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Black Country Blues


Indomitable026
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Birmingham - In the early 70's my mate was at Aston University and on occasional Fridays a gang of us Wiganers would head south on the M6 in my trusty Morris Marina, park up and get kalied for the weekend.

 

I allways thought Birmingham (citycentre) a bit bland & boring - but the local folks were friendly and pubs 'n clubs were great, though the chip shops didn't sell Babies Yed's (Steak puddings - not sold south of Warrington I'm told).

 

Brit15

 

This topicis about the Black Country not Birmingham.

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You might need some 'black Country' phrases to help you in your project, may I start you off with 'lind yow a rowler'....

 

... BTW I don't think there are any pasty shops in Tipton :scratchhead:

Edited by griffgriff
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To me, the way the canals & railways seemed to intertwine is an essential feature and the cast iron towpath roving bridges are a signature item. Get one of these in & it will definitely set the scene IMO...

 

EDIT - should add, I'll obviously be watching this with interest as an ex-patriate.... :)

Edited by Ramblin Rich
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To me, the way the canals & railways seemed to intertwine is an essential feature and the cast iron towpath roving bridges are a signature item. Get one of these in & it will definitely set the scene IMO...

 

Good point, I would say that is a definite "must have" element to include on the layout - cheers

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Out of interest what aspects of the real Black Country in the 70s do folk think the group should include as classic signature items to really place the layout? What really shouts "black country" visually?

 

(serious modelable suggestions only, for food and drink suggestions see companion thread!)

 

I've started this new thread so we can keep all the suggestions together - will get the replies received so far moved over from the project proposal thread. A key aim for the project is that when you look at the finished layout you should know that you are (or should that yow'm) in the Black Country.

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Hi Mark,

Some sort of canal scene is essential even if it is just the line crossing on an overbridge.

There were several steel works in the Black country all rail connected of course, Round Oak (Brierley Hill) with it's own internal railway and branches (The Pensnett Railway)

Patent shaft steel works (Wednesbury) and Stewarts and Lloyds at Bilston (the only one of the 3 to have a blast furnace)

Iron founders and brass founders were every where.

Brick works,Both building bricks and refactory (plenty to choose from)

Meat abattoirs Again plenty, Palethorpes, Marsh & Baxter, Devis, Gills to name a few.

 

As far as "Grot" goes, Being dragged up in the Black Country It was an every day thing for me and others, we never took much notice as far as we all knew this was the "Norm"

 

I could go on but let's see what others come up with.

 

Cheers

Frank

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Replies from the project proposal thread - part 1:

Muck - back in the days when it still was the real industrial (or declining industrial) Black Country it struck me as 'grubby', the view from the train window was of a grubby indiustry, grubby housebacks and a grubby railway. So to me if it isn't grubby it won't be real (and if it includes a station that should have a special grubbiness all of its own. Look at some examples in here (I know they're not all proper Black Country but look at Spon Lane and Vauxhall & Duddeston to get a feel of what I'm rabbiting on about.

http://www.photobydj...ationsPtoZ.html

Chimes with me, too, Mike. As an 18-year old Southerner with railway travel facilities, I was keen to try out the new electric trains - slogan "Now you are closer to the Heart of England" - and the quick trip between New St and Wolverhampton delivered grot by the bucket-load! Plenty of sidings in those days - I'm sure there was a box called Spon Lane, so while New St had its PSB, there were traditional boxes aplenty - the backs of factories on all sides, and frequent glimpses of equally-careworn canal cuts. Being a bit star-struck by the blue electrics, I'm not sure I did very much travelling off the main lines, but in much more recent years a few trips from Rugeley Town into New St via Walsall etc convince me that the Black Country may deserve a kinder soubriquet these days.

 

Some great photos on that site, thanks, I know what you mean, it's that sort of grubbiness ingrained into every surface that a 100+ years of industry gives to an area. One of the things which appeals to me about the area is the way that the muck and industry contrast with areas of (relatively) green open space; something I was unable to capture in the tight space contraints of Foundry Lane.

