LMS Route: Coventry Loop Line
Coventry Loop Line was built to divert goods traffic away from
the congested lines through Coventry station and onto Rugby main line. The line
first opened, on 16th August 1914, from the Three Spires Junction end of the
branch which was located on the Nuneaton to
Coventry line. The line ran through from Three Spires Junction to Humber
Road Junction on the Coventry to Rugby
line, the latter junction not being opened until circa 1916. The goods line
served Gosford Green Goods Yard, Coventry Wholesale Market, Coventry Ordnance
Depot, and Bell Green Goods Yard. There were no scheduled passenger services on
the route and it was only very rarely used for passenger services - specials or
diversions during engineering works - the number of passenger specials could be
counted on one hand. The junction at Humber Road was severed on 7th October
1963 as part of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line. From this date
to closure it was worked as a long siding to Gosford Green principally for
traffic related to Chrysler's Scottish Linwood plant. We have included in the
text below the various instructions British Railways enforced when the line was
worked as a long siding. The line closed in 1981 with the loss of this traffic
was subsequently lifted; much of the line now being the route a by-pass.
Martin Kavanagh writes 'Colin Maggs in his book Branch Lines
of Warwickshire quotes a Willesden-Manchester freight as being the last
ever through train to traverse the Loop Line but Geoffrey Hurst in his book
LNWR Branch Lines of West Leicestershire & East Warwickshire tells
an interesting story around Humber Road Junction – Gosford Green closing
on Sunday 7th October 1963, due to be taken out of use on Sunday 13 October
1963, however a Carlisle – Willesden goods derailment blocked the West
Coast Main Line and some traffic was diverted over the Loop Line'.
Working the Coventry Loop Line as a branch line post
1963
Method of working. The down and up goods line between
Three Spires Junction and Gosford Green are under the control of the Signalman
at Three Spires Junction box and Absolute conditions apply. Protection of
trains stopped by accident, etc and Failure of Communications.
Trains stopped by accident, failure, obstruction or other exceptional cause
must be protected in accordance with the provisions of the rule book, Section
M. Should there be no communication between the Signalman at Three Spires
Junction box and Gosford Green, a train must not be allowed to proceed on the
up goods line from Three Spires Junction until the time usually taken by the
preceding train to clear the section plus an allowance for a train having been
stopped and having to run at reduced speed. Should the Guard of a down train
waiting to depart from Gosford Green be unable to contact the Signalman at
Three Spires Junction he may authorise the train to depart after the time
usually taken by the preceding train has elapsed and he has advised the Driver
of the failure and instructed him to travel at caution stopping at Bell Green,
if necessary.
Three Spires Junction
Three Spires Junction was situated on the Coventry to Nuneaton
Line where the Coventry Loop Line branched off to avoid Coventry Station,
rejoining the L & B line further south at Humber Road junction. It was also
the location where sidings were located to handle the coal traffic originating
from the coal fields located between Coventry & Bedworth.
Bell Green
Method of working at Bell Green. Trains must not be
allowed to shunt inside for other trains to pass. The trailing points on the
down goods line are normally clipped and padlocked for through movements along
the down goods line and the key kept in the Three Spires Junction box. The
Guard of a train requiring to call at Bell Green must collect the key from the
Signalman at Three Spires Junction box before departure and sign for its
receipt in the Train Register. When work has been completed at Bell Green the
Guard must set the points for through movements along the down goods line and
clip and relock the padlock. The key must be handed to the Signalman of Three
Spires Junction box upon return and an entry of the fact must be entered in the
Train Register.
Martin Kavanagh writes 'The very last traffic to Bell green was
some Ford car flats carrying Transit vans from Southampton, this would have
been roughly 1982. Although I can’t locate it now I have seen this traffic
listed in a Conditional Working Time Table, I think it was pretty short lived
in nature'.
Foleshill Railway
Nominally independent, the Foleshill Railway was opened in 1901
to serve Webster's brickwork's from a junction off the Nuneaton line. In 1905
it was extended to serve the new Courtaulds factory and Coventry Ordnance Works
and in doing so it crossed on the level at Stoney Stanton Road the 3 foot 6
inch gauge Coventry Corporation Tramway system. During the Great War
(First World War) of 1914-18 the line carried much heavy ordnance traffic from
the Admiralty works in the form of gun barrels for the Royal Navy's Dreadnought
class battleships. A new connection was made with the Coventry Loop Line in
1914 making it not only a through route but one with access to the Rugby to
Coventry line as well as the Nuneaton to Coventry line. Courtaulds eventually
took over the Foleshill Railway and their traffic was always steam worked, the
line closing on 29th February 1972 after Courtaulds converted their boilers
from coal to gas. A final steaming was staged on 8th April 1972 before some 100
enthusiasts and Courtaulds wove a silk bookmark to commemorate the event.
'Rocket', the 0-4-0ST Peckett (Works No 1722 of 1926), which was purchased new
for the line, was handed over to a local RCTS member for transmission to
Tyseley Museum.
