a fan of ,not all but only some of the current trust management but as i said,there will be conditions from the current owner as he is giving the signal box to me and at present it is not to go to the trust due to the way he was treated a few years ago,my hands are tied but rather than just dismantle it and store it in my garage i would like to see it restored and erected somewhere where enthusiasts can enjoy it

 

Life's just too short for all these little spats that plague railway preservation. Thin-skinned folk come up against thick-skinned, and slights imagined or otherwise ensue! In this case what's needed, it seems, is not a location for the box, but a way to reconcile signal box current and future owners with the L&B Trust, otherwise the box will never be useable on the extended line...
Suck it up, and be the bigger person

 

I'd use it at Blackmoor or store it. Putting it somewhere else for enthusiasts that is away from the L&B will just end up dividing the spoils as it were, and I really think there's a real risk of a WHHR/FR situation developing. For the love of the L&B we all need to work together

And for reference that genuinely means working together - not telling one side to suck it up.

 

It's not a case of suck it up and be the bigger person, that sounds like the attitude of some of the trustees who incidentally caused the issue with the current owner, I've spent the last few years working on a deal with the owner and his insistance is that it doesn't go to the Trust due to the attitude they had a few years ago, it's nothing to do with EA or the fact that I volunteer for them, in fact, EA don't even know I'm getting the box I'm beginning to think that once dismantled I might as well treat the wood and store it in my garage

 

Having broadcast the fact on this forum I rather assume EA will know that you’re getting the signal box. What a curious thread this is.

 

Yes, it seems really odd to ask people where they'd put the box and then say you can only put it on nonL&B Trust land. Andy has posted the same sort of thing on the L&B group (ex-yahoo), even starting off with a 'wonder what we'd do if the Pilton box were available', when he knew all along that it was! I'd be interested to learn when or if the original owner ever did talk with any current L&B trust people, or if whoever upset them (if that even happened) is still an officer.

With all due respect to SpudUK, the bigger person is the one who lets go of the grudge first - I was simply suggesting that Andy would gain brownie points by being that person.

 

two things,firstly the present owner offered the box to the trust and he has informed me of the reasons why the deal fell through,although i had heard of this before,the owner has offered me the box after quite a bit of negotiation but on the understanding that it doesnt go to the trust,
secondly,i will honour this guys wishes purely through common decency because he is entrusting the box to myself,its nothing to do with holding a grudge and i certainly dont give a toss about brownie points,i just want it restored and put on show somewhere for people to see,funny how everyone comes out with the knives for EA when they didnt even know i was in contact with this guy

 

There are clearly some differences here, and some axes to grind. The comment wasn't meant to be antagonistic, simply an observation. Anyway, surely the bigger person is not the one who abandons the grudge first, but the one who reaches out with the olive branch in the spirit of friendship, forgiveness, and reconciliation?

 

If anyone is holding a grudge it would seem to be the present owner. He could be saying "Sod the lot of you" and hanging on to it or, worse, destroying it. Instead he's offering it to EA. Isn't that fair enough?

 

As Andy has made clear above, the owner is not offering it to EA but personally to Andy on condition that it never ever is placed on the operating railway (i.e. L&B Trust land).

This is my last comment on this, as further discussion risks being unproductive

 

The important thing is that the box is going to be saved for future use, over time peoples attitudes may change ,
past mistakes can effect the future of any re opening project and people in my view need to be mindful of longer term issues before they wind up that other person or landowner because they can't help themselves, these things can and do come back to bite you, Some times its better to agree to disagree but remain talking, build relationships , at least that way you can talk people round, or offer a solution if your after a parcel of land and the land owner would prefer you too divert your intended route to lessern the impact to say the margin of a field than going right through the middle.

 

Out of interest, what is the condition of the box, Andy? Do you have a photo?

We have all heard of acts of vandalism related to signal boxes. I would be concerned about the welfare of such an historically important wooden structure left out in a non secure place. Logically its place is by the restored L and B, just for security. If this is off the table subject to the current owners conditions then another secure site would be preferable. Snapper would seem a bit vulnerable and remote. Chelfham would be more secure but difficult to get the box into.

In the short term, how about a museum? I was thinking NRM, to go with Coach 6992; secure, safe from fire, will not deteriorate further.

At some point in the future, however, it really should return to operational use.