Goodbye Lime Street Signal Box

Lime Street signal box was built in 1948 to a wartime LMS design. It has a Westinghouse 'L' power frame with 95 miniature levers. This is one of only two miniature lever frames remaining on Network Rail, the other being at Maidstone East.

The last passenger train to be controlled by the box is scheduled to depart at 19:49 this evening.  In due course the signalling will be decommissioned.  The area will be controlled from the Rail Operating Centre at Ashburys, Manchester when it re-opens on 30 July.

Elsewhere in Lime Street station, there was very little activity visible in the southern train shed this afternoon, most of the work going on was at the throat end of the station:

All over the station new signals are up and ready, and already lit.  These are the 'starters' for platforms 3 and 4 (new numbers):

LS91 stands at the end of platform 1 with just a few more hours of operation ahead:

Lime Street Work Continues

Work is proceeding at Lime Street.

In the northern shed only one departure signal remains - LS91 is still in use at the end of platform 1, all the others have been removed.  LS91 will also go in a couple of week's time.  Work on the extension of the platform 2/3 island is getting on, the wall on the north side extends all the way to the tunnel mouth:

Instructions for the workers are painted on the platform!

The temporary signals have only a couple of weeks more before they are removed:

Elsewhere in the station and throat, the overhead is almost all shiny new copper, platform 7 (old number) has been resurfaced and work is going on everywhere.

Lime Street Phase Two Progress

Liverpool Lime Street re-opened to trains today, with a limited service operating from platforms one and two along a single line to Edge Hill.  This is exactly the same temporary arrangement as operated in October last year.

I took a ride into town to see how work is progressing.

As you can see, the tracks to platform 2 (old number) have been lifted and the only access to that platform is by the temporary crossover from platform 1 (old number).  Construction of the extension and widening of the platform 2 and 3 (old numbers) island is well under way and has already obliterated the original access to platform 2.

The new edge for platform 4 (old number) is well on it way to completion, although there's a gap at the concourse end:

Meanwhile, on the other side of the station an array of on-track machinery is parked in platforms 8 and 9 (new numbers):

Finally, on the concourse work on the former Burger King and Coopers bar is progressing.  I believe this is to become the Virgin customer service office and first class lounge:

"New" Train

A Class 323 unit was out and about on driver training duties today.  The schedules have been in the timetable for a few weeks but I think today is the first time they've actually operated.

I took a couple of photos at Huyton:

Lime Street Update

Lime Street was closed on Sunday to allow a couple of changes to take place.  Platform 4 has closed for widening work, and the widened platform 6 has re-opened.

Parts of platform 4 have been demolished already, and the track has been lifted.  (When rebuilt, this will be platform 3)

Platform 6, which was annoyingly narrow in places, has been widened by moving the track into where the siding was.  It will be numbered 5 when the whole project is complete.