RRUG recommends the “Warwickshire Railways” website which has many historic photographs and descriptions.

In particular, of course, the page for Rugby Station – there is also a page for the Great Central Rugby Station on Hillmorton Road.

Recommended reading, hosted on the Warwickshire Railways Rugby station page, is the unpublished manuscript “The Development of Transport in Rugby” by Peter Elliott. It covers not only railways but also canals, turnpike roads, bus routes etc. Copyright still remains invested with Peter Elliott and readers are respectfully requested to credit Peter’s work when quoted or used as source material. The manuscript is an expanded version of Peter’s published work “Rugby’s Railway Heritage” (1985) ISBN 9780907917069 which can be found on eBay and the like.

Interesting points picked up from reading the book:

• 1847 was when Rugby moved to GMT time from local time.
• The Black Path footbridge was first built in 1850, but was objected to by the Rugby Board of Health – and it was stated as being used by layabouts to watch the trains.
• In 1908, it was said that the LNWR employed 1300-1350 people in Rugby
• Until 1888, all trains stopped at Rugby for inspection and loco change.
• The London and Birmingham Railway avoided Northampton initially because it would need entail dropping 100ft and then climbing 100ft again, and they were not confident that the locomotives would cope with the climb.
• Railway Terrace (a street) was built by the LNWR to connect Rugby station to the town, this became necessary when the station was moved from the Newbold Road bridge in order to accommodate the junction with the Midland Counties line.
• The railway from Oxford to Leamington and Birmingham was originally the “Oxford and Rugby Railway”, which was diverted during construction (and therefore did not come to Rugby).
• The current Rugby station opened in 1885 originally had low platform heights to allow for carriage wheel inspection, the platforms were raised in 1914.
• In the 19th century, the roads into Rugby had turnpikes where a fee was payable, one example was on Dunchurch Road where the Sainsburys store now stands.
• The 1885 opening of the current Rugby station featured a dance, the proceeds of which were put towards the new St Cross hospital in Rugby.
• The first route from Derby to London was by connecting to the LNWR at Hampton in Arden, this was later superseded by the line from Leicester to Rugby (Midland Counties). The original station building at Hampton in Arden is a listed building, and can be seen to the right side of the line when leaving towards Birmingham. It is wedged in between larger modern buildings.
• Rugby probably owes its railway importance to the left-hand curve which the London to Birmingham route took at this point, to avoid the high ground of Rugby town and the school.