Signal restoration carried out on Nene Valley Railway thanks to £11k donation

The Eastern Region Semaphore, which was originally recovered from Drench Drove Station in 1982, is one of the most important and visible signals along the route but has recently been deemed by technicians to be unmaintainable.

Consequently, a financial donation of £11,296 from local construction specialist the Mick George Group has permitted the necessary upgrades to be completed, allowing for the historic exhibit to safely control the operational railway once again.

As well as the 60,000 visitors that are attracted to the Nene Valley Railway’s facilities each year, all local residents and communities will be able to witness the signal transformation and be reminded of the heritage signalling capabilities that are apparent from the destination.

Plans are now being formulated to address similar issues with two other signals.

Keith Parkinson, signal and telecomm manager at Nene Valley Railway, said: “We’re very grateful to the Mick George Group for their contribution, as well as to the other groups that have ensured the operational line remains safe while the project has been in-running.”