Railways around Coventry

Might be due to the close proximity of the signal boxes either side of Foleshill Station signal box; Three Spires Jct and Webster's Sidings respectively. And to give the driver as much advanced warning as possible. See here.

The distant signal has to be at braking distance from the first stop signal. Some signal boxes had inner and outer distant signals where there was more than one stop signal within the braking distance. The diagram I have (after the closure of Foleshill Signal Box) shows the signal as 837 yards from home (first stop signal) at Three Spires Junction.

Hi all, I had business in Station Square this morning, which when completed, I boarded the 12.05pm rail replacement bus to the Arena. That's the quickest bus to Holbrooks, 12 minutes, plus it stops in the bus pound, making bus connections so easy. What a pip! Now, should this be in the bus topic or rail topic? Answers on a postcard please.

Pay attention, pay attention! This Patriot class loco, the location miles away from Coventry, but it does have a historical connection with Coventry. What is the connection, please?

ps. The answer. Extra sauce on your fish is your reward. Best wishes from Phily.

One of West Midland Trains new Class 730 (Aventra) on a training run from Birmingham to Euston yesterday. This was a 3 car unit (90mph) which is destined for the Cross City line. Five car units (110 mph) are on order for long distance LNW services (e.g. Coventry-London via Northampton), but don't expect to see them in service in Coventry until 2023.

The Office of Rail and Road has published the 2020-21 station usage estimates. These cover the period April 2020 to March 2021 so covers all three Covid lockdowns. Nationally passenger journeys were down 78% due to the stay at home/work from home messaging. The % change from 2019-20 is in brackets. Bedworth 17,444 (-83%) Bermuda Park 10,000 (-74%) Berkswell 52,916 (-84%) Birmingham International 512,176 (-92%) Birmingham New Street 7,350,942 (-84%) Canley 89,840 (-76%) Coventry 1,746,780 (-78%) Coventry Arena 25,452 (-79%) Hampton-in-Arden 28,610 (-84%) Kenilworth 41,900 (-80%) Leamington Spa 527,644 (-81%) London Euston 6,606,698 (-85%) Nuneaton 251,254 (-81%) Rugby 555,702 (-79%) Tile Hill 107,360 (-84%) Wolverhampton 994,634 (-81%) The biggest drop (92%) was Birmingham International. With no exhibitions and hardly anybody flying I'm surprised it held up as well as it did. The rest are broadly in line with the national average. For Coventry the change in the various ticket types was: Anytime -74% Off-Peak -79% Season -83% The biggest increase of the year was Berney Arms (+729%), but still only managed 348 passengers (it was closed most of 2019-20). Comments on other forums suggest that off-peak traffic has returned to near normal, but commuting is still well down. Peter.

Peter, do you know why Berkswell Station is named so when it's more in Balsall Common?

Neil, it seems to have had several name changes in its life. It was originally called Dockers Lane Station. It was changed to Berkswell on 1st January 1853, then to Berkswell & Balsall Common in 1928, reverting to Berkswell. In the 1840's Dockers Lane Station was classed as being in the parish of Berkswell. It sounds as if they did not know what to call it either. Dockers Lane Station.

Great shot, Anne, that website is superb. Thanks.

Thanks for that Anne. Going off the rails bit, only yesterday I was trying to recall my childhood memories of Marton station where my grandmother used to take me, from Warwick, to get to my aunt's at Eathorpe and that site gave me some information I could not recall.

A couple of photos I've taken at the site of Marton station, which closed to passenger traffic in 1959 and freight in 1961. 2008 2013

Thanks, MR. I like that picture.

Berkswell is not an original station on the line, not opening until 1844 [Berkswell (BKW)]. Balsall Common just was a couple of hamlets with 6-12 houses each until house building started in the 1930's. The 1928 name change was probably to attract house buyers (commuters) a la Metroland. Berkswell Hall became a school in 1843 when the owner left to become Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) so the new station might have been built to get the traffic from the school.