Description

1888, Great North of Scotland Railway Company (Type 2 - see Notes). Large, 10-window, rectangular-plan, timber signal box with grey slate roof. Horizontal timber weather-boarding, painted white. 3 horizontal bi-partite windows to locking room. Projecting entrance porch to W gable end; timber forestair removed. Tall brick chimney stack to rear.

6-pane glazing to timber sash and case windows (glass and astragals largely missing or damaged, 2013)

Statement of Interest

Signal boxes are a distinctive and increasingly rare building type that make a significant contribution to Scotland's diverse industrial heritage. Of more than 2000 signal boxes built across Scotland by 1948, around 150 currently survive (2013) with all pre-1948 mechanical boxes still in operation on the public network due to become obsolete by 2021.

The Elgin Centre signal box is a particularly rare survival of a once widespread box type by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company. Of more than 150 boxes built by this significant 19th century Scottish railway company, around 10 now survive. The Type 2 was the most common of the GNSR signal boxes. The former GNSR box at Knockando (now at Tamdhu Distillery - see separate listing) is an example of a GNSR Type 3 box.

The former GNSR station building at Maisondieu Road (known as Elgin East - see separate listing) closed in 1968 but is still in use as office accommodation. It was built by P M Barnett, Engineer-in-Chief, Great North of Scotland Railway in 1898. The large engine shed at Elgin Station is also listed separately.

Elgin was historically an important junction station and had a further station around 500 metres to the East, originally built by the Highland Railway. The GNSR line originally went from Elgin to Lossiemouth in addition to the present Aberdeen to Inverness route. Both stations were located a mile from Elgin town centre and improved bus services in the 20th century meant that passengers relied less on train services to travel locally.

Listed as part of the Scottish Signal Box Review (2012-13).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77782378

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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