Secrets of The Motorway - M45 

Back in the day, when the M1 was referred to as 'the road to nowhere' as it started after it left and ended before it got there, the M45 was actually a quite busy link road. Heavies from the south going to the north-west (and vice-a-versa, of course) had an almost 50-mile gap between the M1 and the M6. Many of them traversed this by going M45/A45/A452 at the Stonebridge roundabout, then joined the A5 at Brownhills and the M6 at what is today Junction 12. The alternative was the longer A5 route from Crick. The M45 was also, of course, the access from Birmingham/Coventry regions to the M1. The A45 was used by BSA testers from the Elmdon Airport Hotel (by todays BHX) and by Triumph testers from Meriden and (particularly south of the Coventry bypass) by the various Coventry car companies. A favourite for us lads on our bikes was across the carriageway from the Blue Boar Cafe (no Armco back then!) to the roundabout at the start of the M45, round the roundabout and back into the Cafe, before the needle lifted off the record in the jukebox... The other favourite was the Straight Mile of the B4453; it was alongside the Cafe. Today, the Cafe's site is occupied by the Texaco service station and McDonalds.

I know this as the Jaguar test track as in the early 90’s i worked in Northampton but lived in Bristol so would be on this empty road very early on a Monday or late on a Friday…at which times Jaguar would often blast past in a prototype XJ220 at full pelt ! i can remember the wobble of my poor little Rover as it went past me at light speed ! D :0)

Hottest temps recording in the Uk and you’re still wearing the hat 😅

An abandoned railway bridge a symbol of the triumph of the road lobby.

I live in Leamington Spa and used to commute to Northampton along the M45 daily, the fact it was so quiet wasn’t good for fuel economy! Last time I checked it hadn’t had a fatal accident for over 10 years. Also although it’s in Warwickshire it doesn’t connect to any other motorway in Warwickshire’s remit so the Police don’t routinely patrol it. The rail tunnel was built by digging down, building the tunnel and then back filling and this caused repeated subsidence of the M45 that was only finally solved in about 2005.

im 7 minutes in and only just realized, what the heck am I watching? I'm not against it tho

I don't knw why these videos have started to pop up on my feed, but for whatever reason I'm riveted by these endless motorway videos...

Grew up on one end of the M45. Only road in Britain where you can find the top speed of your car. Used to get the Jaguar concept cars roaring up and down out of the factory up the road.

Excellent stuff. Especially grateful for the 'train in ventilation shaft' shot!

The M45 makes an excellent long and mostly empty straight for high-speed testing of cars. Allegedly.

In the early 70s, a friend and I made the mistake of hitch hiking at the start of the M45, at a time when this activity was quite common. We were headed back to our homes in London. It soon became apparent how few cars were using this route and it was several hours of waiting in the hot sun before somebody offered us a lift. Our luck changed then, as the driver was heading for London.

Brilliant production and content.. that overhead drone shot of a train going through the tunnel at 05:44 was perfect!

Nice drone shot of a train passing below the tunnel ventilation opening.

Drove down this on Sunday. Empty. Absolutely flew along at strictly 70mph 😉

I look forward to your M27 video.. weird junctions, slip roads to nowhere.. Maybe join it up with the M275, a double feature so to speak. Really good videos these.. short, punchy, gets the job done

I'm from Coventry and used to work at Watford Gap, travelled to work via the M45. That's the only reason I've ever had to use it.

Surprised you didn't mention the way it uniquely crosses jurisdictions of Nhants and Warks, meaning that heading eastbound beyond Dunchurch the road is uniquely unpatrolled as Warks police would need to drive all the way to M1 J16 if they received a call, and if Nhants police received one if they had just come off the M1 they would have to go all the way to Thurlaston to turn around. Officially, this means the motorway is particularly vulnerable to hijacking and the sorts, unofficially it means that you can test the top speed of your car as a young lad. The sheer lack of traffic means that maxing out your car often doesn't result in you passing another car let alone the fuzz. Love this road, right on my doorstep and it carries many of my late teen driving memories.

