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Could I please draw your attention to the caption under 'gwrhd686'? The photo was taken from All Saints Street but the fact that the invoice office is on the right, as is Pitsford Street, means that the view must be southwards towards Snow Hill. I hope you don't mind me pointing this out?

Your coverage of Hockley Goods has given me and my family many happy hours studying the photos, visiting the site and meeting some great people. Many thanks indeed.

Peter Fox

Peter - As I keep on saying, all corrections and additional information are welcome as I wish the website to be an accurate source of information for future generations to enjoy and to use.

Hi there. What an excellent site. I must have spent hours looking at it. I have to point out a small error in the caption under "Birmingham New Street - BR Period Locomotives: lnwrbns_br342". This begins "Ex-MR 0-6-0 No 58271 with a plate bearing the code W721 on the bufferbeam stands alongside ex-LMS Fowler 2-6-0 "Crab" No 42337 on the adjacent platform." No 42337 was in fact a Fowler 4-MT 2-6-4T.

Rob Gill

Rob - Many thanks for the correction, I have now updated the caption. I can only assume it was another late night working on the website and when I looked at the photograph I only saw the high running plate over the cylinders and missed the side tanks. Another reason why I welcome corrections etc.

Great site... haven't touched the surface yet. Just a question about the Sutton Coldfield picture on the Birmingham to Lichfield section. I reckon the picture 'mrsc96' of one of the station buildings is Sutton Town not Sutton Coldfield. It's still there today as an office.

Edward Dawes

Edward - On re-examining the photograph I agree with you. Its one of the many photographs I have that does not have any information on the reverse of the photograph. Not having first-hand knowledge of either station I made an incorrect guess. I have now added it to the Sutton Town web page.

I have enjoyed looking at your great photos of when steam was the only way to travel, more comfortable and enjoyable. As a former signalman I was able to enjoy the sights and sounds of many trains as they passed by my box. The photos bring back many memories of those days, especially those of the former LMS and LNER engines.

Keep up the good work. Eric

Great idea. The only fly in the ointment is getting copies of colour slides held by Kidderminster. If they were given to the nation, then we are all entitled to obtain copies for our own use at our own expense. To date, I believe almost no personal copies have been obtained.

Chris Youett

Hi Mike

In response to your request for proofing the captions, might I suggest that the crossovers referred to in image 'lnwra 1494' are not to access the Windsor Street Wharf & Gas Works, but relate to the access to and from Aston shed. The access to Windsor Street Wharf & Gas Works is to the left of the buffers, the head shunt of which can be seen behind the signal, and the 'toe' of the pointwork for the access, can be seen in the bottom left-hand corner of the photograph.

Hope this helps Gordon Snelgrove

Gordon - Many thanks for the correction, it all helps to build up a more accurate understanding of the railways scene in Warwickshire. Not only are most of the photographs taken more than fifty years ago, but I have never visited all the locations on the site. My observations are based on using maps, reference books etc and consequently I could be repeating incorrect information or just misinterpreting the photograph.

So much information, many thanks. I stayed for a short time with my relatives at Lifford station (1953-1954) Uncle was a guard working night trains. His name was Harry Silvester. I have fond memories of the old station.

Again many thanks. Michael Hunt

Hi Mike! Its been a long time since we used to chat at the Leamington Model Railway show. Great site - I have a few questions regarding obtaining photos from your site for reference' purposes. Incidently 'lnwrbns_br342' was taken on 30-5-1959 - I have an almost identical shot in my collection! I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best - Philip Hawkins

Phil thanks for the information - it all helps to build a more accurate picture. When the Midland line to Barnt Green is complete I will be starting at Rugby and working my way to New Street. All the images will be increased in size and have the quality improved to the current standard. Phil was also kind enough to provide a number of his paintings to be included in our new feature 'Warwickshire Railways - Rail Art'

One little tale about the triangular junction at Hatton from my father and mother. Shortly after WW2 the railway was transporting a load of bananas - probably one of the first into the country after, as my father puts it, "the recent hostilities". Unfortunately the refrigeration equipment on the ship had been faulty, and the whole trainload spoiled in the railway wagons. Somebody, somewhere, in the railway officialdom decided that the best way of getting rid of them was to tip them in the middle of the triangular junction at Hatton and cover them with earth.....for more on Kevin's story click hatton

Kevin Jones

Splendid site. My uncle, who still lives in Wood Street, Rugby, was a signalman in Rugby for over 40 years. He is coming up to his 96th birthday and I want to give him some photos of No 1 and 4 boxes, the sidings leading into Wood street and the postcard showing the No 4 box and the BTH bridge where I used to wave to him as a lad in the 1960s. They are on the website and I would like to get hold of copies. They may well stimulate him to tell me more stories re life in the boxes around the area. Thank you

Paul Jackson

What a fantastic site. As a native of Evesham I really enjoyed the many photographs of the old Midland station. Incidentally the second shot in the Evesham section is of the GWR station not the Midland as indicated in the caption. Excellent stuff!

Martin Street

Thanks for letting me know of my mistake. The offending photograph has been removed. In answer to the question 'why have you only featured the Midland station'? The answer is the Midland station at Evesham was only included to provide a natural and logical termination of our interest in a route which ran through Warwickshire. Had the GWR route running through Evesham entered Warwickshire then it too would have been included.

Very interesting site. Good pictures. I lived in Rugby in the 60s and all this stuff brings back memories of all the trains when I was a teenager. Good job!! I live in Vancouver. Canada. I still like trains so your site is very interesting.

Thanks!! Dave Chesterton

Congratulations to all concerned on a marvellous site for those interested in railways of this particular area. I came across it by accident but spent a happy hour marvelling at the depth of coverage of some locations and the wonderful pictures are so evocative, it must be great for anyone doing drawings, paintings or modelling of these locations - just wish someone did something similar for Yorkshire!! Good luck and best wishes for the sites continued growth and success.

Stuart Hawkesworth

I worked at Bedlam Lane for about a year in the late 70’s, during this time I took a few photos of Bedlam and surrounding area, but these are 47’s 44’s etc etc, and are on pictures rather that slides is this era any good to you? If so I can post them (when I find them!) so that you can copy them. Let us know, and by the way a great site!

Steve Williams

Thanks for the offer Steve! However we must decline your very kind gesture because we have given ourselves the time line of 1968 to enable us to have an end date (as well as recognising the end of steam). The site is much much bigger than we ever thought it would be and if we extended the date by twenty years then frankly I can never see us ever be able to finish. Perhaps someone else would like to create a post-1968 site on Warwickshire's Railways? With regard to the format of an image, most of the images are scanned from photos rather than slides which are in fact more fiddley.

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