IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Raglan Close, NUNEATON, CV11 4FR

Uncultivated land between the Birmingham to Leicester line and the West Coast main line as seen from the Cornish Riviera Statesman excursion train as it approached Nuneaton South Junction

No. 58240 (formerly LMS No. 3161) probably did not turn a wheel after this photograph, as it was withdrawn in 5/53. It was one of the Johnson 4'11" 2F 0-6-0s in original form with round-top boiler - see Image

View NE in the Locomotive Yard - 'about to be attacked by' ex-London & North Western 0-8-0 No. 49047! This was an important freight Depot for the West Coast Main Line and its connections at Trent Valley Station, also catering for local passenger services. It was located between the WCML and the line to Coventry. Coded by the LMSR and BR as 2B (Rugby District), it had an allocation of 69 locomotives in 1954:- 3 4-4-0s, 15 2-8-0s, 14 2-6-0s, 18 0-8-0s, 7 0-6-0s, 8 2-6-2Ts and 4 0-6-0Ts. It closed in 6/66.

This is where the line from Leicester joins the West Coast Main Line at Nuneaton

This was the site of the head office of Clarkson International Tools or Clarkson Machine Tools until 2001. The finishing stages of the demolition of the buildings can be seen here. Some of the history of the company can be found at http://www.bedroom-workshop.com/grinder-clarksonothers/0grinder-clarksonothershistory.html "Thorn acquired Clarkson International Tools in 1974. Thorn became Thorn Emi in 1979. FKI acquired the mechanical engineering and components division of Thorn EMI Plc in 1986. Hydra Tools International Ltd acquired Clarkson-Osborn International from FKI PLC in 1998. The Clarkson Tool and Cutter Grinders operation was taken over by March Engineering Ltd (maybe 2001). March Engineering Ltd closed down in 2004.' 'The "Working Lives" website provides a number of recorded interviews with persons that have worked at the Nuneaton Clarkson's factory. According to the "Working Lives" interviews - "Fred Stevens (in his interview) mentioned that Mr Clarkson had a shop at the back of Marks and Spencers just before the war. Mr Clarkson could not get the heat treatment right and would have gone bankrupt, but the war started and the MOD invested in the company because Britain needed the tooling for the war effort. Later, Mr Clarkson would travel the world selling his tooling. Mr Clarkson then built the King Edward Road factory to produce End Mills and Milling Cutters etc. Michael John Smith (in his interview) mentioned that the Clarkson factory started up in 1947 and was closed in 2001. Mr Smith started work in 1961 and mentions there were some 450 machines then. Due to efficient CNC (that also contributed to redundancies) there were only about 100 machines in 2001. He mentions that the factory was divided into the following sections Turning, Milling, Grinding, Heat Treatment, Stores, Steel Stores, and the Offices. The steel came in, it was turned, then milled, then formed in the tool and cutter grinders, then heat treated, then out to the stores. A cutter came in as raw material and left 13 weeks later as a finished product. He mentioned that Clarkson's was taken over 2 or 3 times during its lifetime. When Osborns of Leeds took over they were underfunded. He arrived at work one day and was told the Receivers were in. He lost his pension (40 years service) and the factory closed. Business at Clarkson's Nuneaton was booming in the late 60's. A worker mentions he feels the demise of the firm started as they became a part of Thorn." The signs on the right refer to King Edward Business Park which is a small set of buildings down a driveway to the right. Businesses there are CCL Powder Coating and Birds Precision Engineering.

There is an Ordnance Survey benchmark Image on the left hand side of the bridge arch right of a downpipe

Ordnance Survey cut mark benchmark described on the Bench Mark Database at http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm74899