I live right by this motorway and work on it as recovery driver. It was supposed to go all the way to Birmingham but the planners decided to leave end it at Thurlaston and have the rest as an A road so people who couldn’t use a motorway could have easy access to Birmingham. Of course building the M6 later allowed motorway access to the city. It is should have been pointed out about half way along it goes from being in Warwickshire to being in Northamptonshire so it is not patrolled by the police making it one of the fastest motorways in the country. I have actually driven along it at night and not seen another car on either carriageway.

The Great Central Railway, the original "HS2". A very short sighted closure.

Like these 'Secrets of' videos very much. Great geek material 😁. Thank you

The M50 Ross Spur is another "historic" motorway, with features including the hard shoulder disappearing under/over bridges, its original trumpet interchange with the M5 (which once stopped there) being converted into a roundabout when the M5 was widened, and the sheer madness of J3 with its right angle slip roads.

No idea why I got recommended this video or why I clicked, but the video was well-edited and presented and the content was rather interesting too.

Warning: Do not test your cars speed down this motorway just because one end is covered by Northants police and the other end by Warwickshire police and never the twain will meet!!!

Well i guess... The uk autobhan is unofficialy opened at night 😏

Interesting video. You should know that the location on Draycote Water where you ended the video has recently altered alot. The area has been cleared of vegetation and a compound created to support dam improvement works. In 2023 large pipes are being installed through the dam, construction of the new pipework, chambers, and connecting pipework from the reservoir embankment. The work is to allow Severn Trent to lower the reservoir water level quickly and safely in the case of an emergency. This is to meet the new Government regulations and will be operational by December 2023. This was prompted by the near collapse of a dam in Yorkshire, it was found that there was no system to quickly lower the level of the resevoir nor to a safety reservoir, rules that had been ignored for many decades. As you already touch on bridges and railways, perhaps you could include some dams. They are great engineered structures, which improve our lives, not only by the supply of water but also as recreational (sailing, fishing windsurfing, walking, cycling) and nature reserves.

The M45 is one of my favourite motorways. Great for..... My solicitor has told me not to say any more as I may leave myself open to prosecution.

Great video. I liked the Geoff Marshall idea reference. Possibly explains the "Sticking with the railway theme, which is a little odd considering we're a motoring channel" :)

Living in South Coventry I have often used the M45 and as a result used it to explore warp speed. Have you thought about doing the Midland Red M1 motorway coaches that were designed to go toe to toe with the diesels on the West Coast Main Line before the 70 mph speed limit was introduced. Tales of the coaches with a favourable gradient and wind walking away from trains on the stretches parallel with the M1. When the M5 was opened the similar Midland Red M5 motorway coaches offered a faster service from Birmingham to Worcester and Birmingham to Bristol than BR.

What's this? Building a reservoir in 1970 to meet increased water needs? What an innovative idea. Of course, we have no need for such panic measures in the 21st century 🙄

Love these videos, but is there any chance you can leave the maps on screen for slightly longer - I have to keep pausing the video to be able to work out where everything is! Really interesting stuff though...

I like the M45 living Coventry. It was Midland link to the M1 No traffic jams on it 🥰🧐👍

during the creation of the draycote res' they found a roman / saxon or alike village which the authorities wanted to keep so they originaly planned a island but that was way to expensive so they excavated it in doing delaying the reservoirs construction but they confirmed it was linked to the fosse way and the lunt fort

"It would be silly to end the motorway at a roundabout" - M67 says hi, complete with queue backing up down the carriageway.

Im from cov and while I've used the A45 plenty of times, I've never been on the M45, maybe one day I'll go visit and be thoroughly underwhelmed

I used to use the M45 whilst commuting back from Milton Keynes too Birmingham and if there’s one motorway that I found a complete strange anomaly it was the M45. It’s hardly used too the point you’ll see 2/3 other cars on the M45, which I can only conceive it was a kind of failed project whilst building other motorways. However if you want too speed test your car, it’s the motorway too do it. It’s always empty and in the 5 years I drive up and down it, I never once seen. Police car or speed camera😉.

