Coventry - Nuneaton Line

[big T]

Love the photo's Anthony they will help me when I finally decide which part of the branch i'm going to model?

Both boxes are going to the pontypool an blaenaven railway according to my mate was a signaller at coundon road and the line is controlled by Coventry (SALTLEY)workstation upto three spires and from there by RUGBY SCC

 

Has control for the area finally gone to the Saltley NMC?

 

I ask, as I was involved with the project at design stage and would be interested to know if its 100% up and running.

[CovDriver]

Yes the area from just south of Coventry station towards Rugby to Bradnocks marsh(Hampton in arden)and Coventry to Three spires junction is now all on Coventry workstation at Saltley NMC

[CovDriver]

Yes the area from just south of Coventry station towards Rugby to Bradnocks marsh(Hampton in arden)and Coventry to Three spires junction is now all on Coventry workstation at Saltley NMC

[37058]

Anthony - I don't know if you have seen this site before: http://www.derbysulz...hreespires.html, it has been the inspiration for me to (eventually!) model Three Spires, with a hint of modellers licence! where the lines curved to the left for Three Spires yard I'm going to model a cement terminal with three roads. I will also bring the box the Nuneaton side of Lythalls Lane and add a headshunt.

 

I will try and post my trackplan if the photocopier at work plays nicely and lets me scan today!

 

 

Yes it is a fantastic website, also if you go to the home page and click on the section around the Nuneaton area there are also loads of photos of Coventry Colliery including the 08's and shunters they used, would love to see your track plan but the 1 i have drawn is not to far away pre 1988 befour they took the single slip out....alot of history is also on the Derby Sulzers website.

 

Cheers, Anthony

[Natalie]

Hi Cov Guard

I bet this is a first an actual reply on the line itself whilst i'm working a train from COV to NUNEATON !!

 

Let's hope that your TCS is not a member of RMWeb otherwise you could be receiving the dreaded brown envelope with a Form 1 inside....

 

Anyway- nice to see the words and pictures about my local line. I started BR in Nuneaton PSB at the same time as a chap who later went to Three Spires as a signalman (I went the other way at Nuneaton to Hinckley)in 1985. His name was Shawn Jasper.

 

If you are interested I have copies of the diagrams for Coundon Road (on becoming a fringe to Cov PSB- slightly different layout to the photos posted here), Three Spires Junc box (a low LNWR type 5 structure) and diagram in 1985/86. I also have Three Spires showing the loopline towards Humber Road Junc and Bedlam Gates. Finally there is Griff Junction- I have a copy of the diagram and locking table dating from when a fringe box to Nuneaton PSB.

 

The line is also featured in one of the Swift books by the SRS showing diagrams for such delights at Websters Sdgs and Foleshill amongst others. If interested pm me and I'll let you have the details.

 

Finally a piece of useless infomration. When I first strated on the railway in Feb 1984 I was (as I mentioned earlier)employed in Nuneaton PSB as train recorder. At the time the Coventry branch was freight only with the fringe box to Nuneaton being Griff Junction. Trains I can recall wehre the the Bedworth oil trains, Three Spires coal and ballast to Banbury and Lemaington (target 95 I think it was). There was also an early morning Sunday newspaper train 1K01 which consisted of a van detached from a down train at Coventry. Often a class 25 was used to haul the van to Nuneaton where it was unloaded in platform 1. I can't remember what happened to the van after that but seem to recall it was collected on Monday morning by an up train via the Trent Valley after being stabled in the Ashby Bay once unloaded.

 

Trains were worked from Nuneaton to Griff by TCB with train describers and then onwards from Griff by absolute block. On closure of Griff (sometime during 1985/86 - I have the entry from the WE1 tucked away somewhere)Hawkesbury Lane became the fringe to Nuneaton PSB. However there seemed to be no prospect of a passenger service being reinstated so it was not considered cost effective to track circuit the section between Griff and Hawkesbury Lane and install train describers in Hawkesbury Lane box to enable TCB working. As a result absolute block working was introduced between Nuneaton PSB (from effectively Coton Arches/ Chilvers Coton station site) and Hawkesbury Lane. Block instruments and bells were installed in Nuneaton PSB although integrated into the panel rather than separate instruements. Some of the Nuneaton signals in the Coton/Griff area were changed to reflect the altered style of working with some aspects blanked out in most cases. With the reintroduction of the passenger service this unusual (for aPSB although not unique) arrangment continued. As Nuneaton closed last year (IIRC) I think I am correct in stating that the AB working to Hawkesbury Lane was taken over by Rugby SCC. Any clairification on that would be welcome though.

