A FOUR-MONTH long campaign to save a historic signal box from demolition has ended in disappointment after Network Rail announced it will be torn down in October.

But campaigners in Banbury have been able to secure a ten-week postponement on the demolition so they can open it as a temporary visitor centre.

Earlier this year Network Rail announced it was going to tear down two signal boxes on the track near Banbury station as part of £78m upgrades to the network.

But since then more than 500 people joined a Facebook group demanding that the north box be saved and turned into an education centre for railway enthusiasts.

The group were told they would have to raise more than £160,000 to pay to keep the box, but despite setting up an online fundraising campaign they have not managed to raise enough money in time.

Campaigner and Banbury Civic Society member Rob Kinchin-Smith said: "I initially went into this because I wanted to preserve the box and find a use for it that Network Rail would support.

"There were a lot of ex-signalmen who had worked there who wanted it saved but clearly it was a big ask. I'm gutted really.

"If we had started this five years ago and people knew it was coming then maybe we could have raised enough money."

The group managed to raise £17,500 through pledges by members of the public and donations by Banbury-based companies, including tool manufacturers Norbar Torque Tools and Peter Haines Engineers.

The box was set to be demolished in August, but Network Rail has agreed to extend the period until October.

It will mean railway enthusiasts and schools will be able to visit the box and learn more about the railway's history, with volunteers provided by the operator.

Mr Kinchin-Smith added: "We got quite a lot of support from companies, we would like to thank them but unfortunately we could not get all the trustees we had hoped for.

"Initially we had set £60,000 on the Just Giving site, but it looks like the progress was not quick enough.

"At the end of the day it is Network Rail's signal box though and they get the final decision.

"We won't have the signal box for as long as we hoped but hopefully it will go out with more than a whimper."

Mr Kinchin-Smith said all cheques received by the campaign would be returned shortly.

The box, which was built in 1901, is scheduled to be taken down when the area's signalling system is upgraded and moved from the town to the West Midlands

The south signal box is due to be demolished on July 30, while the north box will follow on October 8.