Lineside Views
The following images show the different elements of the
Coventry Loop line ranging from bridges and sidings to locomotives and signal
boxes.
Working at Morris Sidings. Trains must not be allowed to
shunt inside for other trains to pass. The trailing points in the up goods line
are clipped and padlocked for through movements along the down goods line and
the key kept in the Three Spires Junction box. The Guard of a train requiring
to call at these sidings must collect the key from the Signalman at Three
Spires Junction box before departure and sign for its receipt in the Train
Register. When work has been completed at the sidings the Guard must set the
points for through movements along the up goods line and clip and relock the
padlock. The key must be handed to the Signalman of Three Spires Junction box
upon return and an entry of the fact must be entered in the Train Register.
Gosford Green
Gosford Green Goods yard was located off the Binley Road in the
district of Stoke in Coventry. Opened on 10th August 1914 as one of two goods
yards on the Coventry Loop Line its location close to an industrial district of
Coventry meant that it would be in much use for many years. In fact its
closeness to the car factory in Humber Road operated by the Rootes Group, later
the Chrysler Corporation, to move cars between Linwood near Paisley in Scotland
meant that it remained open until the 1970s. The yard had six sidings arranged
in three pairs and handled a wide variety of goods with machined products
outward and materials inward. After approximately six years in service the
facility at Gosford Green was taken out of use when Avenger production at Ryton
ceased on July 1st 1976. Much of the plant was then shipped to Linwood by rail!
With the loss of this traffic the Gosford Green branch was worked on an 'as
required' basis twice weekly using a Class 25 stabled at Coventry. This was the
T41 working on Tuesday & Thursday only calling at the Morris Siding and
Gosford Green.
Method of working. A train must not pass the 'Stop' board
situated on the up goods line and enter or leave the sidings until the Guard
has ensured the sidings are clear and that it safe to do so. When the person in
charge of the freight liner terminal is on duty, a movement must not be made
into the terminal until permission of the Person in charge has been obtained.
When the person in charge of the Freight Liner Terminal is not on duty, the
Guard, before authorising the driver to make a movement into the terminal, must
ensure that it is safe to do so. Propelling movements of Carflat, Bocar, and/or
Freightliner vehicles, loaded or empty, must not be made in either direction
through the crossover connecting the yard shunting neck with the down goods
line. Such movements must be made via the up goods line. Departing trains must
be formed on the down goods line and incoming trains split on the up goods
line.
On arrival of an up train at Gosford Green, The Guard must
advise the Signalman at Three Spires Junction box when the train with tail lamp
attached is inside the 'Stop and carry out instructions' board situated
opposite the goods office. Before a down train requiring to leave Gosford Green
is allowed to pass the 'Stop and obtain permission to proceed' board situated
opposite the Freightliner Terminal office, the permission of the Signalman at
Three Spires Junction box must be obtained by means of the telephone in the
Shunter's cabin. All movements working on these lines must be drawn by a
locomotive and carry a tail lamp on the rear vehicle. A brake van must always
be the rear vehicle on Class 7 to 9 trains inclusive.
Humber Road Junction
Opened in 1916 when the Coventry Loop Line was finally
completed, the junction was originally named Pinley Junction after the lane
which crossed the railway at this point. The change of name occurred after the
lane was renamed following the construction of the Humber factory owned by the
Rootes Group. The junction was removed as part of the electrification work to
the West Coast main line although the importance of the Loop Line providing an
alternative route for goods traffic around Coventry had declined with the loss
of traffic to road hauliers. The junction closed on 7th October 1963.
Mr RA Walford writes, 'I hope the following will be of help.
When I was a boy in the 1940s & 1950s I lived near the Coventry Loop line.
In the 1940s I lived near the Bell Green good yard and from my bedroom I could
watch the shunting engines working there. I recall there being various 0-6-0s
and 0-8-0s, being used as the main engines. During the war, when Coventry was
being subjected to regular bombings, I remember seeing a train going regularly
along the line with a large anti-aircraft gun mounted on a long flat wagon. I
think it was being used to defend the large factories in the area, (e.g. Alfred
Herbert, Morris Engines, etc). During the above time I recall that every
lunchtime, a small freight train used to leave the Bell Green yard and head to
Gosford Green yard. On route it would stop at the Morris Engines factory to
shunt wagons into the factory and collect wagons from there.
The Morris factory had a small 0-4-0 diesel to marshal the
wagons around the factory. There would also be a pickup and exchange of wagons
at this stop from sidings on the other side of the main line which were used by
the Royal Ordinance factory. Their factory was about half a mile from the main
line and they had a spur line from the sidings to the factory. There main
motive power was provided by a small 0-4-0 steam tank engine. If I recall
correctly the line went right through the factory, across the Stoney Stanton
Road, via a level crossing, to a large scrap yard at Priestly Bridge. After
this round of shunting the freight train continued onto Gosford Green Yard. I
am sorry if the above is a bit vague but it is now my memory trying to drag
back events from 60 years ago!'
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