Along the former Leicester and Swannington Railway from West Bridge to Desford, 1960s.

Here there several photographs of trains on this branch which closed in April 1966, and more photographs of the infrastructure before it all disappeared.

Robert Stephenson design lifting bridge over Grand Union Canal, West Bridge

Robert Stephenson design lifting bridge over Grand Union Canal, West Bridge, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


3-of-25) My photograph of the lifting bridge four years later on 16/10/1965.  The support on the canal towpath has been removed but tie-bars have been left dangerously in place.

Robert Stephenson design lifting bridge over Grand Union Canal, West Bridge, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


4-of-25) View through the railway lifting bridge over the canal, leading to sidings at the Pingle Wharf with its goods shed straight ahead and the Soar Lane Old Wharf which was reached by a sharp turn to the left, West Bridge, Leicester, 16/10/1965.
Built by the Leicester and Swannington Railway, it was said to be based on a design by Robert Stephenson, and is here out of use and raised on wooden blocks.  The bridge is counter-balanced by large weights at each corner so that it could be raised and lowered manually by a hand crank in the building on the left.

The sign on the bridge reads:

LMS
    WAGONS OF GREATER
CAPACITY THAN 12 TONS
MUST NOT CROSS THIS
BRIDGE
                                                           BY ORDER

So movement of wagons across the bridge and into the sidings was by horse haulage, though in the last few years of use it is reported that an adapted tractor was used.   Locomotives would have been too heavy and would not have crossed this bridge.

Robert Stephenson design lifting bridge over Grand Union Canal, West Bridge, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


5-of-25) The railway lifting bridge over the canal with track leading from the main line to sidings and a warehouse behind the photographer, next to West Bridge, Leicester, 16/10/1965.  Built by the Leicester and Swannington Railway, it is said to based on a design by Robert Stephenson, and is here out of use and raised on wooden blocks.  There is interesting information about this bridge and its operation in the ‘General Notes’ section of the ‘Movable Bridges in the British Isles’ website on the archive page at https://web.archive.org/web/20220330074326/http://www.movablebridges.org.uk/BridgePage.asp?BridgeNumber=1396.  Note that this states that the lifting mechanism was steam powered which seems unlikely—the bridge was wooden and was counterbalanced so no great effort would be required to raise it and it would only need to be raised infrequently which would make steam powering uneconomical.

Click here for further information on this website about the lifting bridge and the convoluted story of what happened to it.

The east portal of Glenfield Tunnel, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


10-of-25) The east portal of Glenfield Tunnel (the Leicester West Bridge end), Leicester and Swannington Railway, shortly after the track was taken up, 7/4/1968.
This portal was later sealed and buried.  Houses now cover this area.

The east portal of Glenfield Tunnel, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


11-of-25) The east portal of Glenfield Tunnel (the Leicester West Bridge end), Leicester and Swannington Railway, shortly after the track was taken up, 7/4/1968.
This portal was later sealed and buried.  Houses now cover this area.

The east portal of Glenfield Tunnel, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


12-of-25) The west portal of Glenfield Tunnel (the Glenfield end), Leicester and Swannington Railway, after traffic had ceased, 14/3/1967.
This portal was later sealed but has a locked door to allow access to the tunnel.

The east portal of Glenfield Tunnel, Leicester and Swannington Railway.


13-of-25) The west portal of Glenfield Tunnel (the Glenfield end), Leicester and Swannington Railway, after traffic had ceased, 14/3/1967.
The siding on the left leads to the Glenfield Coal & Coke Co.

The derelict Glenfield Station, on the ex-Leicester and Swannington Railway.


15-of-25) The west portal of Glenfield Tunnel and the derelict Glenfield Station, Leicester and Swannington Railway, after traffic had ceased, 4/3/1967.
Passenger services had ended in September 1928, nearly 40 years previously, though the station building was retained for use as a goods office until 1965.

Stored wagon pushed by vandals towards Glenfield


17-of-25) According to a local resident, this wagon, one of several stored on the line near Groby Quarry junction, had its brakes released by vandals and was pushed towards Glenfield.  Fortunately, at Mill Lane level crossing the wagon was halted when the wheel flanges got stuck in mud. 4/3/1967.

The Glenfield Premier Brick & Terracotta Co. office building


18-of-25) The Glenfield Premier Brick & Terracotta Co. was sited alongside the railway between Glenfield and Ratby.  This appears to be an office building. 29/4/1967.

The Glenfield Premier Brick & Terracotta Co. brickworks


19-of-25) The Glenfield Premier Brick & Terracotta Co. brickworks alongside the railway between Glenfield and Ratby.  On the left are three kilns. 29/4/1967.

Stored wagons by the branch to Groby quarries


20-of-25) Stored wagons between Glenfield & Ratby, looking east, 4/3/1967.
The middle track of the complicated point leads in the distance out of the picture to the left and led to the Groby granite quarries.

The truncated branch to Groby Quarries from the ex-Leicester & Swannington Railway, near Glenfield


21-of-25) The truncated branch to Groby Quarries from the ex-Leicester & Swannington Railway, near Glenfield, 4/3/1967.

