[Especially for rail enthusiasts like me, this press release from the UK’s Network Rail provides a vivid example of the value of presence-evoking technologies. It reports on the opening of a (free) virtual version of an iconic piece of railroad technology, the Birmingham New Street Station’s Power Signal Box, which was used to direct trains from 1965 until Christmas Eve of 2022. See the original press release for instructions on how to navigate the virtual tour, along with nine more images and two videos. For more on what it was like to work at the Power Signal Box, watch a two-minute 2020 video report from the BBC. For more on the people who created the virtual tour, visit the website of the University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies Team. –Matthew]
[Image: Birmingham New Street PSB from platform 1]
Virtual reality keeps Birmingham’s iconic power signal box alive
December 19, 2023
Virtual reality tours inside Birmingham’s iconic signal box are now online a year on from the much-loved building moving its last trains through New Street station.
In September, Network Rail gave special access to the University of Birmingham to completely scan the insides of the Power Signal Box (PSB) so it could be recorded forever.
It involved making a series of 3D laser scans and taking panoramic images over two floors, including the relay room, and signalling panel.
These were then stitched together to build a fully interactive online model compatible with virtual reality headsets, which is now freely accessible to anyone on the internet.
Today (Tuesday 19 December), this has gone live as a Christmas present to architecture and railway enthusiasts, ahead of the first anniversary of the signal box being decommissioned.
The 1960s building was integral to the smooth running of tens of millions of trains over its 56 years in operation.
At its peak up to 1,200 trains were directed by its team of dedicated signallers every day.
That came to an end on Christmas Eve 2022, when its 1960s analogue technology made way for digital and control for all train movements through Britain’s busiest station outside of London was passed over to the West Midlands Signalling Centre in east Birmingham.
John Korbes, Network Rail local operations manager, said: “Having worked at Birmingham Power Signal Box for many years, I’m not alone in saying we all had heavy hearts when we said goodbye to a building which had been integral to the smooth running of the national railway network.
“In its day, the technology inside was cutting edge, and until the very end it worked reliably, day in, day out, getting millions of passengers and millions of tonnes of goods to where they needed to be, over six decades.
“So now, nearly a year on from that emotional day, it fills me with great pride and satisfaction that the team at University of Birmingham have recorded the signal box, nearly exactly as it was when it was powered down, as a permanent reminder of the huge role it played in our railway’s history.”
Bob Stone, emeritus professor in eXtended Realities at the University of Birmingham, said: “It’s been a real privilege to capture the New Street PSB digitally before its historical contents were dismantled and lost forever. Being able to use sophisticated 3D scanning technology to record such a complex installation in less than half a day just goes to show how powerful it is in helping to preserve important regional and national railway heritage assets, leaving a legacy to be enjoyed by future generations, young and old”.
Work is now underway to covert the insides of the building into a training academy for the railway signallers of the future.
The exterior of the signal box however is Grade II listed and will not be subject to change. It was given listed building status in 1995 because of its ‘dramatic and exceptional architectural quality’ and ‘strongly sculptural form’.
It’s applauded for being one of Birmingham’s best surviving examples of Brutalist architecture – defined by imposing facades built from pre-cast concrete.
Its insides were also unique too, as the only surviving signal box to use the Westpac Mk 1 signalling system until it closed.
Built as part of the West Coast main line route modernisation, the Birmingham PSB was one of four power signal boxes in the West Midlands, replacing 64 manually operated signal boxes in the 1960s.
To find out more about the history of Birmingham New Street station, visit https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/our-history/iconic-infrastructure/the-history-of-birmingham-new-street-station/
NOTES TO EDITORS
More on The University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies team
The University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies team or “HIT” Team, is an award-winning research group established in 2003 by Professor Bob Stone, himself a 37-year “veteran” of the international Virtual Reality community. The Team’s work covers many fields of VR, from the training of defence paramedics to the mental wellbeing and physical rehabilitation of patients in hospitals, care home and hospices, and from developing recreations of historical sites and events to undertaking remote area surveys using drones and underwater vehicles. For the Birmingham New Street PSB project with Network Rail, Prof Stone and colleague Dr Vish Shingari were able to complete the 3D scanning and “spherical” panoramic imagery in just one day, using a Matterport LIDAR-based 3D scanner, and a twin-sensor/lens Insta360 ONE camera, By placing these devices at different locations throughout the PSB’s Relay and Console Rooms, located on two floors, it has been possible to build up an accurate, high-resolution 3D image of the building, often referred to as a “digital twin”.