2015 I was working on the m45 it was supposed to be getting downgraded to an A road guessing that never happened. The layby or parking area you mentioned is a well known dogging site and the work I was doing had us on call 24/ so me and a mate ended up staying in a caravan in that lay-by for 5 months. Both of us are ex squaddies and thought we were open minded and seen terrible things but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw in that lay-by every night. Continual comings and goings of cars naked people running about a very attractive lady in a long fur coat and nothing else jumping from car to car. It was like another world we met a very nice Polish lorry driver who would park up put on his dress and high heels then try to get in our caravan to keep us "company" we politely declined lol. Was certainly an experience

Fun fact is in the early 60s Jaguar test drivers would check the calibration of speedometers by measuring time with a stopwatch between two bridges. They often did this at speeds in excess of 100mph. There is some great Footage of Norman Dewis on the M45 in an early e-type.

A video on the A167(M) would be interesting

M45, Got my first ticket on my motorbike there, test passed at 9:45am,ditch the 'L's trade in the 125, pick up new bike from Nightingales MCs, speeding ticket before 11......😥🏍 🎟 👮‍♂️ 🚨🤔 Edit: the field next to Draycott water 💧, is the home of the HUGE firepower tank show

with you talking about the port Talbot bypass. it's possibly one of the worst bridges in motorway history. as I live quite close to it our family travel on it quite frequently and it's horrid and even with the people that live right under it.

If nothing else it made a good motorway test stretch for Jaguar and Triumph etc development departments.....

I used to speed test my cars on the M45 when I lived in Rugby.

If you heard lots of cursing and swearing from one of the windsurfers, that was probably me. I'm sure you managed to edit that out.

Nice nod to Geoff Marshall there.

There used to be a counterpart spur road at the other end of ye olde M1 called the M10 which went to just south of St Albans, but it was downgraded to A road status when the M1 was widened through there. As far as I know all except the original junction is the same there, except the the signage and the central barrier.

How on earth you made that interesting I'll never know ! Well done

Back in ye olden days (1989-1991ish) I used to regularly use the M45 on my way from Suffolk to/from Coventry, in a Peugeot 205GTi. I saw the M45 as my last ditch opportunity to make up for lost time on the trip, being able to take advantage of the complete absence of any other traffic and maintaining a steady 70mph* for the entire length of the motorway. *ish.

I love the M45. Hope they never change it. One of the few peaceful motorways!

A motorway I have known since my childhood in the 1970's. Little used then, and little used now. Indeed, rumour has it that if you want to give your car or high powered bike a blast, this is the road to do it on....not that I ever have. Obviously.

Interesting content, incisive and clever delivery, what’s not to like? Yes, the M45 is close art hand a great for dusting away the cobwebs from my classic car and motorbikes. A motorist’s gem and much better than lots of the usual crap plastered on RU-vid, thanks.

Great video, 2 quick questions, 1) How do you manage not to get fined for using a drone over roads. 2) Ask Geoff to create a series, "Disused ventilation towers", Tim traveller might like that one too, Joking aside, great work on your series. I am amazed how you get your information,. Keep them coming, and thanks again,

One of the best presenters on YT right now. Loads of facts, quality aerial shots, good pacing, and witty delivery. In an earlier era, I'd like to think you might have gotten your own programme on television.

Little bit of naughty history about the M45... It was commonly used by locals for top speed test runs back in the day. They'd either get on the M1 at Crick, off at Watford gap services then slip out the service exit, over the bridge then back on the M1 to take the M45 exit towards dunchurch. Or alternatively, along the A5 then into Watford Gap services through the service road then onto the M1 as before. Once you've taken the exit it sweeps left for a little while before coming to a long right hand bend. After the first big right hander (which would usually be taken at a steady 130mph because of the single unsettling bump 3/4 round the corner) it then opened up onto the big straight (around 1.5 miles) where you could really get your foot in it. At the end of the straight, the road curves gently left for the next few miles giving plenty of room to ease off the throttle slowly and not need to brake dangerously... So they say!

The M45 was part of my journey to the Royal Showground at Stoneleigh, when I used to go there a couple of times a month. I loved that road for two reasons: i) It was quiet, after the preceding M25/M1 miles, ii) It meant I was nearly there! I did the journey a few times with a proper train anarak (he now owns a railway museum!) and learnt all about those ventilation tunnels!!

The M45 is quite a small spur motorway which allows traffic from Coventry to join the M1 South (London). Plus I like how you mentioned Geoff Marshall as well 😂

Look! Water in a reservoir! How's that for 1960s nostalgia?

M45, or Jaguar high-speed test track as it used to be known way back when.

