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LMS Route: Nuneaton to Coventry

LMS Route: Coventry Loop Line

Three Spires Junction: lnwr_3spires3410

Harry Addison poses on a five-plank open coal wagon stabled on one Three Spires Junction's exchange sidings

Harry Addison poses on a five-plank open coal wagon stabled on one Three Spires Junction's exchange sidings. Charles and Giles Ayres commenced business in Reading in 1825, and in the broad gauge era of the Great Western Railway, operated a fleet of some forty wagons, which were converted to standard gauge in 1872 by the Gloucester RC&WCo.; The standard gauge replacements, until 1907, were painted red, but in 1910 an eye catching livery of three yellow planks bordered by green planks top and bottom and both black and yellow lettering was introduced with wagons built by the Birmingham RC&WCo., which incurred a slight extra charge for the more complicated livery, extending to the repainting of the existing fleet of older wagons, such as that illustrated. The company sourced much of its house coal from collieries in the Coventry - Nuneaton area, but for local gas coal contracts wagons travelled as far as Smithy Wood and Cortonwood near Barnsley in Yorkshire and Ruabon in north Wales.

Keith Turton

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