Moreland Road Signal Box (Coburg)
Moreland Road signal box opened on 6 October 1892 to house levers and equipment required to safely manage trains along the former Coburg railway line.
Four signal boxes were installed along the line between the late 1890s and the late 1920s - at Union Street and Victoria Street to the south, here at Moreland Road, and further north at Munro Street.
Signal 35 was one of 14 semaphore signals located along the Former Coburg Railway Line. These signals utilised a pivoting arm to communicate with train drivers - a downturned arm signalled 'all clear' or 'proceed', a horizontal arm signified 'stop' or 'caution'.
Signal boxes were incredibly important. At busy locations such as stations and junctions, it was hard for rail workers to coordinate points and signals located hundreds of metres apart. The solution was to house all levers in one location so they could be operated by a single person. To protect all this equipment from the weather, it was placed inside a small building. This building, called a signal box, was specially designed so rail operators could easily see the railway tracks and the trains passing by.
Inner Workings - The signal box here at Moreland Road was built to control access to sidings that connected nearby factories and warehouses with the railway line. Rail operators managed this by operating a complex series of handles and rods. The remains of the original lever system can be seen through the windows of the signal box.
Photos:
Location
241 Moreland Road, Coburg 3058 Map
