The Rugby Locomotive Testing Station was a British railway testing plant in Rugby, Warwickshire. Originally envisioned by Sir Nigel Gresley as a joint LMS-LNER operation, construction was started in the late 1930s but then deferred by the war. It was eventually opened in 1948 after both its owners had become constituents of British Railways. The location was one with access to both LMS and LNER main lines (West Coast Main Line and Great Central Main Line respectively. The GWR meanwhile had their own testing plant at Swindon Works.
There was a rolling road to test engines.
The testing station was relatively short lived; the final test was made in 1965, and the plant was officially closed in 1970, however the building continued to be used until the early-1980s as an outpost of the British Rail Research Division,[1] until it was demolished in 1984.[2] The site is now an industrial estate.
The records of the Rugby LTS are part of the National Railway Collection held by the National Railway Museum.[3]
News reel footage of the site is available on YouTube.[4]
^Elliott, Peter H. "Rugby's Transport History" (PDF). pp. 172–178. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
^"Rugby Locomotive Testing Station". Traintesting. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
ways of testing and comparing locomotives: either at the RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation, which was not ready until late 1948 or by testing in the field...
railway viaduct. RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation - former locomotivetesting facility at Rugby. "Train Timetables and Schedules | Rugby". London Northwestern...
the locomotive was displayed at an exhibition in Manchester. Sir Nigel Gresley was also used for the opening of the RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation from...
subjected to extensive testing, both in the RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation and on service trains. After the completion of the tests in February 1958, it...
July 1943, and 7P in 1951). As part of experiments at the RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation, no. 45722 Defence was fitted with a double chimney from 1956...
steaming, and although they missed their appointment at the RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation due to late completion, some modifications were carried out...
The Heilmann locomotives were a series of three experimental steam-electric locomotives produced in the 1890s for the French Chemins de fer de l'Ouest...
replaced with Reidinger valve gear.[citation needed] Tests at RugbyLocomotiveTestingStation in 1954 indicated the design had a maximum steaming rate...
participation of No. 46236 in the Locomotive Exchange Trials of 1948, the transfer of No. 46225 to the RugbyTestStation for several months in 1955 and...
The first locomotive shipped to the UK arrived at Immingham in June 1998, taken to Derby for testing. The second was taken to AAR's Pueblo Test Centre for...
apparent in the 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials and at trials at the Rugbylocomotivetesting plant in 1952. This was largely attributed to the variability of...
Central, Rugby or Birmingham New Street. On 27 April 1989, a passenger train hauled by Class 85 locomotive 85 102 was derailed south of the station. For several...
Buffalo class steam locomotives Vulcan (1951-1967), a BR 'Britannia' Class locomotive Vulcan, a British Rail Class 47 diesel locomotive no: D1676 (later...
Tyseley Locomotive Works and, as of late 2017, stabled at Rugbystation. It is owned by Les Ross, after whom the locomotive was named. The locomotive is maintained...
Division SW1002 diesel-electric locomotives. The first of thirty Class 34-900 General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives. The first of fifty 25 kV...
SAR rebuilds Class 6E1, Series 5 no. E1600, a 3 kV DC electric locomotive, as a test-bed for use during 25 kV AC electrification. 4 March – The South...
The British Rail Class 47 or Brush Type 4 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class...
the German Titan, a South Devon Railway Gorgon class locomotive Titan test, an intelligence test Titan (dog), the world's tallest dog Titan (prison),...
miles (642 km) long, with principal InterCity stations at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan...
in one hand and a locomotive in the other. The statue has been replaced after an earlier theft. The present London Paddington station was designed by Brunel...
Chris Williamson, Andy Hudd (Vice President of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) and Peter Ford (former Ambassador to Bahrain and...
"Pacific" type of locomotive, but was chosen because the exhaust dimensions including the blastpipe were designed using work done at the Rugbytest plant and...
to the station. He extended it soon afterwards to provide a passenger service to the town of Brill, and the tramway was converted to locomotive operation...
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