GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Warwick Station: gwrw393

Looking towards Leamington from the Birmingham end of the down platform with the Hatton banker's bay on the right circa 1930s. To the left can be seen the turnout from the refuge siding which was used to move slow goods traffic out of the path of express and other faster services. At the time of this photograph the goods train would have drawn into the station with the guards van just passed the points. The points would then be set to receive the train and it would reverse backwards. This method of working was time consuming but safe practice as derailments could occur on pointwork facing the locomotive as its leading wheels could split the point blades. However in 1944, the necessities of war compelled the authorities to make the refuge a loop being accessed at the Birmingham end of the siding with facing pointwork which remained until the siding was lifted in 1967.

back