A RESTORED relic of a town’s railway heritage has been give a huge cash boost aimed at pulling in more visitors.

A £15,000 handout from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Test Valley Borough Council will be used to build a new visitor reception and display area at Romsey Signal Box, which has been restored to its former glory by enthusiasts.

They didn’t want to see it demolished after it became redundant in 1982 when modern signalling was introduced on the Southampton to Salisbury line. Cash will also go towards improved marketing and recruiting more volunteers.

President of the Friends of Romsey Signal Box Dick Hewett said the award could not have come at a better time because March 6 is the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Sprat and Winkle Line. It was at Romsey Junction – the division of tracks to Eastleigh, Southampton and Salisbury – where the box once stood and the Sprat and Winkle (Andover to Redbridge line) disappeared in September 1964 just short of its 100th birthday.

“It’s absolutely fantastic that we have been awarded these grants. They will enable us to take the whole project to another level with a far more professional presentation to visitors and make it easier to cope with the larger number of visitors we hope will come to visit us.

“Together with the generous contributions from Croudace Ltd, who have built the base of the building for us, and BHM Electrical, who will be installing the electricity supply and fittings, it has given us a real injection of self-confidence and renewed enthusiasm,” said Mr Hewett, who oversees fundraising, open days and work at the Plaza Parade-based signal box, which is in the grounds of the former Romsey Infant School.

It was opened to the public on a regular basis in 1992 after being taken on by Romsey and District Buildings Preservation Trust ten years earlier after it was no longer required by British Rail.

Although it is no longer connected to the mainline the box is now back in full working order as it would have been at the time of its decommissioning 33 years ago.

The new visitor reception building and display area is aimed at providing more space for visitors and to house a mobile miniature signal box, which can be taken on the road to other venues where the public can gain more knowledge about the equipment.

“Romsey Signal Box is probably unique in the UK. Nowhere else in the UK can members of the public enter an operational signal box and do everything from pulling levers to make signals work to operating a full simulated train service and everything in betw een,”

added Mr Hewett, who paid tribute to Croudace Ltd’s generosity for installing the base of the new building free of charge.

John Johnson from Croudace, which is building new homes on the former Romsey Infant School adjoining the signal box site, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to make this contribution to the development of the signal box site, which we see as a really interesting feature at the end of our new development.”