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GWR Routes

The Great Western Railway in Warwickshire

To navigate within the history of the Great Western Railway in Warwickshire click the following links.

Broad Gauge Plans and Politics Railway Construction and Gauge Conversion Into the Golden Age
Cut Offs and Direct Lines Improved Stations, Services and Motive Power The First World War and After
1920’s - The Grouping 1930’s - Depression and Resurgence Communities We Serve – Birmingham

Into the Golden Age

Broad gauge conversion had resulted in the time to travel from London to Birmingham increasing. Prior to conversion the 129.5 mile trip from Paddington had taken 2 hours 50 minutes, but after conversion, in 1870, the fastest train took 3 hours 20 minutes. This was woefully slower than the LNWR competition and these were dark days for the Great Western Railway as it struggled to economise following the expenses of amalgamations, gauge conversion and the construction of the Severn Tunnel.

Slowly Great Western Railway Warwickshire’s Lines saw improvements to the train timetable through the county. On 1st July 1880 a new prestige express service was introduced. This left Paddington at 4.45pm for Wolverhampton with connections onto Birkenhead. It was unofficially called the ‘Afghan’ or sometimes the ‘Northern Zulu’ to differentiate it from the Zulu express to the West of England, which had been introduced the previous year. It was hauled by one of the 7-foot singles (2-2-2 locomotive) of the Queen class and despite the normal heavy load of nine eight wheeled coaches it averaged 49mph on its non stop journey to Oxford, where three of the coaches were detached for Worcester.

To decrease journey times between Paddington and Birmingham, water toughs were constructed at strategic positions on the route. In October 1899, the 560 yard water toughs near Rowington Junction were constructed on a level section of track. These water toughs allowed water to be scooped up directly into the tender, which meant that there was no longer any need for engines to stop at intermediate stations to replenish their water supply and this enabled non-stop express running (see gwrrj262). The first non-stop express services to Birmingham commenced in 1901 and the fastest time recorded in that year was 143 minutes for the 129.3 miles (an average speed of 54.2 mph).

To facilitate more non-stop expresses between Paddington and Birmingham, while maintaining an equally fast service to the principle stations on route required the introduction of slip coaches. These coaches were positioned at the rear of the express and coupled with special apparatus that allowed a Slip Guard (who rode in the slip coach) to disconnect the coach from the main portion of the train. This slipping operation took place just prior to the desired station and the slip coach then travelled under its own momentum with the Slip Guard regulating the speed with the coach’s modified vacuum brake gear until it finally was stopped at the station. Slip coach operation broke the fundamental safety rule that there must never be more than one train in a block section. Special identification lamps were therefore carried on the rear of both the slip coach and the main train.

In Warwickshire slip coaches were detached at Leamington, Warwick, Knowle and Hatton Junction (see 'gwrhj107'). The majority of these services were destined for Stratford-upon-Avon; on Birmingham to Paddington trains (up) the slip coaches were detached at Hatton, the Stratford branch junction, but on Paddington to Birmingham trains (down) the slip coaches for Stratford were detached at Leamington, prior to the steep climb up Hatton Bank. This had the advantage of reducing the number of coaches that the express train had to haul up the incline.

There was a steady increase in the number of slip arrangements, but the number of slip operations peaked just prior to the First World War and never again recovered:

Location 1885 1902 1910 1914 1922
Leamington (down) 1 2 3 5 1
Knowle (down) 1 1 1 1 0
Knowle (up) 1 0 0 0 0
Hatton Junction (up) 3 5 6 3 0
Warwick (up) 1 2 2 1 0
Total 7 10 12 9 1

In tandem with the service acceleration, the passenger’s facilities were also improved; firstly with the provision of corridor trains from March 1892. These were steam heated and were advertised as fitted with reserved compartments for Ladies, Smoking Saloons and Lavatory compartments accessible to all three classes ~ this was a first for the Great Western Railway and any other UK railway. In addition an electric bell system was provided in each compartment by which passengers could summon the guard.

Secondly, dining cars were provided on the Warwickshire expresses from 1904, following the introduction of the Dreadnought (dia H8) Dinning cars. These were the first Great Western Railway mainline stock to be built without a clerestory roof. They had a central kitchen with an elegant first class saloon on one side and a combined second / third saloon on the other. Lighting was electric and there were electric fans in the saloons and a refrigerator in the kitchen. By 1910 all classes of passenger facilities had improved to such an extent that it was no longer justified to have three levels of service and Second Class compartments were abolished.

Stories about the quality of the permanent way and the smooth riding of the coaching stock also circulated; the gentleman who regularly shaved during the journey in the end lavatory compartment, using a cut-throat razor but without cutting himself once, the sovereign coin dropped at Paddington, but found again at Birmingham Snow Hill resting on the coach’s running board after a journey of 129 miles. The stories may be factual, but even if they are urban myths they would not have circulated if there was not an element of truth regarding the comparative smoothness of the ride.

The faster trains and heavier coaches required an improvement in motive power and coupled driving wheels of the bogie 4-4-0 locomotive provided the adhesion and power requirements necessary, while keeping the axle weights and wheelbases within the limits of the day. The result was a series of Great Western Railway 4-4-0 express locomotives culminating in; the Badminton class which introduced the raised belpaire firebox, the larger Atbara class with their austere lines and domeless boiler and the City class with their tapered boilers and record breaking speeds (see 'gwrls159').

Robert Ferris

Broad Gauge Plans and Politics Railway Construction and Gauge Conversion Into the Golden Age
Cut Offs and Direct Lines Improved Stations, Services and Motive Power The First World War and After
1920’s - The Grouping 1930’s - Depression and Resurgence Communities We Serve – Birmingham