The first line from Derby to London ran via Whitacre and Hampton in Arden
where it joined the Birmingham to London tracks.
When the line from Birmingham to Derby was built it joined this line at Whitacre,
later when the line from Leicester joined also at
Whitacre was again altered
to what it is today. All the old track bed can still be made
out at Whitacre.
When the Midland Railway created the fast
lines to by pass Whitacre they left the line at Water
Orton and rejoined at Kingsbury.
In the 1950's coal traffic from from
Kingsbury to Hams Hall Power Station (the power station is
situated between the fast and slow lines between Coleshill
and Water Orton). Also coal trains from Kingsbury went to
Washwood Heath for marshalling into south bound trains.
Express trains from the North to South
West used the lines, the Devonian usually pulled by a
Leeds or Bristol Jubilee was the best known.