THE story of converting the old signal box at Stockton-on-the-Forest into a residential dwelling (Opening the box, The Press, May 6) was of particular interest to me.

I was brought up living alongside the railway at the next crossing along the line towards Stamford Bridge. On leaving school I worked on this line, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather.

This very important branch line ran from York to Hull via Market Weighton. Steam locomotives, mainly of the Cambridgeshire class, hauled both goods traffic to Hull docks and passenger trains to Hull and the nearby coasts/resorts.

I remember weekend special trains to Butlins at Filey being very popular, especially during the Rowntrees factory holiday fortnight. The signal box, station master’s house and booking office, plus platforms, were actually known as Warthill Station. We were always led to believe that this was to avoid confusion with Stockton-on-Tees.

Unknown to many, this station was the very first in the country to have barriers, which completely protected Sandy Lane from the rail traffic, a forerunner of today’s automatic barriers. These barriers were operated by a wheel from the top section of the signal box coupled from the wheel, with mechanical linkage to the barriers.

This achievement appeared on BBC television news in the late 1950s. The signalman on duty at the time was Mr Stones, who lived in a cottage in the centre of Stockton-on-the-Forest. This footage will still be available in the TV archives.

In my opinion the branch line felled by the Beeching axe will never return; too much development has already been done in many areas of the original track.

If restored, the building would not affect any reconstruction, as the original two-way track ran alongside the box. The signal box did have a sign on the end, Warthill Station. It may still be about.

Ken Thorpe, Ebor Way, Upper Poppleton, York.