'Helpston Signal box'

Helpston signal box on the 16th August 2010

Helpston signal box is to the north of Peterborough and was built by the GNR on the East Coast Main line and it is still open today (2012) but now only controls the barriers at this level crossing.

This box opened in 1998 and replaced a earlier box. This box was made bigger in 1923. In around early 1970s the frame was removed and replced with a panel to work the gates as part of the East Coast resignalling  ready for the overhead wires. The signals were replaced with colour lights to be controlled from the then new Peterborough power box.

There was a Midland railway signal box here but that closed and the Peterborough Powerbox took over the colour light signals on the Peterborough to Leicester line here. 

Helpston is a village on the The East Coast Main Line main line just to the north of Peterborough. The ECML runs from London to Edinburgh. The G.N.R and then the L.N.E.R used to run this line be for BR. This line has now been electrified, and is one of the top railways in the U.K.

 GNER took over the Inter City trains from London to Scotland and Leeds previously run by BR. Then from December 2007 National Express took over these services. Today East Coast now runs these trains.

Also at Helpston the Peterborough to Leicester line which has run along side the ECML since Peterborough station heads westwards towards Stamford and away from ECML at the north of the village. This line runs to the rear of the GNR signal box.

The ECML down slow has used the Leicester line down line from Peterborough to Helpston be for then rejoining the ECML in front of the signal box. There are over head wires on the Leicester line down line only up to Helpston.

There was a Helpston station only on the Midland railway Leicester line here which is now closed

The rear of Helpston signal box with the Peterborough to Leicester railway line this side and the ECML on the other side of the box.

There is only a small window at the rear of the box as a Mildland Railway signal box controlled the Leicester line in the forground. One would have thought that the windows this end would have been made clear to give the gate person a better view of the road barriers were I am standing.