Barking and District Historical Society

Go to content

Main menu

Barking Signal Box

Articles > Barking & Dagenham

Visitors to Barking Signal Box
1961-1993
Bill George


Bidding on the Ebay auction online site recently I won a visitors’ book for Barking Signal Box for a few pounds.  I briefly looked at the rather dog eared and stained book as soon as it arrived and was surprised to see the number of  visitors and where they came from. The visitors were mainly local to Barking, London and the Home Counties and many worked on the railway in some capacity. Others came from much further afield. A note written into the margin of the visitor book against  the entry for 16th March 1968 reads "Visitors to date 395". The yearly number of visitors is shown in the table below.


Year

Visitors

Total

 

Year

Visitors

Total

 

Year

Visitors

Total

1961

72

72

 

1971

11

411

 

1982

0

487

1962

151

223

 

1972

2

413

 

1983

0

487

1963

65

288

 

1973

9

422

 

1984

2

489

1964

37

325

 

1974

23

445

 

1985

0

489

1965

43

368

 

1975

15

460

 

1986

0

489

1966

14

382

 

1976

7

467

 

1987

0

489

1967

8

390

 

1977

1

468

 

1989

2

491

1968

4

394

 

1978

6

474

 

1990

1

492

1969

4

398

 

1979

8

482

 

1991

4

496

1970

2

400

 

1980

3

485

 

1992

1

497

1971

11

411

 

1981

2

487

 

1993

3

500

Barking Signal Box Visitors’ Book 1961-1993


Many visitors came from overseas, including the following places:


 

Some Visitors' Place of Origin

Canada

Chile

Egypt

France

Germany

India

Indonesia

Japan

Nigeria

Norway

Russia

Scotland

South Africa

Sweden

Switzerland

Turkey

USA

Yugoslavia

Several groups arranged visits to the signal box. For example 8 members of the South East Essex Railway Society toured  on 20th June 1961only a few months after the opening. Ten members of the Railway Club turned up on 24th March 1962 while 8 members of the Barking Model Railway Society visited on 18th July 1974. The Electric Railway Society also visited. Members of staff  from "Trains Illustrated" and "Rail News" also called at the box. Representatives of several railway companies arranged tours including the India Railways, Nigerian Railway, Norwegian State Railways Corporation and Rhodesian Railways.

Local Government Officers and Civil Servants from the Ministry of Transport toured. The Lord Bishop of Barking visited on 10th November 1961 while the Mayor of Dagenham for 1963/1964 was shown around the signal box during his Mayoralty.

Several companies visited including Handley Page, Ford Motor Company, Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd., Tate & Lyle Refineries Ltd., Southend Airport, Associated Portland Cement and Samuel Williams & Sons Ltd.


Page from Visitors' Book for 1963/1964


Signal controllers, Transport Police, Station Masters, Station announcers, including the Chief Announcer – Eastern Region, and 11 members of the RASC, Aldershot also made visits to the signal box.  Apprentices occasionally visited, presumably as  part of their training.

One visitor gave their address as British Museum. Academics or students from the University of Exeter, Imperial College, Thurrock Technical College and the City of London College visited.

From the mid-70s some of the entries become rather silly, offensive and not politically correct. Apparently a Martian and several eskimos visited!

At the back of the book a heading reads "Operating Staff Barking Master Cabin opened 27th March 1961". Visiting staff are listed. From 1972 until 1978 there are 10 pages of flippant and some derogatory remarks about tea making. The last entries date from  January 1993.

This rather tatty visitors’ book is an interesting reminder of a possibly unexpected Barking visitor attraction. At least 500 people from many places with varied occupations visited. Do any of our members remember visiting the signal box? If so  it will be interesting to have some personal recollections of what fascinating sites were to be seen.


Operating Staff Barking Master Cabin
(Opened 27th March 1961)


Back to content | Back to main menu