Forgotten Railways of the Midlands

[Welly]

^^^

I'd never have believed that a NSE liveried loco hauled wooden bodied wagons with a brake van at the back in 1988! B)

[Edwin_m]

I've just spent a couple of hours going through this great thread. I've been involved in investigations into reopening two of these routes , though you'd need a fairly strong rose tint in your crystal ball to see either happening soon.

 

As mentioned Lichfield to Round Oak is protected as a possible rail freight route across the Midlands, though any reopening might be limited to the section from Pleck, accessed via the Sutton Park line. Between Wednesbury and near Merry Hill it's also a potential Midland Metro route and there have been investigations into tram-train operation sharing the same tracks. I visited in 1998 when there was much less overgrowth and much more track in evidence (though several pieces of rail had vanished when comparing photos from our two site visits!). Unfortunately I couldn't find an excuse to accompany my colleagues who drove the route (with permission) in a Landrover. The viaduct over the canal south of Dudley is in poor condition due to subsidence and might require basically a totally new concrete structure to be built inside the brick shell.

 

The so called 5Ws Metro route would link Wednesbury with Wolverhampton via Walsall, Willenhall and Wednesfield. Between Wednesbury and Walsall it uses part of the Darlaston Loop, then goes on street through Walsall to Ryecroft Junction. Here it picks up the old curve to the disused Midland line towards Wolverhampton. The alignment is still extant, and would be re-used, as far as Steelpark Way after which the A4124 Wednesfield Way occupies the formation and the only surviving disused part is near the canal crossing someone posted a photo of. The operating railway into Wolverhampton HL from the direction of Walsall and Bescot is the last part of the Midland route. From Steelpark Way Metro would run on or alongside the street through Wednesfield and join the A4124 into Wolverhampton, diverging to pass east of Low Level station then under the Birmingham end of High Level to connect with Metro Line 1 via a one-way loop round the city centre.

 

The same proposed Metro route uses part of the Darlaston loop between Wednesbury and Walsall.

[ess1uk]

but how great is this picture

 

http://www.bescot.pl...ins/50018_9M01/

excellent picture, i could recreate something similar now!

[trisonic]

This thread just keeps getting better and better! Appreciate the contributions, everyone. Such a rich region for industrial archeology.

 

Best, Pete.

[buckdancer]

I've just spent a couple of hours going through this great thread. I've been involved in investigations into reopening two of these routes , though you'd need a fairly strong rose tint in your crystal ball to see either happening soon.

 

As mentioned Lichfield to Round Oak is protected as a possible rail freight route across the Midlands, though any reopening might be limited to the section from Pleck, accessed via the Sutton Park line. Between Wednesbury and near Merry Hill it's also a potential Midland Metro route and there have been investigations into tram-train operation sharing the same tracks. I visited in 1998 when there was much less overgrowth and much more track in evidence (though several pieces of rail had vanished when comparing photos from our two site visits!). Unfortunately I couldn't find an excuse to accompany my colleagues who drove the route (with permission) in a Landrover. The viaduct over the canal south of Dudley is in poor condition due to subsidence and might require basically a totally new concrete structure to be built inside the brick shell.

 

The so called 5Ws Metro route would link Wednesbury with Wolverhampton via Walsall, Willenhall and Wednesfield. Between Wednesbury and Walsall it uses part of the Darlaston Loop, then goes on street through Walsall to Ryecroft Junction. Here it picks up the old curve to the disused Midland line towards Wolverhampton. The alignment is still extant, and would be re-used, as far as Steelpark Way after which the A4124 Wednesfield Way occupies the formation and the only surviving disused part is near the canal crossing someone posted a photo of. The operating railway into Wolverhampton HL from the direction of Walsall and Bescot is the last part of the Midland route. From Steelpark Way Metro would run on or alongside the street through Wednesfield and join the A4124 into Wolverhampton, diverging to pass east of Low Level station then under the Birmingham end of High Level to connect with Metro Line 1 via a one-way loop round the city centre.

 

The same proposed Metro route uses part of the Darlaston loop between Wednesbury and Walsall.

Apparently the Darlaston Loop had an intensive passenger service which closed down in the late 19th century due to tram/bus competition.

So this would be an amazing comeback for the line or at least the route!

[bike2steam]

In the late 1960's/early 70's, I used to live in Crescent Road, Darlaston, right opposite the deepest cutting on the Darlaston Loop, most of which was later filled in, local kids used to love sliding down the steep 50 - 60 foot, or so, slope on pieces of cardboard. The track had not long been lifted at that time, and most of the loop had been used for storage of condemned rolling stock, the western end of it, between James Bridge, and Darlaston Green had been used for very occasional freight traffic to a couple of factories, possibly GKN, Charles Richards, BOC etc.

