Blue Plaque 10 - The Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway

This plaque is mounted on a stone taken from the bed of the original railway embankment at Dadlington. It marks Stoke Golding Station and the Stationmaster’s house, both now privately occupied. The goods shed is still in evidence, and much restored is once more in commercial use and the Willow Park Industrial Estate covers much of the goods sidings of the old station.

The railway which passed through Stoke Golding was the final outcome of various schemes put forward over many years to promote a line to tap the rich mineral wealth of the Moira area.

The line was a ‘joint venture’ arrangement between the London North Western Railway and the Midland Railway companies, and operated under the title ‘The Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway’ with its headquarters at Shackerstone Station. The staff had their own distinctive Uniform with its initials A.N.J.R, adorning their caps, coat lapels and buttons. Trains were operated by both the L.N.W.R. and There was a branch line at Shackerstone to Coalville Junction passing through Heather and Hugglescote to join the Midland line just south of Coalville and  the Charnwood Forest Railway (worked by the L.N.W.R.) to Loughborough (Derby Road Station). The branch was used much more by the L.N.W.R. than the M.R.

The joint line never ran to Ashby, but terminated at Moira Junction, this being considered the centre of Ashby Wolds. Here it joined the Burton to Leicester line of the Midland Railway.

The line was under construction by August 1869, the contractors being Barnes and Beckett of Rochdale, who tendered £171,900. However, labour troubles, bad weather resulting in landslips, waterlogged sand measures, unstable clay and shortage of materials caused the final cost to be £550,000.

The line finally opened for goods traffic on 1st August 1873 and for passengers on 1st September the same year. Between these dates on 16th August, a 'Big Feast & Sports Day', was arranged for the navvies, at Market Bosworth and a special train of wagons travelled from Nuneaton with the guests, complete with a brass band in the last wagon to entertain the passengers on the journey.

In 1878, Francis William Webb, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, of the L.N.W.R. modified the 6'single locomotive No 1874 originally No 54 'Medusa', to operate as a two cylinder compound. The engine was put to work on the A.N.J.R. to become the first double expansion engine to work on a British main line railway.

In 1890 Queen Victoria travelled along the line in the Royal Train drawn by the Webb three cylinder compound engine No 1304 'Jeanie Deans'. Trial runs had been made before which compelled alteration to the platform edges because of the width of the engine. On 12th December 1902 King Edward Vll passed through Stoke Golding on his way to visit Earl Howe at Gopsall Hail

Towards the end of the last century a bull charged a train at Stoke Golding Station, the impact throwing a number of wagons off the rails, the track being torn up for 100 yards or more!

The 'old line' to Hinckley which branched off the line to Nuneaton just south of Stoke Golding Station was completed but never used.

Towards Nuneaton the line split at Weddington Junction, the main line joining the L.N.W. Trent Valley line at Ashby junction to give access to Nuneaton Trent Valley Station. A spur from Weddington junction crossed the Trent Valley line by a bridge to reach the Midland Station at Abbey Street.

In 1923 came the ‘Railway Grouping’ and the A.N.J.R. was absorbed into the London Midland and Scottish Railway. On 12th April 1931 the station closed for regular passenger service although excursions to seaside resorts could be arranged. The line came under the ownership of British Railway in 1948.  By 1969 regular traffic had ceased and the line was used for wagon storage only. In July 1971 the line was closed to all traffic and the track was removed between January and March 1972.

The track and stations between Shenton and Shackerstone have been restored by the Shackerstone Railway Society, who operate restored steam and diesel hauled trains on the ‘Battlefield Steam Railway’ line on a regular basis throughout the year. There is a museum at Shackerstone Station with many relics from the original line on show.

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