Railways around Coventry

Flying Scotsman is due through Nuneaton 12:46 Monday 18th June (times) on a London Victoria to Carnforth "Lakes Express". Possibly double headed with a Black Five. The return working is 16:31 on Thursday 21st June (times). Steam haulage will be from "Union of South Africa", "Duchess of Sutherland" and "Mayflower" Peter.

The local community in Baginton are looking to re-open the miniature railway from the Electric Railway Museum along the bank of the river Sowe as the Bridge View Light Railway More details on their Facebook page (login required). Peter.

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY - ENGINEERING WORK No Trains through Coventry Saturday 25th August until 12:00 on Monday 27th August. Buses to Birmingham International/Nuneaton/Rugby/Leamington Spa. Also London Euston is CLOSED Sat 18th - Sun 19th August Sat 25th - Mon 27th August Sat 1st - Sun 2nd September (Trains terminate at Milton Keynes (Virgin) or Hemel Hempstead (London North Western)). Peter.

Coundon Railway Crossing here, as seen in 1952!

Carriages on Nuneaton to Coventry line derailed by timetable chaos (Coventry Telegraph) No Sunday services at Kenilworth Station until May 2019 (Kenilworth News) The new trains are slightly faster than the current trains so could easily run using the existing timetable. The Sunday service through Kenilworth can be put in the timetable and start operating as soon as the trains are available, in the same way as when Kenilworth station re-opened. Minor timetable changes will happen in December and I expect this will include the earlier trains on a Sunday. What is not happening is the major timetable re-writes in London and the North West. The late transfer of the trains is due to the late delivery of the new trains that are taking over the services they currently run. This is separate from the timetable chaos that has happened elsewhere on the network. Peter.

These flippant headlines in newspapers (feeble attempts at humour) annoy me. A train has not been derailed at all. There are merely timetabling issues. As for Sunday services at Kenilworth by May 2019, I'd add another 2 or 3 years to that deadline, given the time it took for Kenilworth station to be finalised.

I'm not a railway buff, but it seems to me that types of trains are all referred to as Class xyz. A bit like Mercedes with their Class A B C D E and so on. (I'm told the Mercedes nomenclature is so complicated that nobody understands it!) The Kenilworth train is a Class 153. I know this because its electronic sign, when not showing the journey details, proudly displays "Class 153". It's a one-carriage train, used for small numbers of passengers on short sprints between local stations. I call it a hopper train.

I've just looked up the "Class" 172 proposed for the Kenilworth line. It does look snazzy compared to the 153.

Slim, Unit number are also shown on the ends of trains in the format 153 XXX. The class 172's are much newer than the thirty year old class 153's which are approaching the end of their life. While the higher top speed is nice to have, it is the higher power rating which gives better acceleration which will reduce journey times. Class 153 Class 172 Year Built 1988* 2011 Carriages One Two# Capacity 66 or 72 2x60 Max Speed 75 mph 100 mph Weight 41 Tonnes 41.6 Tonnes/car Engine Rating 213 kW 2x360 kW Length 23.2m 2x 23.6m * The Class 153's were originally built as two car Class 155. The were modified to single car class 153 in 1991 when the second (smaller) cab was added. # Class 172 is available as 2 or 3 car. The figures are for the 2 Car London Overground units which are coming to Coventry. Peter.

I quite like our 153 unit seen here at Longford Park.

This picture on Coventry out & about topic. Older unit at International.

Afternoon all Only a thought. ***************** A friend of mine who lives in Holbrooks is driving his neighbour to Coventry station tomorrow afternoon for the start of a holiday week away. Fine, but what an ordeal on the hottest day of the year being forecast. Both have not given a thought that on our doorstep is the Ricoh station (Coventry Arena). I have carried out some checks on a number of off-the-cuff sampled journey fares which show no difference in ticket price whether going from Coventry or the Arena. There is only one train an hour from the Ricoh, so allowance has to be made for that. So, please don't be caught out with a driving ordeal that may not be necessary particularly if you live the north side of our city. Even though only an hourly service, I am a profuse user of the Ricoh station. It is in the Centro area, so my bus pass is valid. The first bus pass user weekday train is 10.28am, & gets into Coventry station, platform 2, eight minutes later. The air ambulance could not do that quicker. Ricoh Arena train times.

Morning all A bit of light reading for what was a railway line. Former Coventry Loop Line, Humber Road End.

Good afternoon Philip and thanks for posting this - I saw a similar article on the BBC online regional news. The Loop Line, as you may have guessed, has always been of great interest to me together with the Coventry to Nuneaton line - my dad worked for British Railways at Bedworth station in the early sixties. He subsequently went on to work for Alfred Herbert (Edgwick Rd) and later at Unbrako/SPS (Burnaby Rd). The proposed cycle path and countryside walk is great - but without the Terry Rd bridge what would be the point/benefit? Do you know if the subway that went under both the Rugby line and the Loop Line, at Humber Rd, is still in use?

Do you mean "Folly Lane Tunnel", pictured here in 2007? Can't answer your question for 2018