[buckdancer]

In the late 1960's/early 70's, I used to live in Crescent Road, Darlaston, right opposite the deepest cutting on the Darlaston Loop, most of which was later filled in, local kids used to love sliding down the steep 50 - 60 foot, or so, slope on pieces of cardboard. The track had not long been lifted at that time, and most of the loop had been used for storage of condemned rolling stock, the western end of it, between James Bridge, and Darlaston Green had been used for very occasional freight traffic to a couple of factories, possibly GKN, Charles Richards, BOC etc.

So you may know what Wikipedia is talking about when it says "A disused railway building on Crescent Road is still standing nearly 50 years after falling into disuse". I was a Richards St (by the Baths) lad until 1963....

[bike2steam]

As the original Darlaston station was situated on the Walsall Road the only place where I could think of there being such a structure in Crescent Road would be at the Walsall Road end, but as for anywhere else ?? given the distance (original) from road to the track bed, and given the time since the station closed (124 years) the possibility of that existing seems remote.

[Steve K]

There's this rather lonely and disused-looking building in Crescent Road, about the only building of any note on the railway side:

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&tab=wl

 

Anything to do with the old station at all?

['CHARD]

That's one of those trickster links that Google Maps fooled me with last week in Hawick.... Better to return from Streetview and link to the close up aerial shot with a landmark for us to point and shoot.

[Steve K]

Pah! How frustrating is that? Try this on for size:

 

http://maps.google.c...=h&z=17&vpsrc=6

 

There's a shallow dog-leg halfway along Crescent Road. Click on Streetview at the kink, and the building in question is on the East side of the road, in amongst the trees.

['CHARD]

Possibly from an era when the railway was in operation - maybe freight-only. But I can't see anything of its parentage to definitively say 'railway company bricks and mortar.'

[Steve K]

There's not a lot else on that side of the road, but as you say, it's not exactly earth-shatteringly exciting, is it? Maybe I'll take a trip over there some time and have a nose around, to search for more clues.

 

In the meantime, I must get around to posting evidence of my recent trip to Hampton-in-Arden and its environs...

[bike2steam]

Ah, took the little yellow man for a walk down memory lane. The little park opposite the police station ( bought an Ariel Arrow from a constable who kept it in a shed there !) was once a 'Sons Of Rest' park with that building as the 'old soldiers' meeting house. 'Sons Of Rest' parks were at one time dotted all round( might still be-dunno) the Black Country dedicated to fallen soldiers in the world wars, and each had a small building for those survivors to go and meet others to have a cup of tea after supposedly going to the park to contemplate memories of fallen comrades. I lived in the house, next to the police station, now the 'Surestart' place.

[fisha]

Dudley Railway Tunnel ( ex Dudley Station / Freightliner Tunnel ) taken around July 2011.

 

I've been through this tunnel a few times. I think it's awesome.

I've posted a few pictures that might be of interest to you guys.

 

Hope you like 'em. I've also got a few of Blowers Green Station if anyone's interested.

(although they're not great quality as I forgot to put the 'IS' back on after the tunnel!!)

 

 

[trisonic]

Nice pile of Red Goop in your (rather good) photos.

 

Best, Pete.

[Dukedog]

Nice set of pictures of Dudley tunnel.

I am amazed to see that some of the track still exists and not been stolen by the tatters!

 

I have great affection for this stretch of line down to Stourbridge Junction as it was where I started my interest in railways back in the late 1950's.

Many hours were spent on Brierley Hill or Round Oak stations with my ABC spotters book!

 

Cheers

Frank

[buckdancer]

Thanks for the Dudley Tunnel photos - really good!

My first thoughts were "I wonder if the Black Country Museum is close enough to link up and include it with some artefacts as railways played a huge part in the development of the Black Country....".

Realistically it's never going to carry freight again is it?

 

Darlaston Station by the way was between Walsall and Darlaston Roads so wasn't that near Crescent Road.

Also, historical notes in quite a few books state that the Loop was double track throughout.

My memory is that from Darlaston Road towards Wednesbury it was single track for the visible distance.

Anyone else know?

[bike2steam]

Yeah, but what confuses me is that Station Road in Darlaston is off Bull Street which itself is off the other end of Crescent Road, when I was always led to believe is that the old staion was in Walsall Road (???)

 

Edit, Hang on, your not getting confused with what was James Bridge station that was situated near the west end of the loop on the old GJ line from Bescot to Willenhall, that station was situated beside the A4038 where the Walsall Road becomes the Darlaston Road as you cross the Darlaston/ Pleck boundary.

