A few signal boxes weren't really signal
boxes at all, being incorporated into the station buildings. The Southern
Railway undertook a number of box staff-saving schemes in the nineteen-thirties
where they were able to close existing boxes and transfer the control to a
location where other duties around the station could also be carried out.
At Betchworth the station house was situated conveniently by the level crossing, and therefore proved ideal for conversion of the lower floor to a signal box.
Betchworth is located on one of the few non-electrified lines on the former Southern Region, between Redhill and Guildford. The level crossing was situated at the foot of a steep hill down from Boxhill, and every signalman there had a tale to tell of demolition of the gates by runaway vehicles.
As the
signal box was in the former station house at Betchworth, there was little room
beneath the lever frame to accommodate the interlocking for the levers.
Therefore, a frame of a type designed for outdoor use at ground frames was
used. These were always known as "knee" frames because the quadrant plates
(which would normally be at ground level) were nicely in line with the
signalman's knee, and could give a nasty bruise to the unwary. The interlocking
of these frames, which were generally manufactured by Stevens & Sons or the
Railway Signal Company, was usually along the back of the frame or a few inches
below floor level, under the signalman's feet. This example is believed to be
of Railway Signal Company manufacture.