Brimscombe crossing box, near Stroud, Gloucestershire
Client: Network Rail
Project Overview
Brimscombe crossing box, near Stroud, Gloucestershire
Service: Commercial & Retail Refurbishment
Sector: Heritage & Conservation, Rail
- Approved Contractor: MLG UK Ltd
- Client: Network Rail
- Duration: 3 months, with the crossing box in service throughout
- Work Carried Out: Heritage joinery, timber replacement machined to match, heritage decoration
Scope of Work
Every rotten timber in the heritage crossing box at Brimscombe was cut out and replaced with new timber machined to match what came off, the same sizes, the same shapes, the same profiles, and the box was redecorated in its heritage colours. It stayed in operation the whole way through.
- All rotten timber removed and replaced
- Replacement timber machined to match the existing sections in size, shape and style
- Full redecoration to the heritage colour scheme
- The crossing box remained fully operational throughout
Systems installed
- Timber: New timber machined to match the existing sections in size, shape and profile
- Decoration: Full redecoration to the heritage colour scheme
Challenges & Constraints
Cannot be closed
A crossing box controls a level crossing and is manned. The railway and the road both keep running, which rules out the simple version of the job, strip it, rebuild it, hand it back.
Sizes you cannot buy
Sections that old are not dimensions available off the shelf, so the rotten timber could not simply be swapped for the nearest standard section.
Rot through heritage fabric
Every rotten timber had to come out of an operational heritage building with people working inside it.
Project Execution & Techniques
All rot cut out
Every rotten timber in the crossing box was cut out and replaced rather than patched over.
Machined to match
Replacement timber was machined to match the originals rather than specified from a catalogue, size, shape and profile taken off what was removed.
Replaced in sections
Work was sequenced around the box staying manned and operational, taking out and replacing timber in sections rather than opening up the structure.
Heritage colours reinstated
The box was fully redecorated to its heritage colour scheme.
Outcome & Long-Term Benefits
Never out of service
The crossing box remained fully operational throughout the refurbishment.
Matched, not patched
The new timber matches the original sections in size, shape and profile, so the repair reads as part of the building.
Heritage colours back
Reinstating the heritage colour scheme in full is the difference between a building that has been repaired and one that has been brought back.
Recognised by the sector
The completed work was recognised by the railway heritage sector.
Conclusion
A manned crossing box cannot be closed for its own refurbishment, and heritage timber cannot be replaced from a catalogue. Both constraints applied at Brimscombe, so the work was done in sections around an operational building, with replacement timber machined to match the profiles that came off it.
The rot was cut out, the timber matched and the heritage colour scheme reinstated in full, with the box in service the whole way through. It is the same heritage-timber capability MLG applied to the machined purlins and rafters at Swindon and the imported specialist timbers at Chippenham.
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