Guest Book: Page 20

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I hope you will not mind offering a comment about other photographs on the website. Photograph 'lnwrchg544' showing Jubilee Class 4-6-0 5579, later named 'Punjab' on 2nd October 1936, passing the site of what was later Canley Halt; according to all available records, this engine spent its whole working life, prior to nationalisation, on the Northern Division of the LMS, after a brief stay between 6th October 1934 and 2nd February 1935 at Crewe North, which shed plate 5A the engine is carrying in the picture; for that reason I would date the picture as being late 1934 very early 1935, given the shed plate and the absence of a nameplate, and the absence of any Stanier coaching stock in the part of the train shown in the picture.

Photograph 'lnwrrm766' shows Jubilee 5597 'Barbados"' at Rugby; this almost certainly a picture taken in wartime as the cabside window in front of the crew member is blacked out; secondly the shedplate carried appears to be a Midland Division one either 22A - Bristol LMS - Barrow), where the engine was shedded from 18th November 1939 until 2nd March 1940, when it was transferred to Leeds Holbeck - 20A; as the engine was in works between 23rd October and 4th November 1939 for a heavy service and entered works again for a heavy general repair on 3rd July 1940, I date the picture during the period between works visits. Possibly it is on a "running-in" turn after the first shopping in November 1939.

Photograph 'lnwrrm708' is not a Stanier Black 5 but rebuilt Patriot 5526; the locomotive was rebuilt and returned to traffic on 6th February 1947. The tender is not red but a rather dirty tender number 9754 taken off Jubilee 5611 which had acquired it recently as 1941 when the last series of 4F 0-6-0's was built but ordered with Stanier 4000 gallon tenders.

Michael Byng

I am having trouble in accepting the Patriot 4-6-0 in picture 'lnwrth715' is 5538 "Gigglewick". Firstly the locomotive in in the short-lived 1936 livery which No 5538 did not carry from through records currently available. I think the engine may be No 5523, later named "Bangor"; this engine received a heavy general overhaul between 8th October and 7th December 1936 in which it would have been repainted and the 1936 insignia applied; secondly the shed plate appears to be 3B - the code for Bushbury at the time.

No 5538 was last shopped for heavy overhaul in April/May 1935 and would not have had the 1936 livery, this is perhaps born out by a picture of the engine at Derby in May 1937 awaiting a heavy service still in the more normal LMS passenger locomotive livery for 1935. Finally No 5538 was allocated to Leeds Holbeck - code 20A - from 25th July 1936 until it was loaned to Willesden in 1948 after nationalisation.

Michael Byng

Thanks for your observations Michael as I have checked the original scan and when I invert the image I think you are correct in saying the number on the cabside is No 5523. I have corrected the caption accordingly. Regards Mike

After sending the above information, Michael wrote:

'Returning to photograph lnwrth715 and 5523 at the head of a down express, I have looked at it again and suggest that the first 5 (five) coaches represent all periods of LMS coach construction. The first coach is a 57' 0" BTK (Brake Third) to D1905 with a large luggage compartment, the second coach is a 57'0" TK (third compartment) to D1899, the third is a 60' 0" RTO (open third) used as a dining vehicle next to a 68' 0" RC (composite restaurant car) to D1938 followed by a 57' 0" FK (first class compartment coach), the remaining six coaches are too indistinct to precisely identified albeit the sixth and seveth coaches are Stanier Period III stock. However the train is a typical Euston - Wolverhampton set of the late 1930's, an eight-coach set with possibly three strengtheners.

A very useful resource - and links page!

Anthony Nelson

Hello. First, may I report a faulty link on your Useful Links page? The link 'Signalbox' in fact goes to the Old Maps site. I guess the 'Signalbox' link is intended to be to John Hinson’s most excellent site which is at: www.signalbox.org Secondly, is there any way to get a print for an image credited to 'Anon', please? I'm referring to 'lnwrrm853', interior of Rugby No 7 box, which would be ideal for a revised cover I'm preparing for a book for the Signalling Record Society. Any help you could give would be much appreciated. And last but not least, thanks for a most enjoyable site – only too tempting to browse when I should be doing something else!

Best wishes - John Creed

Request for help from the Nuneaton & Bedworth Rail User Group
We now have most of the proposed timetable for Nuneaton on the west coast mainline post December 2008. Its a bit of a mess as Virgin has first pickings of when to run trains and London Midlands is banned from running trains down the direct line that would serve Nuneaton. The line has a monopoly agreement called moderation of competition which makes it very hard for anyone to run direct services except Virgin but do not require them to do so.

For parts of the day we are only served by Virgin Trains and the rest of the time by London Midlands. The cheapest tickets are likely to be offers from each firm that will not operate on the others services. We will end up with good local trains which stop in the peak hours and risky 6 minute changes to make at Rugby. For some that will not matter but it will put a lot of people off using the railway. One missed connection at Rugby will lead to an hours wait!

We are trying to get the Moderation of Competition Lifted along the Trent valley. This would allow London Midlands to serve us better and permit open access operators to do a few stops. If Nuneaton was the only "open access" station in the area it would attract train operators.

To make the point I would like to do a spoof submission to the rail regulator to operate a historic service from the 1930s. We think the best time from 1938 was 1 hour and 32 minutes. I hope your visitors have some old timetables and information that could help. We have 7 platforms at Nuneaton and it would be useful if the ban on anyone other than virgin providing direct services was scrapped. Our main aim would be to get TV and nation press coverage.

Keith Kondakor - please contact me via keithk2t@gotadsl.co.uk

I lived on Mitchell Avenue, Canley in Coventry from 1947 until I married in 1964. We then lived on Torrington Avenue and eventually Nailcote Avenue in Tile Hill Village. Wendy and I were members of the Sunday School at Canley Gospel Hall throughout the 1950's. One year, the Summer outing saw 350 children board a special train at Tile Hill station for the one-stop journey to Berkswell, for our annual games and picnic in a farmers' field near the station.

Your photos of Canley Halt, Tile Hill & Berkswell are so fine! My memories of growing up in the area are vivid! Mr Bullivant - "Bully" - was the signalman at Tile Hill for many years. He grew potatoes and peas behind the box.

Eric Hollingsworth

Hi Eric - We must have been near neighbours for a while as I was born in 1948 and lived in one of the 'steel houses' in Hayton Green, Canley until I was 7 years old when I moved to Parkwood Lane at the top of Charter Avenue not far from Tile Hill Station. I certainly recall the signalman at Tile Hill station who let me visit the box but I cannot recall his horticultural talents. Tile Hill was my local station and my friends and I spent many an hour sitting on the site of the old cattle dock. The idea that you could hire a train for a one-stop journey seems incredulous now. I remember when I was about ten being able to catch a special train that called at Canley and Tile Hill taking us to Dudley Castle Zoo. Regards - Mike

What an extraordinary site. Thank you - fantastically absorbing and informative.

Bob Guntrip

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