 

I have details for both arrangements (ie fringe box at Griff and Hawkesbury)at Nuneaton PSB which I can post here if of interest.

 

Keep the memories and pics coming- very much of interest and very memory invoking.

[Natalie]

Apologies all- I didn't realise I had already posted a lot of my previous post earlier on in the life of this topic. Seems that my memory is failing fast these days- you know what it's like when you hit 40- or could it be as a result of my hair colour....

[37058]

As Nuneaton closed last year (IIRC) I think I am correct in stating that the AB working to Hawkesbury Lane was taken over by Rugby SCC. Any clairification on that would be welcome though.

 

I have details for both arrangements (ie fringe box at Griff and Hawkesbury)at Nuneaton PSB which I can post here if of interest.

 

Keep the memories and pics coming- very much of interest and very memory invoking.

 

Hi Natalie, some great info there, as for the Hawkesbury - Nuneaton section of the line, when Nuneaton PSB closed, trains heading for Nuneaton had to be accepted by Rugby SCC also the other way round Rugby would notify Hawkesbury of an aproaching train (once ready to leave Nuneaton) then so on to Coundon etc via the Block bell system...one more thing once trains had Departed or passed through Bedworth it would activate a Treadle notifying the signaller so he could drop his barriers at Hawkesbury (this was on the UP only)

 

Cheers, Anthony

[CovDriver]

Hi Natalie

Thanks for the info on track diagrams i'm still not sure which part of the line i'm going to model yet but coundon road is winning so far !!

In the mid 80's my old man worked all the boxes on the branch as well as Coventry PSB this really is a small world ? And as for the form 1 sorry no knowledge it usually works !!

[big T]

Has anyone got any directions for access into Prologis and if and when the DB van train runs? (if it still does?)

 

I need to phot the Jocko, also.

[leekman]

Has anyone got any directions for access into Prologis and if and when the DB van train runs? (if it still does?)

 

I need to phot the Jocko, also.

 

 

If you drive to the site the only road access is Winding House Lane. Drive straight ahead at the first roundabout past the security house, through the barriers, at the next roundabout with the sculpture in the middle, go straight ahead and follow the road around past the bus terminus on the right and as you come to the end of the houses on the right, you should see the tracks on your left and in the distance under the loading bay canopy should be the shunter, all forlorn on its own. You'll need a decent zoom lens to get a good shot as thats about the closest to it. There is a no parking policy on the site roads, so you may want to drive up and have a look first then come back to the security house roundabout and turn left and park in the spaces by the school entrance which are used by dog walkers without problem. Alternatively, park on one of the side roads close by if there is room.

[mikeh]

Here's a couple of plans of Three Spires that might be of interest. The first is from an LMS Control map from the thirties and shows the hump yard at the up end of the layout. Interestingly this was Three Spires Yard, the nest of sidings on the colliery branch that were used by BR latterly were originally the Warwickshire Coal Company sidings.

 

 

The second is from a document used to train signalmen to work the frame at Three Spires certainly in the 70s, prior to the removal of the junction.

 

 

 

Here's a pic from 1993 showing the coal company yard as it was towards the end with 47821 leading an Institute of Mining Engineers railtour that had visited the colliery (47300 was on the other end). Also in the yard is CPL No.3 (Sentinel w/n 10150/1964)

 

 

Hope those are of interest

 

Regards

Mike

[mikeh]

While I was at it thought a plan of Hawkesbury Lane might be of interest as well?

 

From the same LMS plan:

 

 

 

Also, another shot taken at Hawkesbury in February 1986 with 47052 passing with the 7T51 1140 Bescot Yard-Three Spires trip

 

 

I seem to remember it was b....y cold that day...!

