LNER Route: Leicester to Marylebone

Rugby Central Station

Rugby Station (later Rugby Central Station) was opened by the Great Central Railway (GCR) on 15 March 1899. The Great Central Railway was in fact a large regional railway company whose General Manager, Colonel Sir William Pollitt, had major aspirations for the company to be part of a major international network. Originally the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway the railway changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension on which was built Rugby Station. The GCR recognised from the outset that is route to London would be facing stiff competition from other companies that had had some sixty years to build up their business base. In addition, these railways had been built when costs were relatively lower with routes through populous areas of the country which had been further stimulated by the arrival of the railways. The services provided by the GCR at Rugby were more limited being confined to London Marylebone and to Manchester Piccadilly via Leicester Central, Nottingham Victoria and Sheffield Victoria as well as various cross country services to places such as Southampton and Hull.

The GCR Rugby station was therefore much more modest than its LNWR equivalent (later named Rugby Midland by British Railways to avoid confusion) although overall its size and range of services were similar to other GCR stations along the mainline to London. The strategy of the GCR was to focus upon passenger comfort by building sumptuous coaching stock and running fast services along the route to London. Rugby Central was approximately midway along the GCR's route to London and was a stopping point for express services as well as a starting and change over point for local services. Peter Elliot in his book Rugby's Railway Heritage states an engine shed was initially to have been built at Rugby but due to an inadequate water supply this was built at Woodford Halse to the south of Rugby.

The station was situated on Hillmorton Road approximately a half mile to the east of the town's centre. The station's design followed the standard GCR design of a single island platform with a length of some 600 feet. The booking hall and office was, with the parcel office, located at street level, being built over the railway on one side of the road bridge with a covered staircase leading down to the island platform below. On the platform there were three waiting rooms and a Gentlemen's urinals, the latter being the only building not covered by the canopy. The goods yard was a modest affair with three primary sidings, one of which served a small goods shed, the second serving a cattle and vehicle dock whilst the third was used for general goods arriving primarily by open wagon. The latter siding was supported by a fixed position hand-operated crane used to off-load heavy items such as timber. Until the early 1960s the station was served by about six London to Manchester expresses daily, and was the terminus for local services from Aylesbury or Woodford Halse to the south, and Leicester Central or Nottingham Victoria from the north. The Railway Clearing House's 1929 Handbook of Railway Stations states both the LNER and LMS station provided the following services: Goods traffic; Passenger and Parcels traffic; Furniture Vans; Livestock; Horse Boxes and Prize Cattle Vans; and Carriages (Horse-drawn - Ed) by Passenger Trains (GPFLHC). Cranage facilities were provided within the goods shed via a fixed manually operated 10 ton crane. Clearly the primary difference was the scale of the two operations, the ex-GCR facilities being much more modest.

Following the First World War, which had caused the railways to suffer a significant lack of investment which in turn meant that many of the 120 railway companies were near to becoming bankrupt, the 1921 Railways Act, also known as the Grouping Act, was passed. The purpose of the Act was to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 by removing much of the internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which the country had derived from a government-controlled railway during and after the Great War of 1914-1918. This Act resulted in the GCR being part of the London and North Eastern Railway when it formed in 1923. Following the Second World War and very similar circumstances where the 'Big Four' railway companies had effectively become bankrupt, the 1947 Transport Act resulted in the nationalisation of Britain's railways which resulted in the formation of British Railways in 1948. The former GCR route to London became the responsibility of the London Midland Region, one of six divisions set up to operate beneath the umbrella of the British Transport Commission.

These closely mirrored the regions covered by the former companies in England and Wales, although with the addition of a separate Scottish Region. The North Eastern Region was eventually amalgamated with the Eastern Region, reflecting the English operations of the 1923-1947 London and North Eastern Railway. This meant that the London Midland Region's officers and managers priorities were LMS centric and the former GCR route suffered as a consequence. The line was then run down and express services removed, leaving only the local services and an infrequent semi-fast service to London in place. Under Doctor Richard Beeching's report, 'The Reshaping of British Railways', the GCR's route to London was closed on 5th September 1966, the line to the south of Rugby and north of Nottingham being closed, the goods yard having been closed on 14th June 1965. The section between Rugby Central and Nottingham (initially Nottingham Victoria, later cut back to Nottingham Arkwright Street) remained open as self-contained branch carrying a DMU operated local passenger service until 3rd May 1969 with the station closing formally on 5th May 1969.

