A POPULAR tourist railway is to mark the end of a £21,500 scheme to rebuild a Victorian signal box in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Wensleydale Railway Trust has recently finished its work to repair the signal box at Leeming Bar, near to Northallerton.

Volunteers with the group rebuilt the box which was originally at North Wootton, in Norfolk, after moving it to North Yorkshire.

The 12 month scheme was supported by £21,500 of funding from the Heritage Lottery Grant.

It is planned to turn the signal boxes lower level into a workshop and to fit a modern electrical signalling system in its upper floor.

Project manager David Walker, from Crakehall, near Bedale, said: "It has taken a team of over 20 volunteers just over a year to restore the signalbox.

"I’m sure that visitors to the line will agree that the hundreds of hours it has taken have been well worth the effort."

To mark the completion of the work volunteers with the Wensleydale Railway Trust are to attend an opening ceremony on May 2.

Visitors on the railway will be able to view the signal box at Leeming Bar Station and to learn more about its history via a new an information terminal.

Volunteer John Tong, from Manfield, near Darlington, said: "The volunteers provided over 500 hours of their time and we haven’t had a single accident.

"It has been a labour of love and very challenging at times - but I’m sure that visitors will appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into completing it."

For more information on the Wensleydale Railway visit www.wensleydalerailwayassociation.com.