Railways around Coventry

Just to confirm all - it IS being demolished and not being preserved despite Network Rail trying for all its worth to see it preserved. Saturday 25th January is the first of two consecutive weekends the branch is closed for heavy engineering works and advantage is being taken for the box to be demolished during the engineering possessions. If demolition and removal isn't completed during the first weekend, it will be completed during the second.

This has brought back memories of having to walk from further up Coundon into town during the 70's and having to manoevure (might have spelt that wrongly) a big pram and a toddler through the gates on the school side of the crossing. Then doing the same thing on the way home but with the shopping to deal with as well. I also remember the day I had gone to Bablake to collect my grandson from the junior school. My husband was parked in the Coundon car park and it was snowing a blizzard. The snow froze the crossing gates shut and we were trapped on the wrong side of them. Some people were trying to walk under the tunnel but a lot of cars were getting stuck there. After a struggle some of the dads managed to get the gates free and we were able to get home. The picture that sticks in my mind was my grandson and his blue legs sticking out of his grey shorts I have also been on a single decker bus that managed to go through the tunnel when the crossing was closed. I think everyone on that bus was looking to check where the emergency exit was if we got stuck.

Way back in the late 40's I used to push an old pram from Marner Cres. to the wharf. It got filled with coke plus another sackful on top and then the walk back home. This forum certainly stirs the old memory.

Thanks Deano. "Coundon Road Station Signal Box was erected in 1876 and had 22 levers for operating both signals and pointwork controlling the station and Coal Wharf". This is terrible news!

I have knocked down lots of stuff around Coventry in my time, most of it for good reason, this signal box is beginning to get to me. Why is it being taken down? Is it in the way of something? Why not give it a lick of paint and leave it as it is, the same goes for Hawkesbury.

I see the signal box at Hawkesbury went over the weekend

Hi NormK I recorded several picks of Hawkesbury box in 2006, when it was then due to be demolished. Problems meant that it was still working until last summer.

Yes, unfortunately I missed that one. Unless anything unexpected happens, let's take a last look at Coundon Road Signalbox 1876 - 2014. Passing today, in the afternoon gloom, the Eastleigh to Washwood Heath sleeper train. And in earlier happier times, a 'Dogbox' Coventry to Nuneaton service passes. The signaller is local lad Darren Towler. Just look at those window boxes. And finally, the box itself.

Regrettably Philip, I have to correct you there. Hawkesbury Lane ceased to operate as a signal box effective 23rd May 2009, the same date at Coundon Road and Three Spires Junction (the replacement fortified portakabin type box that replaced the original LNWR signalbox which of course was burnt down by vandals. The replacement box was required to allow the Evian water trains to operate up the former Colliery line to Prologis Park.) Although you might have seen Network Rail staff in the vicinity of Hawkesbury Lane box, all signals and points on the north end of the Coventry to Nuneaton branch have been operated by the signalling centre at Rugby since 25th May 2009. Three Spires and Coundon Road now come under the control of the Coventry Panel at the Signalling Centre at Saltley, Birmingham. The boundary between the Rugby and Saltley panels give or take a few yards, is close to the Foleshill Gas Works footbridge, which of course is located immediately north of the Ricoh Arena.

Hi & thank you for that, Ron I did not know when it actually stopped being functional as a box. I received word that it was due to close 2006, which is why I raced to record a dozen or so pictures. They are on the Longford thread.

Has it gone? I can't bring myself to look

Yes it's gone. All that exists as of 0850 this morning, is a 'well' where the signalling frame sat, and some planks of wood. If you hadn't have known, you just couldn't tell that a signalbox built by the London and North Western Railway back in 1876 still existed there as at 9.30pm last night !!

The box at Hawkesbury was dismantled in sections and taken away on a lowloader, if the same applies for Coundon, it looks like they are possibly being saved

I'm not sure if this particular aspect has been covered previously - apologies if it has. The link to the Coventry to Nuneaton line section on the 'Derby Sulzers' website has been previously posted on this website. This wonderful website contains a great depth of information relating to those locos that were built at Derby loco works, hence the title. However, I was approached and agreed to supply a number of my images along with a lot of information seeing as I am known as regarding the Nuneaton branch as 'my little railway'. Since 1970, there isn't a single bridge (or signal post!) that I haven't photographed from and in doing so got to know all of the railwaymen that worked the line. All elevated views (ie lighting posts or signal posts) were taken with full approval of the authorities at the time. Things were so much easier back then! However, the reason for this posting is to mention that hidden away in the depths of the Derby Sulzers website is a section on the Coventry Colliery/Homefire plant railway that ran from Three Spires Junction to the Colliery at Keresley. The Homefire smokeless fuel plant was constructed immediately alongside the colliery. Initially, the Homefire had its own diesel shunters (it never had any steam locos), which only shunted and worked its own traffic. Likewise, the Colliery locos worked its own traffic. It was only in later years that the NCB locos shunted and worked all traffic as necessary. Coventry Colliery coal was perfect for burning at power stations. Consequently, in the early 1980s, it became the 'core' for the weekly coal requirements at Didcot Power Station, sending three 45-wagon MGR (Merry Go Round) trains of coal each Monday to Friday, with up to 2 on a Saturday. Coventry coal, however, needed to be blended with lower quality coal to produce the smokeless fuels next door at Homefire. This lead to the situation where Coventry-mined coal was being moved down the steeply graded branch to Three Spires yard, whilst East Midlands-mined coal was being moved up the hill from Three Spires to the Homefire plant where it was mixed prior to production. The coal from the East Midlands was initially moved in trains from specific collieries. Due to the contraction of collieries, the daily train (including Saturdays) later ran from Toton yard, allowing for the coal to come from various collieries as necessary. This situation continued until the (final) closure of the Colliery in October 1991. The Homefire plant finally closed in 2000, but the rail traffic had ceased 4 years earlier, with the regular rail traffic having reduced to only 2 days per week. . The Homefire closure was clearly to the delight of the local inhabitants, bringing an end to the local 'output' of the plant so those elsewhere could enjoy smokeless fuel. Anyway, the web address is .... . http://www.derbysulzers.com/nuneaton.html ...... just scroll down the page. You might be interested to know that the Derby Sulzers website has been selected by the British Museum as being of historic importance, and therefore forms part of the UK Web Archive. It is backed-up at least twice per year to ensure it is always there for the nation to access and enjoy. Lastly, as we know the combined site of the Colliery and Homefire plant were flattened and redeveloped as ProLogis Park, Coventry, one of many around the country. Rail traffic resumed in May 2007, bringing in entire trainloads of Evian water from France for distribution around the country. These trains were worked up the branch for the first time by Main Line approved locos, rather than the industrial shunters (including those Class 08's occasionally hired from BR) that had previously worked it. Even these found the climb from Three Spires to ProLogis a problem. Eventually they decided to split the train and work it in two parts from Coventry Yard to ensure they could get to the top without any difficulty. Unfortunately this traffic finished in December 2009 and currently the line sits out of use, but still fully maintained.