Battlefield Line
The Battlefield Line is a 5-mile standard-gauge heritage railway in west Leicestershire, running from Shackerstone through Market Bosworth to Shenton, the latter station serving the visitor centre at the site of the 1485 Battle of Bosworth, from which the railway takes its name.
The line is the surviving portion of the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway, opened in 1873 by the Midland and LNWR companies as a north–south cross-country route. Passenger services ended in 1931; British Railways closed the line to freight and the through route by 1971, leaving only short remaining sections. The Shackerstone Railway Society took over the present length and reopened it in stages from 1978, reaching Shenton in 1992.
Shackerstone station is the railway's headquarters and houses a substantial railway museum in the original station building. The fleet is mainly small industrial steam tank engines and heritage diesels, working short passenger trains of preserved coaches.
History
The Shackerstone Railway Society was founded in 1969 with the aim of preserving a section of the closed Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Line. The first preserved trains ran from Shackerstone in the late 1970s, with the line reaching Market Bosworth in 1983 and Shenton, close to the visitor centre at the Battle of Bosworth Field, in 1992.
The railway has since concentrated on developing Shackerstone as a substantial visitor destination and museum, with diesel and steam services, a tea room in the original station building, and seasonal special-event running.
Original line history
The Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway was authorised in 1867 and opened on 1 September 1873 as a joint Midland and LNWR line, providing a cross-country link between the LNWR Trent Valley Line at Nuneaton and the Midland's Burton-on-Trent route at Moira via Shackerstone.
Traffic was always modest, primarily local mineral and agricultural freight with a sparse passenger service. Passenger trains were withdrawn from most of the route in 1931, with through services ending altogether in 1965. British Railways closed the line in stages between 1965 and 1971; the southern Shackerstone–Shenton section was retained briefly for stone traffic before being lifted.
Stations and infrastructure
Shackerstone is the railway's headquarters; the original Midland Railway station building survives and houses a museum, cafe, and signal box. Market Bosworth is the principal intermediate station, with restored Victorian buildings. Shenton is the southern terminus, conveniently close to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. The signalling is largely traditional semaphore.
Route and stations
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Special events and operations
The line operates regular weekend services with steam at peak periods and diesels at others. Headline events include diesel galas, a 1940s wartime weekend, and Santa Specials in December. Combination tickets with the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre are available.
Visitor information
The railway operates weekends and selected weekdays; check the published timetable. Shackerstone is reached by road from the A444 between Nuneaton and Burton; there is car parking at Shackerstone and Shenton stations.