 

 

I'm looking forward to this immensely, because I have nostalgic, boyhood memories of the Black Country. In my mind, the landscape has an uncompromising, robust, down-to-earth, industrious honesty, populated by friendly people with similar characteristics. My abiding memory is the diaphanous haze (model that!) that seemed to hang in the atmosphere, unmoved by wind or sun, along with variegated, rickety wooden fences and equally rickety wooden buildings which contrasted with the hefty, brick-built permanence of seemingly everything else (Great Bridge South and Wednesbury Central anyone?).

 

http://www.flickr.co...9@N03/lightbox/ has to be one of my favourite photographs.

 

 

Love that photo - thanks

 

What ever you do you will have to have some Palethorpes vans.

That triggered another memory. At the time of my journeys north of London in those days (late '60s) there was a slightly faded Palethorpes van in the end of the sidings at the back of Wolverton works. Not sure I ever saw one in traffic, though.

A great suggestion, very much part of the local railway scene at one time. Initially the stock for the layout will suit the 1970s - Palethorpes at Tipton closed in '68 I think; but as we plan to be able to portray an earlier period those vans could be a signature rolling stock item when we start on that.

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And part 2....

MRJ No. 72 - Tipton Lane.

 

It has the essence of the Black Country

Thanks I'll take a look at that

 

 

To me, the way the canals & railways seemed to intertwine is an essential feature and the cast iron towpath roving bridges are a signature item. Get one of these in & it will definitely set the scene IMO...

 

Good point, I would say that is a definite "must have" element to include on the layout - cheers

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Dirty brick, weed infested canals, roving bridge, plate girder bridges, industry in a hotch pitch arrangement, green patches but scrub and unloved. Plus pubs a plenty and general untidy-ness. Certainly nothing twee or Cotswolds about it.

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Brick works,Both building bricks and refactory (plenty to choose from)

The steel, iron and brass industries were the first to come to my minds eye, but brickworks is interesting and something I have overlooked - thanks

 

Meat abattoirs Again plenty, Palethorpes, Marsh & Baxter, Devis, Gills to name a few.

That's another interesting thought; a coming together of the rural and industrial aspects of the area

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Glass works!!!!

 

Chance Brothers site is right next to the ECML in Smethwick (accepted that's not quite black country) but Stourbridge had also a LOT of glass production and indeed the tradition continues with The Ruskin Glass Centre (who hold an international glass festival) and the University of Wolverhampton who have the countries best University Glass facilities (formerly Stourbridge college of glass).

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OK, just discovered this thread!!!......shall be watching this space with interest, thinks well overdue that the areas railway and industrial heritage is represented.

Let's face it, that's the foundation stone of all the railways in the black country, and also across the nation as a whole......to carry raw materials and the finished goods.....will be good to see it portrayed. :sungum:

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.......Obscure weed infested lines running to forgotten collieries, work, and landsale/canal wharve's with grimey brickwork and obscure pumphouses for removing water from the numerous mines in the area.......Anyone recall the old chimney stack stuck amongst the trees on stallings lane Kingswinford opposite what was the old tin isolation hospital?......it was there for many years has vanished recently though.

 

Council houses, terraced houses, Allotments and pigeon lofts.

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A photo of the Chance Brothers site here; some history here

But don't forget that all those trees area recent 'innovation' - they've grown up as railway activity has changed and industrial activity has declined. Railway banks of the early 1970s were more likely odd patches of grass and abandoned prams & bikes with one wheel than 'green highways' through an urban setting, the size of the trees in pics such as this gives a big clue to their age.

Edited by The Stationmaster
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Glass works!!!!

 

Chance Brothers site is right next to the ECML in Smethwick (accepted that's not quite black country) but Stourbridge had also a LOT of glass production and indeed the tradition continues with The Ruskin Glass Centre (who hold an international glass festival) and the University of Wolverhampton who have the countries best University Glass facilities (formerly Stourbridge college of glass).

 

Not forgetting Stevens & Williams (Royal Brierley Crystal) whose factory was right next to the OWWR line just south of Brierley Hill station in Moor lane.

 

The glass works cones at Wordsley (Stuart Crystal) and Webb Corbett at Amblecoat also come to mind.

 

Good grief, It's certainly bringing back some memories for me just thinking about this project. I hope I get to see it finished.

 

Cheers!

Frank

Edited by Dukedog
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