Railways around Coventry

I thought I'd post these before moving onto other things. Here's a busy ProLogis in May 2007, not long after the Evian traffic had fully started. Each of the Cargowaggons had been modified to carry pallets of Evian water in various sized bottles/boxes from France, through to Channel Tunnel and onto Coventry. You might remember 2007 was a wet summer, and here we were bringing French water to the UK by the trainload! After having had its train made up, a Class 60 main line loco departs from ProLogis and heads for Wembley and later France, with a long string of empty wagons. They normally returned 4 days later, fully loaded! Unfortunately, the depot lost the distribution contract to the much larger terminal at Daventry.

Hi Ron I worked at the Co-op on the other side of the line and remember them marshalling the trains at the Evian warehouse, it was a bit of a novelty watching goods being delivered by train in the middle of a trading estate, they had it down to a fine art, we always wondered why they suddenly stopped and moved out with bottled water being so popular, so you`ve just solved a bit of a mystery for me there

Hi to you both Thank you for a wealth of info & fabulous pictures. Never mind if ever anything is covered more than once on such a huge subject. Your posts & info is so appreciated. Thank you Brill!

My great grandfather, William Henry Willoughby lived in Coventry and worked for LNW Railway at Coventry in 1919 (I found an employment record card dated march 1919). His brother also worked for LNWR and he lodged in Railway Cottages with a family called Clewlow. I've been trying to find out when my great grandfather actually started working for the railway as he was a decorator by trade. In the 50's I can remember going with my aunt, from my grandad's house in Holbrook Lane, up to the station in Lockhurst Lane and getting the train into town. It was so exciting, and I loved the smell and the steam and everything about it.

Something else that will never be the same is the sound of trains. Modern tracks are of continuous construction so trains don't make that lovely clackety clack sound. I bet we can all remember lying sleepily in bed and hearing the distant comforting sound of the wheels on the rails.

Hi all Whilst walking in the sunshine this morning, I recorded this picture of the remains of the old Foleshill station down platform, fifty years on after closure. The ramp & supporting brickwork completely intact.

Lockhurst Lane bridge in the process of being built in 1931 via Britain from above website

Hi all The Telegraph is now printing what we on our forum printed two years ago. HS2 & the cost to Coventry.

I was discussing this evening about the new Friargate development that is set to create a new "business sector" around the station in Coventry. Can anyone explain why Coventry has train tracks leading North, South, East & West, yet there are only smaller stations (Canley, Tile Hill, etc) to the West of the City and nothing on the other lines until you get to a larger town/city?

In the meantime, or for those who prefer card kits, Alphagraphix have a kit of an LNWR box available that can be made into a passable replica of Coundon Road, but it will require some work with a scanner, Photoshop (or PaintShopPro or similar) and a colour printer.

Three Spires Sidings 1929 from Britain from Above, streets on bottom right are Beresford Ave, Churchill Ave and Madine Road, top right is Dunlop cricket ground

As per Ron - I went over the crossing the other day to get my eldest from Bablake. Could not bring myself to get the camera out suffice to say there's just a rectangle of footings left within the grass. Hope it's in storage somewhere? I went to the Electric Train Museum at Baginton last year for the Open Days and they have an old box there. Hope it's destined for somewhere like that.

Regrettably NeilsYard and all, it no longer exists. Nothing remains of it. I've been holding back from posting this image, supplied to me by a Network Rail employee. I understand the same method was employed at Hawkesbury Lane, but no photographic evidence has yet been provided. What is clear though, for the box to have been removed in its entirety in one overnight session, pretty drastic methods must have been employed. Anyway, herewith one distressing image. Look away if you're squeamish.

Hi all & thank you for the pictures, sad event as it is.