A piece of railway heritage has been handed over by Network Rail to a local coal mining heritage group in Pontefract.

The sign, which once adorned the Prince of Wales Colliery signal box, was donated to the Prince of Wales Colliery Memorial Group. It had been in storage since the signal box was demolished in 2024 during the upgrade of the level crossing to automated technology.

Garry Foreman, a member of the memorial group who worked at the pit for more than 30 years, approached Network Rail to enquire about the sign’s fate. The group wanted to ensure it would be preserved rather than discarded, adding it to their growing collection of historical memorabilia.

The “Ponty Prince” pit operated for over 130 years, producing 1.5 million tonnes of coal annually before closing in 2002 due to geological challenges.

Garry Foreman said:

“It was brilliant to be presented with the signal box sign by Network Rail. I was in the middle of doing my shopping when I got the call to say we could have it! It’s important that we preserve items like this. It’s the same reason why we campaigned for 20 years to get our mining memorial, and why we have a pit reunion every year. We’ve been speaking to an engineering firm and we’re going to get the missing letters on the sign replaced. We’re still discussing where the sign will eventually end up, but it was so important to us that it didn’t end up in a skip!”

Darren Roberston-Wilson, who received the request while working in Network Rail’s community relations department, helped locate and release the sign. He now manages the Prince of Wales level crossing as part of his current role.

Darren said:

“I had to figure out where the sign was being kept and then make sure we were allowed to release it. When I called Garry to give him the good news, I could tell he was really, really made up about it. It’s wonderful that Garry and his group have been presented with the sign and that they’re able to keep preserving the heritage of the pit and the area. It’s also funny how I got the ball rolling on this in my old job and now the Prince of Wales crossing is one that I’m responsible for managing!”

Image: Network Rail