Railways around Coventry

I think it has a good chance of going ahead, especially as it's part of a larger project. This from "Modern Railways" website:- "The creation of a high-capacity "electric spine" running from Yorkshire and the West Midlands to South Coast ports allowing more reliable electric trains to cut journey times and boost capacity for passengers and freight. This comprises: an £800million electrification and upgrade from Sheffield - through Nottingham, Derby and Leicester - to Bedford, completing the full electrification of the Midland Main Line out of London St Pancras; and electrification of the lines from Nuneaton and Bedford to Oxford, Reading, Basingstoke and Southampton."

They've been planning to electrify the Nuneaton-Leamington route since 1962 so I wouldn't hold your breath! The passenger bridge at Kenilworth was even famously raised to accomodate the new wires but both it and the adjoining station were demolished only a few years later. Remnants of what would have been the electrified route still remain alongside Quinton Road and the Butts Stadium.

Hi Dutchman, DBC Hi all, This from the Coventry telegraph is interesting If a direct link is included from Coventry, then I might be persuaded to change my mind from being somewhat negative about the project. Although, Caroline Spelman may be just responding to what we have said on our history site here!

Won't they also have to double track the line? They want to use the Nuneaton-Leamington line for local traffic as well as inter city traffic, but at the moment a lot of it is single track. This package could be good for Coventry, as it means the city is an interchange between two major lines. Might help with the plans to redevlop the station area.

I could be wrong here so shout at me if i am,but im pretty sure the lines navigation and infrastructure were built to originally accommodate double track. Have a look at this link,there's a bit of history and some great photos of the line. Warwickshire Railways Article

Hi all If you look at a detailed plan of the area around Gibbet Hill, taking into account the depth of the cutting there, houses would have to be demolished to provide a safe space in order to widen the track. I once attended an area managers meeting where discussions were taking place with an idea to re-route the Kenilworth link via Baginton Airport. That was over twenty years ago. ps. Just noticed this in the Telegraph about the Ricoh.

We used to play on the little flat coal carriers, that went along the tracks, on the old colliery site in the early 60's, I don't know the technical terms but you stood up and pushed down on a two handled lever thingy to move along. We played a lot around there, I think they moved the pit head a bit at some point and we were on that site? Great fun, prob dangerous and no doubt a h+s nightmare!

Hi all This might be good news-: Station at Coventry's Ricoh Arena

Hi again, Thank you so much. Banbury was one of my past favourite trainspots. The yard was so massive, also it was common to see Southern locos working up from Oxford, as well as Eastern, off the Northampton link. Thank you again.

I used to go there quite a lot as a teenager in between exams, I'd work at my dad's factory in the morning that backed onto the station area then the afternoon was mine while I waited for my dad to finish, I used to mostly go to the north yard and watch them 'Hump' shunting and the man used to run along levering the brakes on or up coupling with one of those strange barge-poles with a pig's tail curl on the end for uncoupling the wagons in compression, however one day this was the result of some over eager shunt over the hump, this broke the fish plates and shoved the buffers out of line...... just a bit..... this woke me up as I was dozing in an old condemned brake van at the time

All of my interest was kindled from trainspotting. I love the walks around 'Shackerstone Railway Society (The Battlefield Line)' as well as enjoying rides on the railway there. Been on the Ashby Canal too. One of my favorite Friday night spotting locations was where the Ashby line joined the Trent Valley, just north of Nuneaton. A photographer, Ray Reed, has included a picture of me trainspotting there in 1956, which has been included in a photo album "Railway Nostalgia Around Warwickshire", by D. Hibbs. He describes me as a 'lone spotter'. My dad (a motor development engineer) often spent working time at the MIRA plant which was how I came to get out there from time to time. Thank you for your picture.

The Shackerstone Railway Society is a line I've not yet visited but seeing the photo of the inside of the box showing the block signal repeaters got me rummaging around in the loft to find three repeaters and a block 'totem' and bell which came from the Three Spires box around the mid 80's (on a pile of scrap), the BR(M) tri-colour handlamp was given to me by an old boy in Rugby Station's crew office, the BR sign was a double timetable enamel sign, and hanging above the door is an NE region gauge lamp they used to illuminate the gauges on the steam locos, the only trouble is now is that it all needs a good dusting My house is full of junk... but some say 'interesting junk'. Oh and the photo on the l/h wall is of the northern end of Catesby Tunnel being built around 1886 on the Great Central Railway Line.

I hadnt realised it had burnt down, I know that it's just another automated brick box now but was unaware of its demise, it was around 1986/7 when it got vandalised, Network Rail were working on it when I asked for bits off the pile of rubbish, I happened to be up there taking photos with an old twin lens reflex 'Rolleiflex' camera and took a few photos of the box but do you think I can find them now If anymore bits show up we will be able to start a museum...... or build another signal box

Talking of places that 'just so happen' to be by a railway line our only family holiday in 1979 was to Butlins at Barry Island, but unbeknown to my dad I knew of Dai Woodhams scrapyard that had (I counted) 97 rusting steam locomotives in it. The family would go to the beach and come back with a tan and I'd come back to the chalet covered in rust/soot and oil, I wasn't very popular with my dad that week Here a couple of photos I took that week, one of a BR 2-10-0 9F and the other where the sun had faded the new BR logo so you can see the old Lion and Wheel.

Hi Catshed About the same time, the church where I was organist, could not make their minds up about their summer outing. I suggested Barry Island & that is where we went. The Harry Shaw coach was full, including some of my rail friends.The day was warm & sunny & all went very well. The only sad part was seeing the rusting hulks, including the 'Iron Duke', with the boiler looking even longer, not having it's ear-muffs or valve gear.