 

Mike

[37058]

Mike, those track diagrams are truly stunning, a real piece of history there...........thank you for sharing them, blimey my pencil drawn sketch that i posted earlier on in the thread is not far out at all......

 

All those sidings have long long gone, those at Longford are now a housing estate that was built in the mid 80s also the huge up reception sidings at Hawkesbury is now also a housing estate that has not long finished being built.

 

If you look closey at the bottem where all the sidings are at Hawkesbury you can see a single line that diverges away, this was the line that used to go to Hawkesbury power station (also now long gone) and if you walk along the canel as if your walking towards Sutton stop or the Greyhound pub the original over bridge is still there, also you can just make out where the line used to cross Blackhorse road (this is now a bridleway / muddy walk way) So much history in this area its amazing....

 

Cheers, Anthony

 

 

[big T]

I had absolutely no idea that the sidings at Hawkesbury Lane were so extensive, and there was a station!

 

There was also a hump at Three Spires! Blimey!

 

As is typical with railways today, you would never know anything was there previously!

 

I'm trying to picture where the down sidings would be in relation to lythalls Lane and Foleshill station, - I assume they would have been where the small Industrial Estate is now (also where the crossover is to get to/from proLogis), however its a tough one due to the difference in height between the trackbed and the road.

 

I love informative gems like this, Thanks Mike, - top drawer stuff, keep 'em coming!

 

Trev

[big T]

If you drive to the site the only road access is Winding House Lane. Drive straight ahead at the first roundabout past the security house, through the barriers, at the next roundabout with the sculpture in the middle, go straight ahead and follow the road around past the bus terminus on the right and as you come to the end of the houses on the right, you should see the tracks on your left and in the distance under the loading bay canopy should be the shunter, all forlorn on its own. You'll need a decent zoom lens to get a good shot as thats about the closest to it. There is a no parking policy on the site roads, so you may want to drive up and have a look first then come back to the security house roundabout and turn left and park in the spaces by the school entrance which are used by dog walkers without problem. Alternatively, park on one of the side roads close by if there is room.

 

Cheers Leek I'll give this a whirl!

[mikeh]

If you look closey at the bottem where all the sidings are at Hawkesbury you can see a single line that diverges away, this was the line that used to go to Hawkesbury power station (also now long gone) and if you walk along the canel as if your walking towards Sutton stop or the Greyhound pub the original over bridge is still there, also you can just make out where the line used to cross Blackhorse road (this is now a bridleway / muddy walk way) So much history in this area its amazing....

 

Cheers, Anthony

 

Hi Anthony

 

The line from Hawkesbury originally served Wyken, Alexandra, Victoria & Craven Collieries and later Longford Power Station. The last colliery (Alexandra) closed in 1936. The power station opened on 31st October 1928 and rail traffic ceased in April 1967 with the branch officially closed 23rd April 1968. Two locos were employed at Lonford No.1 a Barclay 0-4-0ST and No.2 and Peckett 0-4-0ST. A BR trip engine worked between Hawkesbury Lane and the power station exchange sidings into the 60's I believe.

 

Another colliery existed just north of Hawkesbury Lane; Exhall Colliery. This was served by a mineral tramway from exchange sidings where the Charringtons oil depot later stood. I believe Exhall closed in July 1938 although I have also seen 1948 quoted.

 

It is quite fascinating all this really.

 

Regards

Mike

[dagrizz]

I didn't realise so many people were interested in this line. I have a copy of a Signalling Record Society publication British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950s volume 11: LNW lines in the West Midlands. This gives track and signalling details of all the locations between Coventry and Griff. The 1930's plans shown above don't seem to have changed much in the 1950's. I could scan the relevant pages but where do we stand regarding copyright?

 

My own interest is biased towards the 1960s as I lived by the line in Bedworth from 1960-68. Any photos/info from this period are more than welcome. I'm building an OO gauge model of 1960s Bedworth station but progress is a bit slow, though the station itself is largely done and most importantly the trains are running.

 

The posts about Chrysler trains reminded me that in the 1960s they were Rootes trains and carried mainly Hillman Imps between Cov and Scotland. For a while the trains were hauled by pairs of class 20's, all Scottish based and in the number range D8110-D8127. I believe the wagons were carflats converted from redundant coach underframes.

