LMS Route: The Shakespeare Route

Kineton Station: smjk86

An early 1900s view of a train from Fenny Compton arriving at Kineton station. The track formation has the ballast above the sleepers which was standard practice from the mid-19th century until early in the 20th century. Careful examination shows that the rails are chocked with wooden keys on the inside of the rails, another Midland Railway practice found on the SMJ and its E&WJR forerunner.

This practice was not widely adopted by the majority of Britain's railways because the advantage of being able to walk in the centre of the track and inspect the keys of both rails simultaneously was out-weighed by the degree of accuracy required in laying the track in the first place. Chairs where the wooden key was placed on the outside of the rail allowed a greater degree of flexibity and adjustment during track laying.

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