Battlefield Line Railway
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The Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England. It runs from Shackerstone (Grid ref SK 379 065) to Shenton (SK 396 002), via Market Bosworth, a total of four and a half miles. Shenton is near Bosworth Field, (known from Shakespeare's Richard III), giving the railway its name.
The railway runs steam and diesel-hauled trains every weekend from April to October, as well as a summer mid-week service on Wednesdays in July and August; the latter is operated by their Heartlander diesel railcar service. They also operate numerous special events such as the Christmas Santa Specials (which operate on all weekends throughout December) and bi-annual diesel galas.
The railway line has numerous locomotives, but currently (October 2006) has two steam locomotives and five diesel locos as well as railcars and some shunters in operation.
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[edit] History
The railway used to be part of the London and North Western Railway and the Midland Railway, who operated the line jointly between Moria West Junction and Nuneaton. The first trains ran along this section in 1873. At Shackerstone station, there was once a junction where one section branched off towards Moria 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. In the 1923 Grouping, these lines were assigned to the London Midland and Scottish Railway. In 1931 the last scheduled passenger train went down the Charnwood Forest branch, with the line then only being open to freight and excursions until the 1960s. The Coalville Junction - Shackerstone section was dismantled and closed completely in 1964. The Ashby - Nuneaton line had its last passenger service in 1965, which was an enthusiasts special, before British Rail pulled the rails up in 1970. Back in its heyday, Shackerstone was a busy station, with steam trains doing the workings between Ashby and Nuneaton, whilst a railcar did the service between Shackerstone and Loughborough Derby Road.
The Shackerstone Railway Society was set up in 1969 at Market Bosworth, but soon moved to Shackerstone in 1970, as they needed a proper home for their first steam engine. When they got to Shackerstone they found one through line still intact, and their first aim was to build some sidings. Later they re-instated the "down" platform and connected the sidings to the line to Market Bosworth.
In 1973, to celebrate the centenary of the line, a small train of open wagons was hauled to Market Bosworth. Following the successful conclusions of the negotiations with British Rail, a start was made on track rearrangements which created run-round loops at both ends of the line and a number of sidings at Shackerstone.
In the early 1990s, the Battlefield Line launched a campaign to extend their line to Shenton. This involved buying one and a half miles of rail and in 1992 after a successful campaign, the inaugural service arrived, hauled by the appropriately named 0-6-0 tank engine "Richard III."
[edit] Trivia
The line was originally double track but was later singled. Confusingly, part of the line was called the Bluebell Railway, not to be confused with the line of the same name in Sussex.
The 1902 royal train now in the National Railway Museum had its first outing to Shackerstone in December 1902. Conveying Edward VII, Queen Alexandera and Princess Victoria to the the station on their way to Gopsall Hall, where Handel wrote the Messiah a few years prior to that!
[edit] Steam Locomotives
- No 3 0-6-0T Richard III. Built in 1949. Undergoing restoration following a long period out of service.
- No 7 0-4-0T. Built in 1949. Awaiting a major restoration.
- No 3 0-6-0T Lamport. Built in 1942. Awaiting overhaul following its boiler ticket expiring.
- No 6 0-4-0T Linda. Built in 1940. Painted in black, lined out in red and straw. Returned opertaional service in Oct 2006 hoped to haul a limited passenger service in 2007.
- No 750 0-4-0T Waleswood. Built in 1906. Under going long term restoration.
- No 9599 0-4-0 VBT Sentinel William. Built in 1955. Returned to service in 2004 and opertaes on occasional special event days.
- No 1859 0-6-0T Sir Gomer. Built in 1932. Operation and used on passenger trains on a regular basis.
Over the 2006 Christmas period, LNER 1306 Mayflower, will be visiting from the Nene Valley Railway to haul the Christmas specials.
Railways website: www.battlefield-line-railway.co.uk
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