[buckdancer]

Yeah, but what confuses me is that Station Road in Darlaston is off Bull Street which itself is off the other end of Crescent Road, when I was always led to believe is that the old staion was in Walsall Road (???)

 

Edit, Hang on, your not getting confused with what was James Bridge station that was situated near the west end of the loop on the old GJ line from Bescot to Willenhall, that station was situated beside the A4038 where the Walsall Road becomes the Darlaston Road as you cross the Darlaston/ Pleck boundary.

Station Street is quite a long street looking at the map and it was really not that close to either James Bridge Station or Darlaston Station so it was a bit naughty calling it that and probably confusing to strangers!

Early maps show the street as being short - starting at Walsall Rd (A4038) and finishing at Heath Road

I guess the James Bridge "Loop platforms" would have been closest to Station Street as they were on the Loop alongside the main Grand Junction platforms at James Bridge - near to where Station Street joins the A4038.

I don't know if there was some sort of grand frontage onto Station Street.

The public entry to James Bridge Station in latter years was always a bit low key to say the least.

Darlaston Station was in the space between Walsall Rd (A4038) and Darlaston Rd (A462) - handy for the Bull Stake and Darlaston's main shopping area and market place.

It's a confusing area with the street names not helping one bit!

I often caught the bus to Wednesbury from just near the Bull Stake on the Darlaston Rd (A462) and must have looked over the railway bridge a million times - without realising that there used to be a station there.

Just another regret to add to the list.

Wednesbury "Loop platforms" seem to mirror James Bridge as in a map somewhere on this thread Wednesbury "Loop platforms" seem to have a decent entrance built on them in Stafford St.

In both towns the Loop was closer to the centre of population than the Grand Junction and South Staffs respectively.

 

One of the boys at school lived close to the Darlaston Loop and he said to me one day that he hoped that something nasty would happen to the viaduct near Elwells on the South Staffs at Wood Green so that trains might get diverted via the Loop.

And they say kids today are little devils....

 

For those baffled by all of this, go to http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html and put in the coordinates 398803 and 297300, click "go", then choose an old map eg 1876-1888 click "Enlarge Map" then click on "Enhanced Zoom" - all might become a bit clearer.

[bike2steam]

Ah yes, thanks for sorting out my confusion, what I had always known as Wednesbury Road, is in fact Darlaston Road. I tried the mapping - great, tweeked the coordinates to 397800,296600, and it looks as though where I used to live was near enough on top of a 'shaft'. I've now got that OS web-site in 'favorites' as it seems very useful - thanks for that.

[buckdancer]

Ah yes, thanks for sorting out my confusion, what I had always known as Wednesbury Road, is in fact Darlaston Road. I tried the mapping - great, tweeked the coordinates to 397800,296600, and it looks as though where I used to live was near enough on top of a 'shaft'. I've now got that OS web-site in 'favorites' as it seems very useful - thanks for that.

I think it's locally known as Wednesbury Rd as that's where it goes - I only picked up that it was Darlaston Rd via Google Maps!

The street names are hugely confusing.

If you leave Darlaston and head towards Walsall on Walsall Rd, the road name changes to Darlaston Rd then Wednesbury Rd then Bradford St!!!!

Fine in the early days when there were no cars but hopeless today....

[bike2steam]

Bradford Square, that was where the Wednesbury, Darlaston circular bus service used to terminate, right by the old Walsall freight depot - I think, sorry I'm getting nostalgic and off topic.

[SNCF stephen]

At work we are currently having a BIG clearout. One of my colleagues was handed a box full of photographs from various periods over the last few decades and in one of the wallets was a selection of images regarding the lines around Wednesbury, Great Bridge and Oldbury. I thought you all might like to see these.

This one is of the old Gulf Oil Plant next to the WCML. Although the WCML is not disused the lines into the plant now are and I thought it might be of interest.

This one is from a location unknown. There was no caption on the back but I guessed it to be the Ocker Hill Power Station. However I was unsure which line it was because the line leading from here to Princes End was double track! Anyone know any better?

One of my old Haunts. The Golds Hill area in Hill Top - West Bromwich. I recently walked this line. It is amazing how it has changed.

This is the Holly Road Open Space. It used to be BR land that is now open space. I have never visited this area.

This is the Golds Hill Crossing where the Footpath crosses the line. There used to be a set of cottages on the other side of the line but they have long since disappeared.

 

I hope you enjoy these blasts from the past!

[bike2steam]

The second pic was the Princes End branch which was singled towards the end of it's life.

 

In Ned Williams book,'Railways Of The Black Country Volume 1', plates 133 & 134 are taken from near enough the same position of locos 25209 & 25195 on the, then, single line.