LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington Spa (Avenue)

LMS Route: Leamington to Weedon

Marton Junction: lnwrmartj1326a

This close up of image 'lnwrmartj1326' shows an unidentified ex-LMS 8F 2-8-0 waiting for the right of way to proceed onto the Rugby to Leamington line. The locomotive was probably returning to its home shed at Rugby as Milverton shed which had serviced the Weeden branch for both passenger and goods service had closed in the late 1950s. Messrs Preston-Hendry and Powell-Hendry noted in their book 'LMS Stations Volume One' there were some dubious shunting moves in progress as a passenger train is signalled on the down Rugby line, yet the 8F on the Weeden branch has not only passed the branch home signal but the trap has been set to permit this!.

The answer to the author's puzzle has come from Ray Sharratt who wrote, 'When I was a passed cleaner at Rugby mpd in 1959, I spent a week working the first re-routed chalk trains via Rugby to the Southam Cement works. I think it was around June 1959. We worked the train with a Stanier class 8 and a light engine Stanier class 8 was also involved to facilitate the reversal down to the cement works. I was always on the train engine to Marton and we followed the train down to Southam & Long Itchington for the works, assisting in the marshalling of the return empties. We again were the train engine back to Rugby, with the other engine returning light and occasionally double heading the train. I believed that the line to Weedon was closed shortly afterwards because the passenger service trains had already been withdrawn. The picture would appear to relate to our working (light engine involved) because I am fairly certain that we worked wrong line to the cement works. There appears to be no lamp on the front of the engine, so was it awaiting the main train?'

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