Birmingham New Street ( A retrospective look)

In this video we take a look at the former Birmingham New Street Power Signalbox, which controlled over a thousand trains a day through the Birmingham area from 1966 to 2022, when control passed to the new West Midlands Rail Operating Centre based in Saltley.
Thanks to our colleagues in Network Rail we get to see the old operating floor of the power-box and its associated relay room and a little of the history of how it all worked.
As of 2024 , the power-box is still used by Network Rail operations and there are plans to refurbish it as a training and meeting facility in line with its historic grade 2 listed status.
We would like to thank Network Rail Community Relations and John Korbes of Network Rail Operations for letting us see behind the scenes of this iconic building.
For more information regarding the control systems mentioned in the video , please see below’s link
webinfo.uk/web...

[@jimmillington8299]

I worked in the Panel Room 83-89 as announcer. A dream job for a train crank! Great camaraderie.

[@paged76]

Best place I have ever worked. I’m now working in Birmingham ROC but still covering the New St workstations. It’s just not the same.

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@paged76 I quite like the relative solitude of any box plus the ability to look out a window, it’s a big modal shift working in a Roc, watching folks move about desk to desk using ARS or the Trust to tell you where everything goes, modernisation

[@ben2692]

I did some work experiance with network rail back in 2008 and was given a day in the signal box. The guys actually took the time to explain things and allowed me to set points and signals was awesome.

[@NigelCrisp-b9v]

Thank for this tour of this box. It's been most interesting. As a matter of fact It's listed status should include not just the building but all of the equipment Inside as this is part of history as well.

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@NigelCrisp-b9v it’s odd to think black tiles and black grout as being listed but it does have that Cold War feel to it, plus the very large fire doors

[@markgr1nyer]

I went up there in 2018 as part of my senior conductor training. See how the other half live type thing. I was like a kid in a sweet shop in awe of it having being playing simsig for years

[@doctortinkle3834]

Incomprehensible to me but fascinating. I’ve walked and driven past that building lots of times and would have loved a peek inside.

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@doctortinkle3834 it’s the magic behind it that’s the fun part.

[@johncherrington6080]

In the early 90s I worked at New Street and went into the box on a regular basis. I recall that the first time I wnet in and watched the signallers going about their business I was amazed at how they appeared to press a button here and anothed there setting up routes without ever seeming to refer to any documentation. To say I was impressed was an understatement.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

‘Old’ New Street - I travelled from it and to it a lot in my youth - mainly to and from Newcastle. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I hated it because it was actually an inconvenience with its escalators and stairs down to the platforms. I loved it because, when I was very young, I could get onto a train pulled by a Deltic - my all-time favourite locomotive. I remember the signal box well. Personally I like Birmingham’s 60s architecture- the Rotunda, the old library and so on. It smacked of ‘the white heat’ of 60s Britain, and it’s a shame that a lot of examples of 60s architecture have been raised. Good to see the signal box preserved.

[@sunjamm222]

I remember working on those MK1 Westpac units. They weight a ton and so so easy to damage when moving about. Those pins where a pain. What is missing is the old Westronic system to the outer relay rooms. Replaced by Vaughan's systems.

[@rbrwr]

I applied for that open day and didn't win. Glad you got a camera inside so we could all see.

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@rbrwr yes I did too, as you say it’s on camera for posterity 🫡

[@mickjenkinson9680]

The panel should be preserved

[@74HC138]

I'd love to see that panel preserved, running a simulator, so it could still be experienced in a "working" condition.

[@Allan-bp3gj]

I was one of the original S&T when the box was came into use, I think I am the only one left, good days in the box and Westpac Mk1 was good apart from when they ot a fault in them and had to be changed

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@Allan-bp3gj legendary status there sir , bet you’ve got some memories of the w years on h t e job 🤗

[@cedarcam]

Hopefully some of the MK1 equipment will be saved being all there is left of that system. It is a shame the panel will most likely be scrapped as well.

[@nkpanathan]

Love these videos, but please make sure people hide their ID badges when you are filming them :) thanks for the videos!

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@nkpanathan we already thought of that John was happy to be recorded , I’d already asked about that

[@simonhodgetts6530]

‘Old’ New Street - I travelled from it and to it a lot in my youth - mainly to and from Newcastle. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I hated it because it was actually an inconvenience with its escalators and stairs down to the platforms. I loved it because, when I was very young, I could get onto a train pulled by a Deltic - my all-time favourite locomotive. I remember the signal box well. Personally I like Birmingham’s 60s architecture- the Rotunda, the old library and so on. It smacked of ‘the white heat’ of 60s Britain, and it’s a shame that a lot of examples of 60s architecture have been raised. Good to see the signal box preserved.

[@irseminorrailwayssection9491]

@@simonhodgetts6530 deltics. Bet you got some good views of them powering out the station from the box