During the war my wife's grandad was in the home guard and used to guard the tunnel vents to prevent 5th columnists throwing bombs down them

2:47 Look at the bridge base. A deliberate safety feature was built in, the idea that instead of directly hitting the concrete pillars on entry to the tunnel, the shape was made to attempt to scoop cars back onto the lane. Obviously it wasn't completely effective as you can see Armco barriers installed but the consideration in the design of the bridge was there from the start. I do like those old Robert McAlpine bridges. 'Concrete Bob' was a pioneer in reinforced concrete structures for major infrastructure projects back in the day, not just on motorways.

I grew up in Leamington Spa, before the M40 was built, so the M45 was our default route when leaving home to go to London and beyond (e.g. to France on holiday). I therefore associate it with the excitement of those occasions. The "Motorways merge" signs were always something to look out for, signalling our imminent arrival on to the M1. As an aside, I've always find it curious that the M45 is classified as a "pointless" motorway, given that it serves as the main link between the M1 and Coventry, and the A45 to the west of Thurlaston is dual carriageway all the way to Birmingham and generally quite busy...

5:23 - thank you for the drone flypast of these ventilation shafts! I always look for them when I am driving up to Coventry, and now you have finally shown me what they really are!

Used to enjoy taking the M45 instead of the M6 if my journey ended in South Brum. Just got on there and took advantage of the lack of traffic to relax a bit. At 130.

your channel appeared on my feed a while ago and i have watched several of your videos and enjoyed them, i see the link now as i enjoy Geoff Marshall videos also, sometimes youtube is clever and gets it right.

I think there’s debate over which Police force is responsible for covering the M45, which is why it’s an cracking 8 mile drag strip!

That Metal Gear Solid ending theme was.....interesting. Sung entirely in Irish, a bit of 90s gaming trivia for ya.

Really great delivery in this video. Love your cadence when you reference Geoff Marshall & again when you say "keeping on the railway theme, despite being a motoring channel, but there we are"

Once took a car up to 155 along it at 2:00 in the morning, bends are tight at that speed.

The m45, every midlanders favourite dragstrip...

As a child I used to ride along the M45 on my Penny Farthing. Breakneck speeds of almost 3.5 miles per hour. Had to stop when the council brought in those new fangled, speed sketch artists. True story. Fun fact.

Perhaps when you cover a railway and motorway that cross, a rail focused channel might be willing to do a short insert, and in exchange you could do a short insert for them if they do a video about the railway that crosses the road.

I'll just keep mashing that like button to improve your algorithm stats. Good work fella

cyclists dismount, and you see the lines in the debris where they just ride around the gate.

Very familiar - part of my commute between Coventry and Northampton. Always running clear.

This was my ‘ah God the M6 is shut’ emergency route to work when I lived in Northampton and worked in Coventry. On one hand it was great because there’s no speed limit, on the other hand it was bad because it still leads to Coventry.

I think the RU-vid algorithm has tapped into my location data as this video has turned up on my home page and I live a few minutes away from the M45. 🤔

Great video. The sister motorway to the M45 was the M10 which performed a similar function at the southern end of the then new M1. That road has now become part of the A414 following the remodelling of J7/J8 of the M1.

All very good and interesting but completely omits the rest of the story. it was intended to go north or Wolston and by Combe Abbey. There were some difficulties about access along that line so it was abandoned. I live next to the farm where the original plan for the motor way would have run. Sad your research did nto mention that.

Kilsby railway tunnel took much longer to build than the railway either side of it, (the London to Birmingham Railway). Quick sand was found and lots of water. The contractor went bankrupt, and Rober Stephenson took over in direct command. It is generally considered that working on the tunnel shortened his life so horrible were the below-ground conditions. As far as I know the large castle-like vent shafts were built so the pumps could be installed to remove the constant flow of water. It is still a very wet tunnel.

