DarloRich
Veteran Member
The Battlefield Line runs for 5 miles from Shackerstone to Shenton via Market Bosworth,. Near to the end of the line is Bosworth Field, the location of the final battle of the Wars of the Roses & immortalised in Shakespeare's Richard III (Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York etc) which gives the railway its name.
Firstly a bit of history. No, not quite as far back as the internecine warfare of the House of Plantagenet but as far back as 1873 when the London North Western Railway and the Midland Railway opened a joint line between Moira West and Nuneaton. That sounds simple enough but very quickly things get confusing. Please pay attention at the back.
Although known as the Ashby-Nuneaton line, Ashby itself was not on the 29 mile long joint line, but on the Midland's Burton-Leicester and was linked with the joint line by a triangular junction at Moira West. At Shackerstone station, there was once a junction where one section branched off towards Moira and Ashby and the other went towards Coalville Junction. In 1883, the Charnwood Forest Railway was opened, which extended the branch from Coalville Junction to Loughborough's Derby Road station, passing through the villages of Whitwick and Shepshed. Apparently this section of line was known as the Bluebelle Line. Luckily things got clearer in 1923 when grouping tipped this jumble of lines into the London Midland & Scottish railway. Phew
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Things got clearer still in 1931 when the LMS withdrew scheduled passenger services from the Charnwood Forest section. I bet they were glad to be shot of the expense of running a line that didn’t even manage to join up with either of the two large stations in Loughborough! Special excursions and freight continued to use this section of the line until the early 60’s when the whole lot was pulled up. The Moira to Nuneaton section lasted a bit longer, losing it’s passenger service in 1965 and closing completely in 1970.
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Before the line had even closed The Shackerstone Railway Society was set up with the aim of preserving this section of line. They were based initially at Market Bosworth, but soon moved to Shackerstone as this offered more space to store rolling stock. They operated their first train in 1973 from Shackerstone to Market Bosworth and soon after agreed a lease for the line from British Rail. In 1992 the line was extended to the current terminus at Shenton.
We drove to Shackerstone, which is the headquarters of the line, and parked up in the ample parking space offered by the old track bed north of the station. It also transpired that our campsite at Moira was actually built on the former junction of this line referred to above. We parked up in what seemed to be the diesel depot with a class 33 for company.
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
As we had just missed a train we decided to have a look around the station. Who designed the station is unclear but it is through hit is the work of the Midland Railway architect John Holloway Sanders who was responsible for many of the stations on the Settle & Carlisle line. At the time of construction the local laird wanted the station moved and renamed to suit his purposes but it seems this was rejected. As a sweetner Lord Howe of Gopsall Hall was allowed to plant some trees to screen the station.
In the station building was a very friendly café which did a cracking bit of cake even if the tea room was a bit overstuffed with trinkets for my liking! We had a lovely brew and an enjoyable bit of victoria sponge. In the centre of the station building was the restored booking office where we bought our tickets while to the right was a railwayana museum packed full of stuff. There are two rooms and the place is rammed with no space available to display anything else. The Museum collection display is largely due to the dedication of one man, John C. Jacques MBE who collected and restored all of the items. Beyond the station is the locomotive sheds which were sadly closed to visitors but could be viewed from a safe area. Apparently the shed is made up of various sections of local NCB buildings and even part of a Nuneaton cinema!
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
On platform 2 is a reconstructed waiting shelter that now serves as a station shop and the water column where the steam locomotives seek refreshment after their exertions. It was removed from Hams Hall power station where and dates from the 1950's. Finally just off the end of the platform si the signal box controlling the line. The square Midland Railway signal box is believed to be the oldest one of its kind still in use. The wooden bodied box was rescued from Measham, where it was being used as a Canal Inspectors Office. The frame has sixteen levers and was made for the North Staffordshire Railway Company by the Mackenzie and Holland Company. It was removed from Uttoxeter North Signal Box.
Shenton by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
As it was a present day we sat on the station waiting for our train which we eventually heard chuffing towards us. On duty on the day of our visit was well travelled GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T "small prairie" tank engine 5542. This locomotive is usually based on the South Devon Railway but often visits other railways to help out. 5542 was built in 1928 and after withdrawal in 1961 it spent 14 years at Woodham Brothers in Barry before being restored form scrap yard condition. Attached to the locomotive were 4 mki coaches of various types.
After arrival the locomotive was hooked off and run round the train, pausing for a drink of water at the end of the platform before being attached nose first to the train. Fairly swiftly we were off and pulling out of the station past the sheds where a couple of DMU vehicles were stabled and past a line of diesel locomotives which seemed ot be quietly rotting away. Among them was the decaying shell of 45015 which hasn’t turned a wheel in preservation and is surely beyond the point of no return. Also present was the allegedly “stored” 56009 which looked very green!