 

Graham

['CHARD]

Hillman Imps were moved by train from Linwood in block trains loading to 20 Carflats. These were 60-footers converted from MkIs at Cowlairs. Vehicles were loaded at Johnstone High, and pairs of Polmadie Class 20s provided power initially. Note that this was before inter-regional diagramming of diesels, which was only being contemplated when these thrice-weekly services started in Summer 1963. So by 1965 or so, I would expect LMR Type 4s to have predominated on the diagram.

[dagrizz]

Thanks 'Chard. Regarding the carflat underframes, the Mk1 coaches were still fairly new in 1963, so I suspect that pre-Nationalisation coaches, probably ex-LMS types, would have been the donor vehicles.

 

Graham

[big T]

Where were the car trains loaded prior to being sent to Scotland?

 

Were they loaded at Bell Green or further up at Gosford Green?

 

Was there a freightliner terminal at Gosford Green also, as I am sure i have seen some pics of gantry cranes and first generation freightliner flats (FEA's or similar?) there.

 

If so, what on earth did it serve as I can't imagine it did a roaring trade?

 

I have heard of class 50's on the car trains also.

[CovDriver]

Class fifties did work some of these services but it was very rare it was normally in the hands of class 47's.

From what my dad told me when I was alot younger the cars were loaded at Gosford Green as the Humber factory wasn't very far away being less than half a mile away ?

I wish I could find some more photographs of the Coventry avoiding line as there isnt much documented about it all really !!

[mikeh]

The car trains started in April 1963. This from the June 63 Railway Observer:

 

"A through working by Polmadie Type 1 diesels was introduced in April on a twice weekly Rootes car train of 20 bogie vans from Glasgow to Gosford Green, where it arrives at 3-45am. The diesels go on to Rugby for servicing and return the following day at 5-0pm from Gosford Green. Diesels noted so far have been D8121-28 (66A)."

 

The Freightliner terminal at Gosford Green opened in Aug 1977. Traffic was for Rootes. I have more notes on this and the car traffic which I will try and dig out tomorrow.

 

Regards

Mike

[big T]

I have found this picture of the Hillman-Humber factory on Humber Rd looking towards Gosford Green/Bell Green.

 

It shows the expanse of the factory and the Coventry avoiding line diverging away from the Rugby-Coventry line with the signalbox in the foreground.

 

I am assuming the Gosford Green terminal is on the down side of the avoiding line?

 

[big T]

Hi Anthony

 

The line from Hawkesbury originally served Wyken, Alexandra, Victoria & Craven Collieries and later Longford Power Station. The last colliery (Alexandra) closed in 1936. The power station opened on 31st October 1928 and rail traffic ceased in April 1967 with the branch officially closed 23rd April 1968. Two locos were employed at Lonford No.1 a Barclay 0-4-0ST and No.2 and Peckett 0-4-0ST. A BR trip engine worked between Hawkesbury Lane and the power station exchange sidings into the 60's I believe.

 

Another colliery existed just north of Hawkesbury Lane; Exhall Colliery. This was served by a mineral tramway from exchange sidings where the Charringtons oil depot later stood. I believe Exhall closed in July 1938 although I have also seen 1948 quoted.

 

It is quite fascinating all this really.

 

Regards

Mike

 

Was the power station at Longford Rail served? I didn't know that!

 

Like you say Mike, fascinating! there were so many operations happening a small area!

[Guest Phil]

Where were the car trains loaded prior to being sent to Scotland?

 

Were they loaded at Bell Green or further up at Gosford Green?

 

Was there a freightliner terminal at Gosford Green also, as I am sure i have seen some pics of gantry cranes and first generation freightliner flats (FEA's or similar?) there.

 

If so, what on earth did it serve as I can't imagine it did a roaring trade?

 

My parents kept "Finisters of Coventry", a model shop, on Humber Road (just opposite the Co-op) in the 1960s. I recall blue artics hauling containers up Humber Road, turning left into Binley Road, then immediately left after the railway bridge into Gosford Green yard. The road has been altered since then and there appears to be a roundabout there now. I believe these Rootes containers conveyed car parts to Linwood.

 

 

I have heard of class 50's on the car trains also.