Thanks 'My Name is John'. This has to be one of my favourite episodes so far - short, sweet n witty, architecture and bridges, light traffic (who doesn't like that?), railways, tunnels, a Geoff Marshall mention, the disused grand central railway, nice reservoir and yes I even noticed the tasteful filling - wtf was that pelican thing? 😆 Topped off with a great soundtrack (I've Shazammed for info). I reckon you should to get a "Thank you" tab along the top, I'd happily stick a few quid in for your fuel costs. Or a roadside kebab. Or whatever takes your fancy. Keep up the good work. 👍

I used to live near what was the M10 (before it got downgraded to an A-road) and I thought that stretch was quiet. This afternoon I drove along the M45 from the M1 Jn17 to Thurlaston and I have to say that it was even quieter. The road surface was not up to motorway standards in a few places and, like the M50 which I recently drove along, it didn't really feel like I was travelling along a modern motorway.

It's a shame this video wasn't about the M54 because it's currently the only motorway I've driven on Oh well maybe next time 😛

I’ve been watching your most excellent channel for quite a while now but missed this one somehow. Your channel just gets better and better. The lightly sarcastic (and occasionally irreverent political) humour, the surprise video location switching, great drone shots and well researched information all make it very entertaining. The Geoff Marshall comment was inspired, I laughed so hard I spilt my tea.

Do the old A1 in North Yorkshire. It’s a road my grandad has been going on about ever since I was younger. He remembers driving along it before the new A1 was thought of.

Great video- I know the road well and you explained it well, though it could be stressed slightly more that the A45/M45 was a very important and very busy route from London to the Midlands and North in the '60's and early '70's. The A45 westwards through Coventry to Birmingham could give you a subject for another episode in its own right as it started life as Telford's Holyhead Road and it has been improved/changed in many places over the years and there are a few short stretches of abandoned/superceded road along the route.

At least the road looks nice to drive on for an M road, you should take a drive along the M27 it's made worse than a Service road with chunks of concrete slabs as a road surface 🤦‍♂️ This was very interesting thank you 👍

You don’t point out that there’s no connection to or from the M1 North…

@05:14 OMG nearly flung suds everywhere while doing the washing up; 'Naked Glow', my favourite tune from Ridge Racer Type 4 ❤️

M54 - I assume it was built to connect the new town of Telford to Birmingham (so they could get to Ikea more quickly)... it connects to the A5 in Wellington & doesn't become the A5 (M)... why? So it's interesting to some of us 😁

I wonder if the DOT/Highways England have figures for the "Least used Slip Roads"

I’ve driven the M45 a lot, and it always feels “lawless” and it’s always empty. Like rush hour… it’s still dead. It’s great haha!

I tend to watch a number of Jago Hazard videos and have often wondered what would happen if you got Jago on speed and got him to film roads instead of railways. Today this quest has ended!

I love an Owen Williams motorway bridge, a design very much of their age; do any remain with the original concrete parapet rather than the modern metal railings?

I guess with the M45, and your video, I've just passed the introductory course to "geeking out on UK motorways" 😆

Noooo don't tell people about it, I'm from Rugby and I like it staying quiet! 😉

Enjoyed that! Being a bit odd, I decided to look for the railway bridge on google maps satellite view and it's amazing how much of the railway route is still discernible. If you follow it south (about 10 miles), you'll get to Catesby Tunnel :D I think you should do another channel - Abandoned Railway Shenanigans ?

A sadly departed and much missed friend was clocked at 145mph on the M45 - he was travelling a bit faster than that (having left The Waterman bike meet on a sunny Wednesday evening to head home to Wellingborough). At some point he attracted the attention of a Police Jaguar X-Type Armed Response Vehicle, which topped out at 145 mph (hence the clocked speed). They had him on camera, but only caught up when he dropped out of warp speed on the M1. And you know what? He got away with it as the police car didn't have calibrated speed measurement instruments on board. Miss you Eddie, one of a kind!

As local young lads with new driving licences the M45 was affectionately known as “the Dunchurch saltflats” due to its suitability for finding out just how quickly your 100bhp hatch could go. There was always a rumour that because it was between jurisdictions of the police (Warks/Northamptonshire) the 5-0 never went down there as halfway along they’d be out of their area. No idea of the truth in that.

Brilliant, as always. I love the shot a train passing under the ventilation tower.

I used to use the M45 as a drag strip, it was (& probably still is) so quiet that I would as a young (& slightly idiotic) blast down it at over 100mph.

Didn’t know about that reservoir. Tunnel towers yes! Reservoir.. ? NO. I can attest to the lack of traffic on the M45.. actually prefer to go that way for some reason..