LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Coventry (Longford) Power Station

Wagons seen at Coventry (Longford) Power Station

Keith Turton

Most of the wagons to be see belong to local coal merchants G. L. Jackson and Co, who was for many years a regular contractor drawing coal from the Haunchwood and Coventry Collieries. There also appears to be two wagons of the latter within the rake, so it is likely that that they all arrived in one train. The average tonnage consumer by the power station in the 1930s was 130,000 ton a year mostly by rail which was speedily discharged as can be seen by the photograph seen below, the balance by canal which was cheaper to transport, not an advantage as the cost and time consumed unloading would outweigh the advantage.

During the Second World War, coal supplies arrived by canal from collieries as far away as Moira, at the far end of the Ashby Canal. The contractor here was the instantly recognised Samuel Barlow Coal Co, of Tamworth. In the early 1930s Jackson contracted to supply coal from the Tamworth Colliery, on the former LNWR main line, also by canal, but the quantity was not large, about three boatloads a week. Jackson was still trading in 1946. The high and scattered running numbers of his wagons suggest that they were hired and these were the hiring company's stock numbers. The body colour is suggested as black with white letters.

Ref: misc_indust1478 A Stringer Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST 'Coventry Corporation Electric Department No 1' at Longford Generating Station

Ref: misc_indust1478a A Stringer Close up of Longford Generating Station's coal wagon tippler in action with a wagon about to be emptied

Supply of Coal to the Electricity Department of the City of Coventry

Ref: misc_covgas3207 K Turton Spencer Abbott & Company's contract for the amount of coal to be delivered over a given period in April 1940

Ref: misc_covgas256 K Turton R Turtington's contract for the amount of coal to be delivered over a given period from 19th April 1940

Ref: misc_covgas259 K Turton Samuel Barlow Coal's contract for the amount of coal to be delivered over a given period from 19th April 1940

Locomotives operated by Coventry (Longford) Power Station

Robert Ferris

Coventry (Longford) Power Station was promoted and owned by Coventry Corporation. The ceremonial ‘Cutting of the first sod’ took place on 12th November 1926 and the Power Station was officially opened on 31st October 1928. In 1926, the Central Electricity Board had been formed to interconnect the 122 most effi-cient Power Stations in the country and by 1932, Coventry Power Station was directly connected with those at Hams Hall and Leicester by the new 132kV national grid-iron system. In the 1930’s, a second boiler house was built and more turbines installed, increasing the capacity of the Power Station to 97.5MW. The Power Station passed to the British Electricity Authority at nationalisation in April 1948 and was subse-quently transferred to the Central Electricity Generating Board when this was created in 1957. The final gen-eration capacity at the Power Station was 120MW (three 30MW turbines and two 15MW turbines), prior to the Power Station closing in 1967.

A short standard gauge railway connected the Power Station’s exchange sidings and coal handling plant to the Wyken branch line of the LMS. In March 1929 the exchange sidings were complete and the first loco-motive was delivered in May 1929. On the Wyken branch, a gated occupational level crossing over Black-horse Road (just prior to the junction for the power station) required special precautions as no signals or gatekeeper were provided at this location. The LMS Sectional Appendix to the Working Timetables (dated March 1937) contained the following instructions for trains entering the Coventry Corporation Electricity Works:

‘If a train has to be divided before being drawn off the single line the guard or shunter must walk in front of the engine whilst setting back to remove the rear portion of the train, and must see the occupation level crossing is clear. Care must be taken when this movement is being made not to leave the rear portion of the train foul of the occupation level crossing.’

The following steam locomotives worked in the Power Station:

In 1966 the Warwickshire Railway Society wrote:

Normally one locomotive in steam daily. Both are in excellent condition. The Andrew Barclay is painted blue and has an unusual open cab rear. The Peckett is green and has a cut down cab and chimney to enable it to work under the wagon tippers.

Rail traffic to the power station ceased in April 1967 and the branch line to the power station was taken out of use on 23rd April 1968.