Rugby Great Central Station

Ref: gcrcs173 Leicestershire & Rutland R.O. Rugby Great Central station's booking hall sited on the bridge carrying Hillmorton Road over the railway

Ref: gcrcs173a Leicestershire & Rutland R.O. Close up view of Rugby GC station's ticket and parcel offices located in the building facing on to Hillmorton Road

Ref: gcrcs173b Leicestershire & Rutland R.O. Close up view of the vaulted booking hall situated within the station building fronting Hillmorton Road

Ref: gcrcs22 Coventry Evening Telegraph An exterior view of the station building located at road level taken during its days under BR ownership

Ref: gcrcs200 N Tout A 1960s view of Rugby Central station's booking hall and offices located on Hillmorton Road

Ref: gcrcs65 Leicestershire & Rutland R.O. View of Rugby Central station's up platform which is in pristine condition at the time of opening in 1899

Ref: gcrcs65a Leicestershire & Rutland R.O. Close up showing the glazed covered walkway providing access from the booking hall down to the platform

Ref: gcrcs23 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Leicester showing the down platform and the booking hall and offices spanning the tracks

Ref: gcrcs23a Lens of Sutton Close up showing the buffer stops of the passing loop line and the points rejoining the main line

Ref: gcrcs23b Lens of Sutton Close up showing the down platform's passenger facilities including waiting and a refreshment rooms

Ref: gcrcs23c Lens of Sutton Close up showing the Gentlemen's urinals located at the London end of Rugby's Great Central station

Ref: gcrcs21 Lens of Sutton View looking along Rugby Central's island platform towards Leicester with the goods yard seen on the left

Ref: gcrcs21a Lens of Sutton Close up showing the southern end of the station's platform buildings looking towards Leicester

Ref: gcrcs24 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Leicester from the London end of the island platform with the goods shed on the left

Ref: gcrcs213 C Weightman/A Bullimore Looking back towards London from a down train showing the passing loop on the right and the signal box

Ref: gcrcs217 Anon Looking in the direction of London along the siding used by open wagons needing access to the fixed crane

Ref: gcrcs291a A Newman Close up showing part of Rugby Central's goods yard with the fixed hand operated crane on the right

Rugby Signal Cabin

Ref: gcrcs15a Weston Collection Close up showing the yard's fixed crane which was used to load and unload heavy goods from open wagons

Ref: gcrcs10a Weston Collection Close up showing Rugby Station Signal Cabin which controlled the goods yard and the station section

Ref: gcrcs6a Weston Collection Close up showing Rugby Station Signal Cabin located at the London end of the down side of the station

Ref: gcrcs212 C Weightman/A Bullimore Looking towards Leicester with the overgrown entrance to Rugby Central's goods yard on the left of the signal cabin

Ref: gcrcs210 C Weightman/A Bullimore Looking back towards London from a down train showing the passing loop and the signal cabin on the right

Ref: gcrcs211 C Weightman/A Bullimore Another view of Rugby Station Signal Cabin, now surrounded by tracks with weeds growing through the ballast

Ref: gcrcs214 C Weightman/A Bullimore Internal view of the Signal Cabin showing the lever frame and signal diagram used to control this section of track

Ref: gcrcs215 C Weightman/A Bullimore Another internal view of the Signal Cabin shortly after the through line to London and Sheffield was closed

Ref: gcrcs216 C Weightman/A Bullimore Rugby Station Signal Box's signalling diagram showing the few signals and points now under its control

Miscellaneous

Ref: gcrcs53 WoW A horse-drawn Howitzer Battery is seen being loaded on to special wagons at Rugby Great Central station

