MORE than 2,000 people have signed up for tours of one of Oxfordshire's last remaining signal boxes.

Families, clubs and railway enthusiasts are all being encouraged to pay the Banbury North box one last visit before it is demolished in October.

Operators Network Rail are holding special trips for the next two months and already thousands of people have signed up for a glimpse of the building's history.

Rob Kinchin Smith, from Banbury Civic Society, said he had been overwhelmed by the turn-out so far.

He said: "It is very rare for the public to have an opportunity to see something like this.

"It would be easy to say that a signal box is limited to the interest of enthusiasts but the huge number of bookings shows that actually there is significantly more interest than you might think for historical buildings like this.

"There's been a huge demand for weekday evening visits and we will look to open up more tours soon."

The box has stood on the railway near Banbury station since about 1900, and was built as the town became a major junction for trains travelling from London, the south coast and the North East.

Mr Kinchin-Smith added: "The box really stands as a memorial to Banbury being an important national railway junction.

"It is also testament to the work of Banbury signallers who have kept the box in such great condition.

"The box is very much part of the landscape in Banbury."

The box will be torn down on October 8 as part of £76m upgrades to the rail network.

The tours are being organised by Network Rail and campaigners - including Mr Kinchin Smith - who fought a five-month campaign earlier this year to save the box from demolition.

Despite setting up an online fundraising campaign to raise £160,000 to keep the box, unfortunately they were not successful.

The south signal box was torn down on July 30.

Tours will continue until October 2, and will demonstrate how signal boxes work, as well as teaching about railway safety and the dangers of railway trespassing.

Although the box is switched off and disconnected, work has been carried out to make the bells, lights and levers work so the tours are as lifelike as possible.

To book a place visit banburynorth.youcanbook.me or for a customised visit contact the Project Crossover Steering Group at banburynorth@gmail.com.