St Albans South - Open Days in 2015

[John Webb]

First Open Days of 2015:
Saturday/Sunday 10th/11th January - extended opening 10am-4pm
In parallel with the Chiltern Model Railway Exhibition at the Alban Arena - see http://www.cmra.org.uk/stalbans.html
Use the free exhibition vintage bus service to St Albans City Station - we are 5 mins walk from the bus pick-up/set-down point.
(We'll also be manning our stand, close to the exit door of the CMRA Exhibition - so come and see us there if you can't get to the box!)

Second Open Days of 2015:
Saturday/Sunday 24th/25th January - extended opening 10am-4pm
For the "St Albans Residents First" weekend - but visitors from elsewhere also very welcome!

On all open days there is the usual FREE ENTRY - donations welcomed, of course!

Working signals in the garden, museum of signalling and railway items, demonstrations of how the box worked.
NEW PHOTO DISPLAY: Stations between St Albans and St Pancras as seen through the lens of the noted photographer H C Casserly + the stations today.
Light refreshments.

More information and location map at http://www.sigbox.co.uk

Remainder of Open Day dates for 2015 to be posted soon!

John Webb
St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust

[John Webb]

The remainder of our Open Afternoons/days for 2015:
Sundays, 2-5pm:
Feb 8th
March 8th
April 12th and 26th
May 10th and 24th
June 14th and 28th
July 12th and 26th
August 9th and 23rd

Heritage Open Days - extended opening 10am-5pm*
Saturday September 12th
Sunday September 13th
(*Please note we have decided to remain open until 5pm rather than 4pm as previously advertised.)

Sundays, 2-5pm:
September 27th
October 11th and 25th
November 8th
December 13th

FREE ENTRY - donations always welcomed!
Attractions as in the posting above, but note that the photographic display of stations from St Albans to St Pancras will be changed in September for a new subject.

[John Webb]

A brief reminder that we open the 2015 Season with extended opening 10am-4pm on Sat/Sun 10th/11th January.

[John Webb]

A reminder we have extended opening 10am-4pm again on Sat 24th and Sun 25th January.

[John Webb]

A short item in the local paper resulted in 85 visitors on February 8th, about twice the number we usually get in the Winter open afternoons!

Next open afternoon: 2-5pm on Sunday 8th March.

[John Webb]

St Albans South box: Open on April 12th and 26th, 2-5pm both days.

[John Webb]

A reminder we're open this Bank Holiday weekend 2-5pm Sunday 24th May

[John Webb]

For those who couldn't make the 20th June, a reminder that our next few Open Afternoons are:
2-5pm on Sundays:
July 12th and 26th
August 9th and 23rd

[Peter Gibbons]

I'll try and get along to one of the open afternoons. The photographs alone that were posted up after the 20th June seemed very interesting to say the least.

I did go along to a 'preserved' signal box locally and was very disappointed with what I saw, plus the almost complete lack of knowledge of its members, of its workings, even guessing (incorrectly) when the box was abolished by some 20 years.

[John Webb]

Peter - I won't be around on the 12th July - I'm travelling on the Branch Line Society's "Thameslink Tracker" special that day to publicise the box, which they'll be passing a couple of times on their trip. But my equally knowledgeable colleagues will be on duty if you make it!

[Richard Pike]

With a working VT1 on display?

[Pete2320]

With a working VT1 on display?

Didn't notice one of these on the forum visit but we do have a VL1 in service at Embsay!

Pete

[John Webb]

Thanks to Richard Pike we have acquired a couple of signalling relays to add to the collection since the 20th of June, but getting them working will probably be done in the winter months when it's cold and wet outside and I want to have an excuse to be indoors! Hopefully after the next week or two I'll get round to posting an update - but the approach to the holiday period seems to be bringing a last flurry of visits and events that we're involved with, which distract us from working on the exhibits.

[Pete2320]

Thanks to Richard Pike we have acquired a couple of signalling relays to add to the collection since the 20th of June, but getting them working will probably be done in the winter months when it's cold and wet outside and I want to have an excuse to be indoors! Hopefully after the next week or two I'll get round to posting an update - but the approach to the holiday period seems to be bringing a last flurry of visits and events that we're involved with, which distract us from working on the exhibits.

In that case, the VT1 might well have come via Embsay in which case it is from Manchester Victoria East.

Pete

[John Webb]

Advance Notice:
Extended Open Days (10am-5*pm)
Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September
In connection with the National Heritage Open Days weekend.
(*Changed from 4pm as previously advertised.)

Besides our usual demos and exhibits, there will be rides on a both a steam railway and behind a miniature traction engine.

But if it's anything like last year, when we had 600+ visitors over the two days, there won't be much time to stop and chat. We were running the upstairs demos in shortened fashion every 25 minutes and still had queues outside for the next one for much of the day!

(Please note we are NOT open on the Bank holiday weekend 30/31st August)