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
After chuffing out of the vastly forested cutting to the south of the station the train ambles out into rolling Leicestershire farm land before rolling the 3 miles to our first stop at Market Bosworth where the station, dating from 1873, serves the small market town of the same name. The station closed in 1931 and did not reopen until 2011.
Today there was a battle of Bosworth field taking place but it was somewhat different to the expected Shakespearean epic. We had visited the line while they were holding a second world war themed event and the centre piece of the day was a re-enactment battle between allied Para troops and Wehrmacht soldiers a few of whom looked a little well fed to be playing the part of Aryan supermen! Perhaps that was a good thing as the bad guys lost, despite their tank. No doubt this engagement was supposed to be taking place somewhere near Arnhem. The display was very loud and the uniforms and equipment looked accurate but I think the best bit was a fly over by a Spitfire. There was also a large display of authentic WW2 vehicles and equipment. The train was really busy so these events really pull in the crowds. The railway good shed was in use as a period music hall with a number of themed turns putting on a show for the visitors as well as offering some helpful refreshments.
Market Bosworth by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
We were soon back on the train after watching the battle and a refreshing brew we were soon off again. Market Bosworth seemed to be a secondary storage location for locomotives with several shunters seen in varying states of distress along with Pway wagons a signal box under renovation.
Market Bosworth by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
There is just over a mile and half between Market Bosworth and Shenton so the journey is not a long one and the countryside was much the same as before. That meant very quickly we reached the terminus of the line which is within the Bosworth Battlefield site. Like the other stations on the line it was opened in 1873. It closed to passengers in 1931 but stayed open for goods until 1965.
Shenton by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
The buildings at Shenton are actually a reconstruction being the relocated remains of Humberstone Road station in Leicester which had been derelict for many years before it was rescued by the railway and rebuilt here. It was moved brick by brick to Shenton where it serves as an information point for the Battlefield and a southern terminus building for the railway. All that remains of the original Shenton Station is the small rectangular lamproom that stands opposite the platform building (now the Shenton Pottery) and the Stationmasters house.
Shenton by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
We were able to spend a bit of time watching the locomotive sort itself out and run round before we were back on board for the 5 mile trip back to Shackerstone. The journey back got very busy at Market Bosworth as we picked up people from the WW2 display field and while it was not quite A seat! a seat! my kingdom for a seat! It was fairly busy with punters of all ages having a good day out.
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
With a 20 odd minute journey each way, this is short line and one that is still developing. If you are in the area give them a visit.
Firstly a bit of history. No, not quite as far back as the internecine warfare of the House of Plantagenet but as far back as 1873 when the London North Western Railway and the Midland Railway opened a joint line between Moira West and Nuneaton. That sounds simple enough but very quickly things get confusing. Please pay attention at the back.
Although known as the Ashby-Nuneaton line, Ashby itself was not on the 29 mile long joint line, but on the Midland's Burton-Leicester and was linked with the joint line by a triangular junction at Moira West. At Shackerstone station, there was once a junction where one section branched off towards Moira and Ashby and the other went towards Coalville Junction. In 1883, the Charnwood Forest Railway was opened, which extended the branch from Coalville Junction to Loughborough's Derby Road station, passing through the villages of Whitwick and Shepshed. Apparently this section of line was known as the Bluebelle Line. Luckily things got clearer in 1923 when grouping tipped this jumble of lines into the London Midland & Scottish railway. Phew
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThings got clearer still in 1931 when the LMS withdrew scheduled passenger services from the Charnwood Forest section. I bet they were glad to be shot of the expense of running a line that didn’t even manage to join up with either of the two large stations in Loughborough! Special excursions and freight continued to use this section of the line until the early 60’s when the whole lot was pulled up. The Moira to Nuneaton section lasted a bit longer, losing it’s passenger service in 1965 and closing completely in 1970.
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on FlickrBefore the line had even closed The Shackerstone Railway Society was set up with the aim of preserving this section of line. They were based initially at Market Bosworth, but soon moved to Shackerstone as this offered more space to store rolling stock. They operated their first train in 1973 from Shackerstone to Market Bosworth and soon after agreed a lease for the line from British Rail. In 1992 the line was extended to the current terminus at Shenton.
We drove to Shackerstone, which is the headquarters of the line, and parked up in the ample parking space offered by the old track bed north of the station. It also transpired that our campsite at Moira was actually built on the former junction of this line referred to above. We parked up in what seemed to be the diesel depot with a class 33 for company.
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on FlickrAs we had just missed a train we decided to have a look around the station. Who designed the station is unclear but it is through hit is the work of the Midland Railway architect John Holloway Sanders who was responsible for many of the stations on the Settle & Carlisle line. At the time of construction the local laird wanted the station moved and renamed to suit his purposes but it seems this was rejected. As a sweetner Lord Howe of Gopsall Hall was allowed to plant some trees to screen the station.
