The Great Western Railway in Warwickshire
The history of the Great Western Railway in Warwickshire
was, like the London Midland Railway, a story of competing independent railway
companies which over time became the GWR. Robert Ferris traces the origins of
the company from the early days of railways in the county to its last days of
independence when on 31st December 1947 it became the Western Division of
British Railways.
To navigate within the history of the Great Western Railway
in Warwickshire click the following links.
The First World War and After
At the start of hostilities in 1914 the Government took over
all the British Railways, but despite the huge number of specials
required for mobilisation, initially ordinary services remained unchanged and
only excursions were suspended. Gradually demands for more troop trains,
ambulance trains, military supplies and in particular coal for the navy (now
based in Scotland) started to effect services. Maintenance schedules were also
affected as locomotive works were required to manufacture military equipment
and staff shortages occurred as men joined up to fight.
By 1917 conditions had deteriorated, express services were
decelerated and the frequency of other services reduced to save coal. Passenger
fares were raised by 50% is discourage travel. Many small stations were closed
or unstaffed and whole branch lines were closed to optimise the use of the
available resources. In Warwickshire both the Rowington to Henley in Arden
branch (see 'gwrrj260') and the Alcester branch (see
gwrac464) were closed on 1st January 1917 and the
rails from these lines were removed to help the war effort. The rails were also
removed from the disused section of the Stratford to Moreton tramway. After the
war only the Alcester branch would be relaid in 1922.
The demand for steel and a lack of imported iron ore forced
the ministry of munitions to identify alternative home sources and this lead to
the start of open strip quarrying by the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company (OIC) at
Wroxham, northwest of Banbury. This site is just across the county border from
Warwickshires Edge Hill Quarries which were also developed at the same
time (see 'ehlr7a'). Steel producers Baldwins
Ltd and Brymbo Steel Co Ltd were granted leases on 1st January 1917 and on 29th
June 1917 formed the jointly owned OIC. In August a rail connection was made
with the Great Western Railway at a point north of Banbury and a private
standard gauge railway constructed to the quarries with the help of German
POWs. Iron ore production commenced two months after the war ended in January
1919, but demand had disappeared.
By 1923 the market had recovered and the quarry dispatched
60,000 tons, production peaked at nearly 600,000 tons in 1929 before the
depression. In August 1924 Alfred Hickman Ltd (a subsidiary of Stewart and
Lloyds) purchased 50% of the OIC shares and during 1931 and 1932 Hickman was
the only customer. For many years regular trains of 20 ton iron ore hoppers
travelled on Great Western Railway metals through Warwickshire from the OIC to
the Hickman Steelworks at Bilston, near Wolverhampton, while other trains were
routed up to Hatton Junction across to Stratford upon Avon and then via
Honeybourne to the Baldwins Steelworks in South Wales. These heavy freight
trains were often pulled by 2-8-0 locomotives, either the 28XX class or the ROD
engines purchased from government stocks after the war (see 'gwrbj776') and 2-6-0 locomotives of the 43XX and
Aberdare class could be seen hauling trains of empty ore hoppers back to
Banbury (see 'gwrls902' and gwrsrh276).
At the end of the war the Government decided to retain
control of the railways until 1921 and this allowed the unrestricted free
movement of government traffic to be extended to include a lengthy
demobilisation period. 1919 was an election year and following negotiations in
February and strikes in September, the Government agreed to Union demands for a
maximum eight hour working day and staff wage increases that more than tripled
the pre-war salary bill. In June 1921 compensation for usage of the railways
was eventually agreed, but payment was delayed until December 1922. It was
estimated that the value of the railway companies had fallen by 30% in this
period of government control and with many railway companies in financial
crisis, the stage was set for the Grouping.
Daily Jellicoe Specials Coal Trains passing
through Warwickshire.
From G.W.R. Service Time Table - 1918
Gloucester (Old Yard) |
Dep |
1.33am |
3.00am |
7.05am |
7.55pm |
10.10pm |
Cheltenham (Malvern Rd) |
Dep |
1.57am |
3.23am |
7.25am |
8.18pm |
10.30pm |
Toddington |
Arr |
2.30am |
3.58am |
7.57am |
8.55pm |
11.35pm |
|
Dep |
2.50am |
4.30am |
8.15am |
9.25pm |
11.23pm |
Honeybourne |
Pass |
3.17am |
4.42am |
8.36am |
9.47pm |
11.45pm |
Stratford on Avon |
Arr |
3.40am |
5.07am |
9.03am |
10.12pm |
12.10am |
|
Dep |
4.05am |
5.17am |
9.20am |
10.27pm |
12.20am |
Leamington Spa |
Arr |
4.58am |
6.25am |
10.15am |
11.27pm |
1.18am |
|
Dep |
5.10am |
8.25am |
10.30am |
* |
1.30am |
Banbury |
Arr |
6.30am |
9.25am |
11.40am |
* |
2.30am |
* For L&NWR line. To be extended to Banbury when
carrying coal for GC line.
While the majority of the trains carrying Welsh smokeless
Dry Steam Coal for the Navy originated in Pontypool Road and were
destined for Grangemouth in Scotland via Hereford, Shrewsbury and Chester. This
was not the only destinations of the Jellicoe Specials and the five trains
listed left South Wales each night for Banbury, where they transferred to the
Great Central Railway to continue to Immingham and other East Coast Ports.
Robert Ferris
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