The Rutland village of Ketton, on the Peterborough to Leicester cross-country line, still retains a traditional manual signal box. Of typical Midland Railway design, and over a hundred years old, today it has a particular claim to fame.
Personal recollections of Ketton go back to 1964 and 1965 travelling on the Seaton (Rutland) to Stamford steam push-pull service, with one of the regular engines being Standard Class 2 2-6-2t No 84008. In those days the signal box served a passenger station and goods yard bearing the name ‘Ketton & Collyweston', but the passenger service was withdrawn in 1966, by which time it was worked by Diesel Multiple Units. Later, as a Nottingham division inspector for British Rail, I regularly undertook single line working between Ketton and the next signal box, Luffenham during engineering operations.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, as Eastern Region’s King’s Cross Area Manager, a re-organisation gave me responsibility for Ketton which became a fringe signal box for the enlarged area – despite its Midland origins. It was one of only a handful of manual
boxes in our area which was
largely controlled by the power signal boxes at King’s Cross and Peterborough. While the station and yard were long gone, Ketton Cement still produced considerable rail traffic loaded in their private siding, much of it destined for a freight terminal at King’s Cross, with the signal box controlling the connection onto BR.
However, the most remarkable feature about Ketton was the Up starter signal which was still a wooden post ex Midland Railway lower quadrant, probably dating from when the signal box was commissioned around 1900. More surprising still, the signal is still in use to this day! Operationally, it is not really required with Ketton now just a ‘block post’ controlling the road crossing, but sentiment seems to have ensured its survival to become something of a celebrity as almost certainly the oldest signal still in daily use on the national rail network.
The photograph of the signal was taken from a passing train on 14 May 1988. As can be seen, it had lost the distinctive Midland finial, although happily this has been restored in recent years.
Philip Benham
Please use the box at the bottom of the page to provide a comment. Your e-mail will not be published and your comments will just be linked to this item and not used elsewhere.
[C01E, E15]