Ref: gcrcs54 WoW Another view of the Howitzer Battery being loaded by its crew at Rugby Great Central station's goods yard

Ref: gcrcs286 WoW Soldiers are seen loading one of the Howitzer Battery's horses onto a railway cattle truck on 11th August 1914

Ref: gcrcs55 Leicestershire & Rutland R.O. BR guard John Magee, receives a Leicester Mercury news packet whilst working his last week at Rugby station

Ref: gcrcs195 I Mackenzie Ex-LMS 5MT 4-6-0 No 45335 is seen passing over the lines leading to Rugby Midland's large engine shed

Ref: gcrcs317 A Smith A British Rail Nottingham Victoria to Rugby Central Timetable for the period commencing 1st January 1968

Ref: MoT_Rugby1961 Railway Archive Report on the Accident at Newton on 11th February 1961 near Rugby involving the Up York to Swindon express

Drawings of Rugby Great Central Station

Ref: gcrcs199 A West An original Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway drawing of Rugby Passenger station

Ref: gcrcs199a A West Side and front elevations of the single storey office used for parcels and passenger access to the platform

Ref: gcrcs199b A West Close up showing the station's front and rear elevation including the covered half-glazed walkway and staircase

Ref: gcrcs199c A West Close up showing a detailed plan, a front to rear cross-section and a rear road level section of Rugby station

Ref: gcrcs199d A West Close up showing the end elevation of Rugby station at both its road and platform levels

Ordnance Survey Maps and signal diagrams of GCR Signal Cabins

Signalling Diagrams

Ref: gcrcs251 PJ Worseley A post 1941 Rugby Signal Cabin Diagram showing the two loop sidings and Barby's up home and distant signals

Ref: gcrcs252 PJ Worseley A 1960s Rugby Signal Cabin Diagram showing the two loop sidings and Barby's and Braunston's signals

Ref: gcrcs254 PJ Worseley Signal Diagram of Rugby Cattle Sidings Signal Cabin located near to the bridge over the LNWR main line

Ref: gcrcs263a PJ Wortley Barby Sidings Signal Diagram showing the facing connection from the up main to the sidings before it was removed

Ref: gcrcs263b PJ Wortley Barby Sidings Signal Diagram showing the facing connection from the up main to the sidings after it was removed

Ordnance Survey Maps of Rugby station

Ref: gcrcs296 National Library of Scotland A 1903 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Great Central station and refuge sidings

Ref: gcrcs296a National Library of Scotland A 1903 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Great Central station and goods yard and sidings

Ref: gcrcs297 National Library of Scotland A 1912 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Great Central station and refuge sidings

Ref: gcrcs297a National Library of Scotland A 1912 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Great Central station and goods yard and sidings

Ref: gcrcs250 Ordnance Survey A 1925 OS Map Plan of Rugby Great Central station showing the road in front of the station having been widened

Ref: gcrcs298 National Library of Scotland A 1939 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Great Central station and refuge sidings

Ref: gcrcs298a National Library of Scotland A 1939 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Great Central station and goods yard and sidings

Ordnace Survey Maps of Rugby Cattle Sidings

Ref: gcrcs299 National Library of Scotland A 1903 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Cattle Sidings., Pens and Signal Cabin

Ref: gcrcs300 National Library of Scotland A 1912 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Cattle Sidings., Pens and Signal Cabin

Ref: gcrcs301 National Library of Scotland A 1939 25 inches to the mile Ordnance Survey Map of Rugby's Cattle Sidings., Pens and Signal Cabin

Miscellaneous diagrams and plans

Ref: gcrgen294 PJ Worsley Schematic diagram of the signal cabins on the Great Central, LNWR and Midland Railway lines around Rugby

Ref: gcrgen295 PJ Worsley Schematic diagram of the signal cabins on the Leicester to Brackley stretch of the Great Central

Ref: gcrcs201 Great Central Railway A plan of Rugby station as proposed and published in the Rugby Advertiser on Saturday 1st May 1897