The platform of Ratby station, ex-Leicester & Swannington Railway


22-of-25) The platform of Ratby station, ex-Leicester & Swannington Railway, looking east, 10/7/1967.
The white building on the left is the Railway Inn.

Level crossing between Ratby and Desford, ex-Leicester & Swannington Railway


24-of-25) Level crossing over Desford Lane, between Ratby and Desford, ex-Leicester & Swannington Railway, looking east towards Ratby, 10/7/1967.

The closed station at Desford


25-of-25) Desford ex-Midland Railway station and station-master’s house after closure to passengers, 10/7/1967.
Note that although the platform edge has been cut back the original low height platform in front of the buildings and its transition to the normal height of the platform extension can be easily seen.

Along the line from Glenfield Tunnel to Desford Junction, 1965 - 1968

58148 with train at Ratby


23-of-25) This very evocative photograph of a train pulled by ex-Midland Railway 2F 0-6-0 58148 at the level crossing in Ratby was taken from the station platform by an unknown photographer on 14/12/1963.
58148 was a regular performer on this line and was a locomotive that I had seen, but the RailUK website notes that it was recorded as sadly withdrawn a couple of weeks later on 31/12/1963.  So I was very pleased to obtain this original slide of it and negatives with scans shown above on this page.

Stephenson Bridge in 1961
Stephenson Bridge in 1961


1-of-25) The West Bridge railway yard, terminus of the Leicester and Swannington Railway which opened in 1832, was extended across the Leicester Navigation canal to sidings at Soar Lane Wharf and Pingle Wharf.  This necessitated the use of this railway lifting bridge over the canal near West Bridge, Leicester, seen here in a raised position in 1961.  This is a scan from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.

Built by the Leicester and Swannington Railway, it is said to be based on a design by Robert Stephenson.  The bridge was raised and lowered by the mechanism from the hut on the right and carried a branch from the main line, off to the right, to sidings at Soar Lane Wharf and Pingle Wharf, off to the left.  Behind the lifting bridge is the ornate Soar Lane road bridge.

This bridge was removed and later rebuilt next to Abbey Pumping Station in Leicester.  It was then moved again and rebuilt at Snibston Discovery Museum in Coalville, where after some years the wood (not all original) was starting to deteriorate.  With the closure of the Snibston Museum the wood of the bridge was destroyed and the metal components were moved to a Leicester City Museums store.  The metalwork has since been transferred to the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre where the bridge is to be rebuilt.

Click here for further information on this website about the lifting bridge and the convoluted story of what happened to it.


2-of-25) Another view of the Stephenson lifting bridge, from a negative in my collection, taken in 1961 by an unknown photographer.  Of note is the support on the canal towpath for the bridge when it is in the lowered position.

Train from Leicester West Bridge towards Desford Junction near Glenfield on the former Leicester and Swannington Railway.


16-of-25) 2-6-0 78028 has just left Glenfield with a train from Leicester West Bridge on its way towards Ratby and on to Coalville.  Here it approaches Mill Lane level crossing on 22/2/64.

This photograph is from the second film through my first camera, an Instamatic 100.  I had been hoping to photograph one of the ancient ex-Midland Railway 2F 0-6-0 locomotives, shown in photographs above and below, but these had recently been withdrawn to be replaced by two of these Standard 2-6-0s with cut-down cab so that they could travel through Glenfield Tunnel.

Since this was a simple camera and the day was dull the negative is very thin and over the years has become badly scratched.  However with the help of a modern scanner and Photoshop a reasonable image has been produced which may be of interest.

58148 taking water at Leicester Wes tBridge 1963
58148 at Leicester West Bridge 1963
58148 leaving Leicester West Bridge 1963
58148 heading to Glenfield Tunnel 1963

Locomotive getting ready at West Bridge and heading off with train towards Glenfield Tunnel, 1963


6-of-25) Ex-Midland Railway 2F 0-6-0 no. 58148 takes water in the West Bridge yard in 1963 before taking a train back to Coalville.  This veteran locomotive was originally built in 1876 and was retained for being small enough to work through Glenfield Tunnel until it was withdrawn from service later that year in December 1963.
The imposing building on the left is Donisthorpe & Co’s Friars Mill, which still exists though is somewhat modified.  Scan from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.


7-of-25) 58148 in the West Bridge yard before taking a train back to Coalville.  The houses and buildings in the background are on Tudor Road while much of this area has been transformed into the Rally Park recreation ground.  Scan from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.


8-of-25) 58148 has departed Leicester West Bridge yard and is heading back to Coalville with a train of empty tank wagons.  The line here passed by garden allotments.  Scan from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.


9-of-25) Immediately after the previous photograph 58148 and its train are passing by and is heading past the allotment gardens on its way to Glenfield Tunnel.  The route of the line here has been converted into a public footpath and cycleway.  Scan from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.

88px-CC-BY-SA_icon.svgMany of the photographs in these railway photograph galleries are available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Attribution should include a link to www.nigeltout.com.

58247 Glenfield station


14-of-25) Ex-Midland 2F 0-6-0 58247 at Glenfield station with a freight train from Leicester.  This locomotive is recorded as being built in 1887 and withdrawn from service in January 1958, so this photograph was obviously taken before then.  Scan from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.

Leicester West Bridge Branch