GWR Route: Alcester to Hatton Junction

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Bearley Junction: gwrbj775

Photographed from the end of Bearley Platform in 1938, the 5.45am Leamington to Honeybourne local freight hauled by a pannier tank waits adjacent to Bearley East Junction Signal Box for shunter Walter Morris. Notice the two MINKs behind the iron mink have their brakes applied. The junction for the north curve and Alcester can just be seen branching to the right in the middle distance, while the station goods yard is to the right in the foreground. Two long refuge sidings next to the road crushing plant run parallel to the north curve and could accommodate thirty wagons. Bearley East Junction Signal Box, opened in 1872, had its frame enlarged in 1907 to 31 levers with the opening of the North Warwickshire Railway; and then again with the doubling of the line to Hatton in 1938 to 37 levers. The signal gantry has two sets of signals for two routes which are operated by three signal boxes. The left hand pair controls the line to Stratford upon Avon whilst the right hand pair controls the single branch to Alcester. The two top arms are controlled by Bearley East Junction Signal Box whilst the lower signals are handled by: Bearley West Signal Box for the Stratford upon Avon branch (lower left arm) and Bearley North Signal Box for the Alcester branch (lower right arm).

Robert Ferris

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