Upgrade for decades-old listed Garsdale signalbox
GARSDALE'S 111-year-old Grade II* listed signalbox on the Settle and Carlisle line is being upgraded as part of a £500,000 Great North Rail Project investment.
Starting on June 14, work is underway to upgrade the structural timbers and outside cladding, and fit a new roof and windows. The electronics will also be repaired.
The work has been planned so that the signalbox can continue operating to keep trains moving.
Mark Rand, vice-president of the Friends of the Settle to Carlisle line, said: “We welcome the forthcoming improvements to Garsdale signalbox which was opened in July 1910, replacing two earlier boxes at what was then the very busy Hawes Junction. Besides being a junction, it was where pilot engines could detach after assisting heavy trains over the ‘Roof of England', turn round and return to their sheds at Hellifield to the south or Carlisle to the north.”
Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern, said: “The Settle and Carlisle line is one of the most beautiful routes in the UK and we're extremely proud to have it as part of our network.
“This restoration and upgrade shows the real value of the Great North Rail Project and the work of all partners to not only improve the railway but to also to keep alive its vital and historically important link to the past.”