Jowen

Hi there Jowen its great to hear about your first hand contact with Elton and Elworth and thank you so much for the kind comments concerning the O Gauge layout Elton Crossing. Basically many years ago I came across the signal box along with the one at Hassall Green in the mid 1970's after closure of the line due to a tanker train derailment which split the tracks just near to the M6 overpass, at this point in time the Hassall box had passed to Cheshire County Council but the Elton box was still on the British Rail Property Board asset registrar. Now being employed by BR then I purchased the signal box on a scrap timber requisition order via Derby Disposals for the princely sum of £60, there was a bit of coughing and spluttering with BR because they didn't know the structure still existed and swore blind it had been demolished when the line was lifted in 1971. Anyway after a bit of toing and froing my purchase was accepted on a general tender and I passed the cabin over to a group of preservationists who all chipped in to help with the cost of purchase and removal which was undertaken by an old friend of mine Ian Bowland. The signal box now resides on the Churnet Valley Railway at Cheddleton. Now the last signalman at Elton was Jack Winkle who lived up on Biddulph Moor, Jack finished his signalman's career at Barlaston Crossing I think in 2004, when the old mechanical box there was abolished in 1985 he was transferred to the replacement portacabin which had a mini panel fitted to control the road crossing as the new barriers couldn't be operated as AHB's due to the Power Box at Stoke being on full capacity and that Norton Bridge was also earmarked for abolition too.