Nuneaton Abbey Street

[48111]

In Nuneaton, apart from the main station called Nuneaton Trent Valley on the West coast main line, there was another station called Nuneaton Abbey Street.This served passengers going to Birmingham and Leicester, and over the years played host to a number of visiting locomotives both at the station and passing through.Trains which went across the top at Nuneaton and did not go down on to the WCML and Trent Valley. The most famous steam Loco was Flying Scotsman (4472). But in recent years a train went the wrong way through Abbey street, instead of going over the top towards Leicester it went down towards the Main line. Anyway a PRESERVED class 40 diesel was in the vicinity travelling light to a heritage railway and that was used to pull the train and the modern loco a class 66 I beleive, back up to Abbey street and clear of the points so that it could continue the right way.
But when Abbey street was open, there was a large yard there and coal trains usually pulled by midland 4s came off the shackerstone branch and needed a banker at Abbey street up through Arley tunnel and the banker was always available at Abbey street, usually a Super "D"


48111

[48111]

Well now, some disturbing information that I have had in the past week,concerning Nuneaton Abbey Street and its surroundings. Well in short,it "aint" there no more !!
The whole railway operation, station , signalbox, yard, branch lines have all gone apparently !
This is awful,that area which is above the main West Coast Main Line, was a hive of activity and like I said previously in the steam days Nuneaton shed always had a banker at Abbey street to bank trains up Arley bank and through the tunnel. Also up until the late eighties in BR days, Abbey street was a busy place with class 25s and 47s working around there, mainly on ballast trains.
A relation of mine who lives close by that area told me about it and I am absolutely dumbfounded at the news.
Nobody would have thought that such a busy railway location could be simply "wiped away" just like that.
Depressing, definately depressing.
I can think back at the firing I done in my younger days mainly on "Super Ds" on the banker.
Time for me to go now, sorry to moan.

48111

[garrat]

never a moan from you just very interesting history 48111 far as Im concerned keep moaning

[62440]

Garrat, I'll second that!

48111, if you think you can stand the anguish I suggest you type "Abbey Street Nuneaton" into google maps and take a look at the state of the place, Houses everywhere that we used to spot locos on the way to Brum. Not very pleasant to compare with what I can remember from about 1965 onwards.

Regards, 62440.

[48111]

Ok 62440 will do, here goes .....

48111

[48111]

Well 62440, I have done that and went on to Satellite and zoomed in .....is that what they call progress ?

The whole situation really is unbelievable,the railway system in and around Nuneaton is a skeleton of its former self. Nuneaton was always rather ignored by the railway heirachy despite its superb location and the ability to be able to get most anywhere from there with its branch lines going off in all directions.The shed at Nuneaton (2B), my shed, was always a busy shed, although we had very little booked passenger work, we did have the locals to Coventry and Leamington and down to Tamworth in the other direction, the bulk of the work was goods trains and trip working. Even up to the 80s in BR days with the diesels, long after the shed had gone, when Nuneaton was a booking on point, Nuneaton men used to work up and down the WCML and branches, and over to Banbury on the Western, in fact there was one guard who has now sadly passed away,who signed the road in to Paddington !
My route card was not a "bad un", I signed Euston down to Crewe and through to Liverpool Lime street AND branches, I signed over to Banbury on the western, I signed all round Birmingham including Tysley, Birmingham New Street, Bescot and I was one of the few Nuneaton men who actually signed Moor Street station, and with a good route card you got the work to compliment it. When my kids were little and growing up I was always after a bit extra in the "paypacket", so I done what I could, I have known The time when I have booked on at 1800 in the evening and booked off at 10 or 11 o clock THE NEXT MORNING !! There was a joke at Nuneaton, if we got a job which went through on the WCML we used to say "Dont send relief, send food" !!!
Those were the days right enough, Nuneaton was a great place to work, great work mates, they really were a brilliant bunch of blokes. Even today I am still a "NUNEATON MAN" and always will be.

48111