GWR/BR Freight on the North Warwickshire Line

[RateTheFreight]

Evening all,

 

Is anyone aware for any regular freight flows/turns during the (primarily of interest) GWR or BR era that ran on the section of the North Warwickshire Line between Stratford, Henley in Arden and Shirley, Yardley, Hall Green etc?

 

For an bonus point, does anyone know when the last freight working on this section of line actually took place and what it was?

 

It's only ever been a passenger and steam (Shakespeare express) line in my lifetime (starting mid 80's) but aware that most stations on the route had small freight facilities.

 

Thanks

 

G

[Miss Prism]

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/northwarwickshire.htm

[johnlambert]

I think it's fair to say that there was plenty of goods traffic on the North Warwickshire line. Copies of the GWR and BR WR working timetables have been uploaded to the internet and I'll have a look for the link when I'm at home.

 

From memory there would have been some livestock to Bordersley and fresh veg/fruit to Moor St for the markets in Birmingham. There would also have been local traffic.

 

Some stations had quite extensive goods facilities (Henley in Arden, for example), but others had no provision at all.

 

The Warwickshire Railways site, linked by Miss Prism, is a great resource for research (or time wasting).

[TheSignalEngineer]

We strayed onto working of that line in this thread 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/122288-cheltenham-stratford-upon-avon-train-frequency/&do=findComment&comment=2703018

 

This link will give you some timetables for the 1959-63 period, it was on the Birmingham District.

http://www.michaelclemensrailways.co.uk/?atk=572

 

Section 13 in this link will give you some around Nationalisation time.

http://www.michaelclemensrailways.co.uk/?atk=592

[TheSignalEngineer]

The last freight working other than engineers trains was the 06.35 Toton to Severn Tunnel Junction  which derailed by Winchcombe Tunnel on 25th August 1976.

[RateTheFreight]

Thanks for the info all, very useful as is the suggested website.

 

I also managed to pick up a couple of cheap second hand books on the line, namely 'the story of the North Warks Line' by Alan Bevan and 'The North Warks Railway' by CT Goode.