The Film Archive of Railway Signalling & People

Stockport Corridor

The geographic location of the signal boxes can be seen on a current OS Map. The map will place Stockport at the centre of the map panel and other locations can then be selected by use of the Gazetteer or simply scrolling around. Roll the mouse over the icon(s) to reveal what they represent. Increase the scale using the scale selector on the left to separate closely positioned icons.

The Stockport area contains some of the busiest surviving mechanical signal boxes left on the British rail network. Within just over a mile of railway through Stockport, there are five signal boxes all with working lever frames. From south to north these are: Edgeley Junction No. 1, Edgeley Junction No. 2, Stockport No. 1, Stockport No. 2 and Heaton Norris Junction.

A variety of non-standard bell codes are used for routeing purposes. For example, a class 1 train to or from the Sheffield line is signalled 4-1-4 instead of the usual bell code 4. A link to the list of applicable bell codes is provided for each box.

FARSAP has been lucky enough to film at all five boxes. Edgelely Number 2 in 2015 and the others in 2025.

The five videos are intended for viewing at a maximum screen resolution of 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high. Please be aware that viewing at a larger size may result in a loss of clarity and a 'grainy' appearance.

Edgeley Junction No. 1

Edgeley No. 1, like its near neighbour Edgeley No. 2, dates from 1884 when the London & North Western Railway made significant improvements to the layout of the junctions south of Stockport.

Bell codes applicable to Edgeley No. 1 can be found here.

Edgeley Junction No. 2

Former Signal Box Lad Peter Snape, subsequently Lord Snape of Wednesbury, was invited to visit one of the signal boxes he worked in as a youth. Under the watchful eye of the duty Signaller and the Signalling Manager we see Peter operating the block instruments and working the levers for part of a shift. Sadly, Peter died in August 2026.

The geographic location of the Edgeley No. 2 box can be seen on a current OS Map and Heald Green, where Peter started, can be seen here. The map will place the location at the centre of the map panel, roll the mouse over the icon(s) to reveal what they represent. Increase the scale using the scale selector on the left to separate closely positioned icons.

Stockport No. 1

Stockport No. 1 signal box dates from 1884. It was refurbished in 2004. The signal box is located at the south end of Stockport station, just 440 yds from Edgeley No.2 signal box. At only 330 yards, Stockport No. 2 box is even closer; in 2026 it is the shortest distance between any two boxes on the rail network.

Bell codes applicable to Stockport No. 1 can be found here.

Stockport No. 2

Stockport No. 2 signal box is located at the south end of Stockport Viaduct and the north end of Stockport station, on the Up side.

Bell codes applicable to Stockport No. 2 can be found here.

Heaton Norris Junction

Heaton Norris Junction signal box was built in 1955 to replace two earlier boxes. It was refurbished in 2004.
It is located on the main line south from Manchester Piccadilly, at the north end of Stockport Viaduct, just 1210 yards from Stockport No.2 box. It’s also the junction for the line to Denton and Guide Bridge.

Bell codes applicable to Heaton Norris Jn can be found here.

Video Credits

Edgeley Jn No. 2
Filmed by:	Allan Lewis
Filmed on:	Friday 6 November 2015
Narrators:	Allan Lewis, Richard Pulleyn
Signaller:	Mark Stubley
Signalling Manager:	Allan Lewis
Operations Manager:	Darren Bray
Video Editor:	George Duncan
Edgeley No. 1, Stockport Nos 1 & 2, Heaton Norris
Filmed, Produced and Directed by:	Richard Pulleyn
Narrator:	Richard Pulleyn
Filmed on:	Friday 4 July 2025
Local Operations Managers	Richard Hill, Andy Robinson
Signallers:	Paul Harrison, Oliver Hutton, Earl Harper, Jonathan Larkin, Stephen Lawton, Dale Vincent
Additional Photographs:	Earl Harper, Charles Weightman
Video Editor:	Derek Young

Copyright Notice

FARSAP videos are the copyright © of the Friends of The National Railway Museum.
The material may be freely used except for sale or advertising purposes.

Can you help?

The project would love to hear from you, especially if you worked or still work in a signal box, and you are willing to provide reminiscences and / or pictures. Please contact the The Friends of the National Railway Museum. Contact information is at the bottom of that page.

The Friends of The National Railway Museum

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The Signalling Record Society

If you are interested in railway signalling please explore their web site. Better still, Why not join the Signalling Record Society.