In the station building was a very friendly café which did a cracking bit of cake even if the tea room was a bit overstuffed with trinkets for my liking! We had a lovely brew and an enjoyable bit of victoria sponge. In the centre of the station building was the restored booking office where we bought our tickets while to the right was a railwayana museum packed full of stuff. There are two rooms and the place is rammed with no space available to display anything else. The Museum collection display is largely due to the dedication of one man, John C. Jacques MBE who collected and restored all of the items. Beyond the station is the locomotive sheds which were sadly closed to visitors but could be viewed from a safe area. Apparently the shed is made up of various sections of local NCB buildings and even part of a Nuneaton cinema!
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on FlickrOn platform 2 is a reconstructed waiting shelter that now serves as a station shop and the water column where the steam locomotives seek refreshment after their exertions. It was removed from Hams Hall power station where and dates from the 1950's. Finally just off the end of the platform si the signal box controlling the line. The square Midland Railway signal box is believed to be the oldest one of its kind still in use. The wooden bodied box was rescued from Measham, where it was being used as a Canal Inspectors Office. The frame has sixteen levers and was made for the North Staffordshire Railway Company by the Mackenzie and Holland Company. It was removed from Uttoxeter North Signal Box.
Shenton by DarloRich2009, on FlickrAs it was a present day we sat on the station waiting for our train which we eventually heard chuffing towards us. On duty on the day of our visit was well travelled GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T "small prairie" tank engine 5542. This locomotive is usually based on the South Devon Railway but often visits other railways to help out. 5542 was built in 1928 and after withdrawal in 1961 it spent 14 years at Woodham Brothers in Barry before being restored form scrap yard condition. Attached to the locomotive were 4 mki coaches of various types.
After arrival the locomotive was hooked off and run round the train, pausing for a drink of water at the end of the platform before being attached nose first to the train. Fairly swiftly we were off and pulling out of the station past the sheds where a couple of DMU vehicles were stabled and past a line of diesel locomotives which seemed ot be quietly rotting away. Among them was the decaying shell of 45015 which hasn’t turned a wheel in preservation and is surely beyond the point of no return. Also present was the allegedly “stored” 56009 which looked very green!
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on FlickrAfter chuffing out of the vastly forested cutting to the south of the station the train ambles out into rolling Leicestershire farm land before rolling the 3 miles to our first stop at Market Bosworth where the station, dating from 1873, serves the small market town of the same name. The station closed in 1931 and did not reopen until 2011.
Today there was a battle of Bosworth field taking place but it was somewhat different to the expected Shakespearean epic. We had visited the line while they were holding a second world war themed event and the centre piece of the day was a re-enactment battle between allied Para troops and Wehrmacht soldiers a few of whom looked a little well fed to be playing the part of Aryan supermen! Perhaps that was a good thing as the bad guys lost, despite their tank. No doubt this engagement was supposed to be taking place somewhere near Arnhem. The display was very loud and the uniforms and equipment looked accurate but I think the best bit was a fly over by a Spitfire. There was also a large display of authentic WW2 vehicles and equipment. The train was really busy so these events really pull in the crowds. The railway good shed was in use as a period music hall with a number of themed turns putting on a show for the visitors as well as offering some helpful refreshments.
Market Bosworth by DarloRich2009, on FlickrWe were soon back on the train after watching the battle and a refreshing brew we were soon off again. Market Bosworth seemed to be a secondary storage location for locomotives with several shunters seen in varying states of distress along with Pway wagons a signal box under renovation.
Market Bosworth by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThere is just over a mile and half between Market Bosworth and Shenton so the journey is not a long one and the countryside was much the same as before. That meant very quickly we reached the terminus of the line which is within the Bosworth Battlefield site. Like the other stations on the line it was opened in 1873. It closed to passengers in 1931 but stayed open for goods until 1965.
Shenton by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThe buildings at Shenton are actually a reconstruction being the relocated remains of Humberstone Road station in Leicester which had been derelict for many years before it was rescued by the railway and rebuilt here. It was moved brick by brick to Shenton where it serves as an information point for the Battlefield and a southern terminus building for the railway. All that remains of the original Shenton Station is the small rectangular lamproom that stands opposite the platform building (now the Shenton Pottery) and the Stationmasters house.
Shenton by DarloRich2009, on FlickrWe were able to spend a bit of time watching the locomotive sort itself out and run round before we were back on board for the 5 mile trip back to Shackerstone. The journey back got very busy at Market Bosworth as we picked up people from the WW2 display field and while it was not quite A seat! a seat! my kingdom for a seat! It was fairly busy with punters of all ages having a good day out.
Shackerstone by DarloRich2009, on FlickrWith a 20 odd minute journey each way, this is short line and one that is still developing. If you are in the area give them a visit.
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