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Brierfield Station box represents the next development in Saxby & Farmer's northern England designs from Rufford. In 1874, an additional small row of glazing was added above the main panes - although you will have to use a little imagination as all of the extra upper and lower glazing has been boarded over in this photograph. The upper glazing would have been similar to that at Malden Crossing; this feature had been found on southern England designs since 1868.

Brierfield Station was one of relatively few boxes built to this design. The station is to be found on the Lancashire & Yorkshire's Burnley to Colne line. At one time this linked at end-on at Colne with the Midland Railway, forming a through route to Skipton, but these days it is just a dead-end single-line branch operated under One-Train Working.

When new, the box was provided with a 26-lever Saxby & Farmer frame, but the L&Y replaced this with a 32-lever one of their own type in 1902. In the later years of the box, this was shortened to 12 levers.

The box has outlived its siblings along this line and has been retained to control the adjoining level crossing. It was reduced to Gate Box status on 7th December 1986 and at the same time the lever frame was removed and the signalling is now controlled by a handful of switches.

Saxby and Farmer's next development in design came in 1876, when the northern England designs were brought even more in line with those used in the south, an example of which can be seen at Clayton West Station.

All photographs copyright © John Hinson unless otherwise stated