Home > Photo Gallery > March West Junction

March was one of those curious stations where all four points on the compass were represented in signal box names, and shares the unusual possibility with Sleaford whereby it was possible to pass all four on one train journey!

Here we see the West Junction box, the smallest of the four, located on the Peterborough line controlling the corner of a triangle that primarily allowed freight from the west to access Whitemoor yards.

The architecture was an 1884 development from the type illustrated at Attleborough but, whilst retaining the mainly brick construction, it took on ornate features from the 1882 type shown at Mistley. It would seem the Great Eastern were, at this time, distinctly undecided on decoration levels. What is most intriguing is that the mock stonework in the gables, the fancy window design and the decorated bargeboards can also be seen in Barry Railway boxes, like that at Barry, quite a few years later.

This style of box was used between 1884 and 1889. Most were built by Saxby & Farmer - a different type was built by McKenzie & Holland during the same period.

March West Junction, with its original 27-lever Saxby & farmer frame, closed on 29th November 1987 when the control of the triangle was centralised on March East Junction box.

All photographs copyright © John Hinson unless otherwise stated