Close call for the NNR

[fsmr]

Very lucky escape for one of the signalboxes as a car parked next to the newly positioned 106 year old box at Sheringham station catches fire and takes out 2 other cars badly scorching the timber frame, box internals are Ok though according to the NNR
full article here: Hopefully the cars insurance will cover it


http://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/news/photo_gallery_sheringham_signal_box_blaze_drama_1_2162588

Sheringham signal box blaze drama

A 106-year-old signal box suffered significant fire damage today after a blaze tore through three cars on a town centre car park.

The fire, which is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, started in a car on Station Car Park at Sheringham just before lunchtime.

It spread to two other cars and burnt the side of the signal box, a fire service spokesman said.

Eye-witness Cliff Morris, who owns the nearby Whistle Stop shop on Station Approach, said: “It all happened very quickly and there was a lot of smoke.

“There’s a nasty smell in the air now. There was a carpenter up a ladder doing some work on the signal box. He had to get down very quickly to avoid the fire.”

The blaze comes five months after the signal box was returned to the level crossing at Sheringham, 40 years after volunteers removed it to ensure its survival. It is operated by North Norfolk Railway.

The fire service spokesman said the blaze was not thought be suspicious and no-one was injured.

Victor Jones, owner of the red Citroen C4 car which initially caught fire, said: “My wife and I were just driving into the Station Road car park and there was smoke under the bonnet. I was going to get a ticket and a man was shouting, ‘Get away, get away. Your car is on fire.’ I thought the whole signal box was going to go up in smoke. It was a nightmare. I just don’t believe it.”

 

[edwin_m]

Very lucky indeed - a few minutes more and it would have been a heap of ashes. Hopefully they only need to replace a few timbers but still something a preservation group can do without (more a question of time and hassle rather than money).

Yet another way the road vehicle is now the major cause of safety risk on the railways?

 

[transportphoto]

'Tis a shame indeed, a colleague of mine was working in the box at the time, thankfully, despite a close call, no one was injured and the structure of the building remains stable. T'was only a week or two ago a gate was installed at the start of the authorised walking route to and from the box.

TP

 

[455driver]

I wonder if the car was fitted with a HDI engine?

edit-

Just looked at the link and the box could easily have gone up, a very lucky escape indeed.

 

[John Webb]

Similar information but with bigger pictures at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22252923.
Definitely a close call! (Fortunately you can't park a car close to our box!)