Railways around Coventry

Hello, Brill. I've enjoyed watching these pics for years. The first one with the crowded No2 platform, is waiting for the train just visible in the distance, travelling to Nuneaton. Only the home signal is clear, the distant at danger which means that Three Spires Junc & Bedlam Lane gates are not clear. On arrival at Foleshill, the train would not normally set off unless the distant was clear, but hopefully, by the time it's ready to leave, the gates will be open, with motorists fuming at having to wait for so long.

Replacing track stones on the Birmingham to Coventry stretch at the back of my house on Sunday

So enjoyed that picture, Mick.

John Wells has done it again with another of his great VHS uploads on to YouTube. Great to see this one including the old crossing at Tile Hill.

Gosh, what memories, Neil, That was just after the reintroduction of the Coventry to Leamington line for passengers. No intermediate stops. That was the consequence of a Beeching cut, to save money, but the actual reverse was the case, it cost millions. Beeching ordered Birmingham Moor St & Snow Hill to be closed, so there was no way of getting Birmingham trains to Banbury & Oxford. They were very lucrative service's just as they are today. Try using one of them trains unless it's 1am. So, the Coventry to Leamington line, that was going to be closed & ripped up, had a stay of execution. No matter how intelligent or successful a businessman might be in his own expertise, Dr. Beeching, a chemist, was giving this task of saving the railway, using a ballpoint pen. The single biggest capital cost for our current Government, is HS2. Yet, the railway that did in fact do what HS2 is hoping to achieve, was cut up in 1966 - 71. Not the exactly the same route, but the Great Central railway was an express line built at the turn of the past century, to connect North & South of England, with a fast low population route. What's the difference? Beeching has cost the UK taxpayer, so much, no one can calculate. It was better than HS2, as it went right up to Sheffield. For a short period, the fastest passenger service in the UK was an express train called the "Master Cutler" Has anyone noticed but Moor St passenger numbers are through the roof. Did I mention Snow Hill. That's had to be reopened too at huge cost, because that had to be totally rebuilt. Ok, time for a lemon puff!