LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Nuneaton
LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Lawley Street Goods Depot: mrls307a

Close up of the new awning provided by the LMS to facilitate the unloading and loading of goods during inclement weather. Even though this scene is some twenty years after that depicted in image 'mrls305' all of the freight traffic being moved by road is still horse drawn. The LMS Society state 'The LMS took over a well established and flourishing Horse Transport operation which gave rise to much of the ordinary freight business carried by rail. The horse had by 1923 been an integral part of the railway scene for close on a century and in almost every railway yard, stable buildings were to be found and often these had been built at the time the line opened. The carts and drays and omnibuses inherited by the LMS were well-tried, and horse transport had already seen full development'. They further report that at the time of grouping in 1923 when the LMS absorbed the Midland Railway and London & North Western Railway, plus a number of smaller companies, 'the total tonnage carried in 1923 by LMS Road Horses was 9,012,673 tons, for a mean average close to 1,000 tons per horse. However, in addition to 9m tons of ordinary freight. Vast quantities of parcels were handled, no less in fact than 32,061,328 in 1925. Therefore, in addition to the annual average 1,000 freight tons, each horse also had an average of 3,421 parcel items to carry per annum'. Whilst the above photograph was some thirteen years after grouping the picture had not changed much as the LMS Society state 'Horse transport was spread throughout the system with the majority centred on the cities and large towns. The LMS used horses through to nationalisation and although there was a gradual reduction in numbers from 1925 onwards (In 1924 Horse stock increased to 9,870) the LMS still had greater reliance on them than any other Company'.

back