| Leamington
Avenue Station [LNWR] (103) |
Leamington station [GWR] (188) |
The town of Leamington initially was served by Warwick
Milverton station which was at the end of the Coventry to Leamington line which
opened in 1844. The location of this station was at a mid-point between the two
towns of Warwick and Leamington and in many ways could be considered a
compromise that satisfied neither of the two town's citizens. The Rugby to
Leamington single branch line which opened in 1851 in fact commenced at Warwick
Milverton and according to Preston Hendry & Powell Hendry in their book
'LMS Stations' it was February 1854 before the first station opened in the town
of Leamington. This was a small timber framed and clad structure and was
located adjacent to the 1852 GWR station. The second station was a more
substantial and grand affair and built of brick in, according to Colin Maggs in
his book 'Branch Lines of Warwickshire', the 'Italian' style and opened in
March 1860. In 1864 a connection was made with the GWR at the western end of
the LNWR station over which a considerable amount of goods traffic was
exchanged.
A new bay siding was laid at the back of the down (the line
nearest to the GWR) platform in 1884 but was not used as a passenger line until
eight years later in 1892. Additional connections were laid in 1884 on the down
side and the up exchange yard and landing were modified in 1888. The station
had no goods yard as this was located at the Warwick (Milverton) site. A
running connection, Leamington GWR Junction, was laid at the eastern end of the
station opening on July 1908 and was controlled by a new box. The curvature of
this connecting line was so severe that it required a speed limit of 5 m.p.h.
According to Preston Hendry & Powell Hendry, Leamington (Avenue) was the
terminus for the Coventry to Leamington services whilst Warwick (Milverton) was
the terminus for the Rugby to Warwick services, the two routes being
overlapping services. Therefore, according to the two authors, the services
were effectively treated as separate branches rather than as a through
route.
"At this moment it was raining heavily, and the
engine-driver from Birmingham, after taking off his break, turned round to his
box to get out his great coat, and he was thus prevented from observing that
the train which he expected to follow through the station on the down line, was
standing still, in place of moving forward as he expected; and his fireman, who
had left him on his arrival at the station, after uncoupling the engine, to
"fetch the guard's statement", as was his usual duty, was waiting on the up
platform to re-attach the engine as soon as it got round to the other end of
the train. When he found out his mistake, on hearing shouts from the pointsman
on duty, and on looking round, it was too late to stop his engine. He was
unable to reach his break-handle in time to avoid a collision"
| Leamington
Avenue Station [LNWR] (103) |
Leamington General Station [GWR}
(188) |
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