Stourbridge Town 1950's

[N. Rudge]

Hello all,

 

I'm a complete newbie to this forum, so please ignore any bad spelling or incorrectly formatted images as I'm currently getting to grips with the way it all works.

 

Right, apologies aside, now to get to the main point of this thread. I am currently at college (well, not literally as I'd probably be being moaned at for not doing my IT work!) and I decided to do an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). In short, basically what I have to do is research a chosen topic which I find a great interest in and then either write a long essay about my findings, or create an artifact. I, being interested in the local railways to where I live, decided to task myself with researching Stourbridge Town Railway Station and creating a 00 gauge model of Stourbridge Town Station as it was at some point in the 1950's, most likely before 1957..

 

For those who don't know, the Stourbridge Town Branch Line is a branchline in the West Midlands that runs for almost a mile between Junction and Town Stations in Stourbridge. It currently only runs between the aforementioned stations, being served by a frequent rail serive to this day, but it used to run futher on to the extensive Amblecote Goods Yard.

 

Currently, I'm in the planning stage of the layout, deciding how big the board will need to be, deciding on the positioning of the buildings, things like that. As I am a bit of a novice at railway modelling, and tips would be greatly appreciated as at the moment, I'm slightly daunted by the prospect of building a model railway ready for the final deadline of December (Oh, didn't I mention it's got to be finished by December?). Also, if anyone has any tidbits of information about the branchline, or any images related to the station, I would be eternally grateful, so much so, I may have to send you the money equivalent of a pint!

 

As I progress with the layout, I shall upload pictures in the due course. For now, I shall upload an initial track plan:

 

 

I know it's a bit basic, but it was knocked up in a matter of minutes and is most certainly not to scale. It shows the line to the station (the grey box being the platform and the brown one the station building) as well as the freight line that leads towards amblecoat on the right. It's the scenery that'll be the main work, especially the station seeing as I'm having great difficulty in finding any dimensions or plans for the building, but I'll manage some way or another (well, it's more a case of having to!). Again, if anyone has any information of this kind, I would be extremely appreciative.

 

Until next time, thanks for reading and please do post your comments as to what you think about my project.

[Ian Smeeton]

Good luck with the project and welcome to the forum.

 

There has been quite a bit on here in the past about the line and the Parry People Mover, the current motive power, and there are a great number of well read & informed people on here to help you find and give you the information that you need.

 

From memory, I beleive that much of the station still survives at Stourbridge Town, however, it is a long time since I eas there and I will bow to those better informed.

 

Once again, good luck.

 

Rgards

 

Ian

[Katier]

www.old-maps.co.uk have a 1:2500 map of Stourbridge from 1954-6 which would be perfect for your project.

 

Highlights that are different to your plan ( which unfortunately is badly wrong ) are :-

 

1) Double track line.

 

2) Main Station building is on other side.

 

3) I think ( it's not 100% clear ) it has a small platform and shelter on the current side with the major platform on the oppostie.

 

You don't say how much space you have, but if you can I would model it from the Parkfield Road overbridge to just after the bridge over foster street.

 

From an operating point of view it looks like the incoming railcar drops off it's passengers, runs over Foster Street then back across the cross-over to the down platform then back to junction.

 

 

[Wheeltapper]

I am not 100% sure but I think that the present day Stourbridge Town Station is not on the same site as the original as when the new station was built more space was needed for the bus station .

 

The new station was therefore constructed a short distance up the line towards Stourbridge Junction Station and any remains of the old station are buried under the tarmac of the bus area ..

 

The Goods yard area around the canal would be a good model subject , no trace remains now as that all vanished under a new industral estate after the line was closed and the canal shortened to finish the other side of the main road at the Bonded Warehouse.

[N. Rudge]

Thanks for the replies, chaps!

 

 

Landlord:

 

There is still a station at Stourbridge Town, but it is quite different from the one that was there up until about 35 years ago.

 

 

Sorry the image looks a bit choppy, that's what you get from only having the default Paint programme as your primary image editing software!

 

The yellow line is the track that's in place today, with the red line being what used to be there (not positioned exactly, but quite close). The blue box is Stourbridge Town Station as of 1994 to pesent. The dark red area is where the platform was and the orange box being the station building, both of which are slightly overscale on this image, but they represent the area satisfactory enough. As you can see, the station has changed considerably over the years, but hasn't changed position too much.

 

 

Katier:

 

I had looked at that map on old maps and I thought it looked a good place to start from, though a screenshot of the image may work out to be better value for money than actually buying an A3-sized area of the map for about £15.00.

 

As far as I know, the double track is about right. The aforementioned map shows the trackplan almost as how I would like it to be, though I've put the point the wrong way round and missed out the headshunt by mistake. I think I was looking at the wrong part of the map. Trains did used to move in and out of the station in the way you mentioned in your post, but after the signal box was demolished in the 30's, I don't think they continued to operate the line in that manner, with both lines becoming bi-directional.

 

I don't think the station building is on the wrong side, as the point is on, or at least very near to, the bridge that went over Foster Street, which is to the North of the Station, then the double track heads towards the Junction, so the positioning of the station building is to the west. Imagine that the layout is rotated 90 degrees anticlockwise, and you get the picture. Also, from all of the photographs I've seen of the original station, there have never been two platforms. I reckon you may have become a bit confused from when they repositioned the station. First, there was the large building which stood there for about 100 years when it was demolished in 1979. Then, the platform was shortened so that only the most southerly section of the platform remained. Finally, they built a new platform a couple of hundred yards southwards to where it stands today, but this time, built on the opposite side of the track. Another thing in the map is where it says "shelter" on the opposite side to the station building. That never was a shelter for the railway station, but rather for the bus stands adjacent to it, which may also be where you have confused the station with having two platforms.

 

In terms of space, I'd say the limit would have to be around five or six feet long due to space constraints in the back of the car, and I would like the whole scene to be positioned on one board (not including fiddle yard(s)) so that when I have to present the project, I only need to take one board. For the time being, I don't actually want it to be powered, but it will be once the project deadline has passed, as I can then do what I like to it then. So, for a place for it to start, I may start it before the bridge that crosses Foster Street so that I don't have to make a drop in the baseboard, and just carry the layout on for the length of the rest platform (which I have worked out to be 3 feet 11 inches, or 1 metre 20 centimetres in total) and then onto the curve past the end of it towards the Parkfield Road overbridge. That's my idea as it currently stands at least anyway. That is almost certainly subject to change!

 

 

Wheeltapper:

 

That is indeed correct, and the bus station is currently being redeveloped into what at the moment looks like a very large Meccano kit!

 

Modelling the goods yard would be a very interesting model, but unless I basically either cut the majotiry of the sidings away, or just focus on a small section, I have not got the room to house the whole yard unformtunately. Maybe a project for the future...

 

 

Thanks once again for the replies, gents, they are very much appreciated and I'm glad that this project is having an interest taken in it. I hope to have a better track plan in place for the next time i post, so watch this space!

[NWJ]

There are details of the trackplan and signalling diagram of Stourbridge Town in C R Potts'"A Historical Survey of Great Western Stations Vol 4", (OPC, 1985) ISBN0-86093-191-1. Although out of print, I think that this series of books is a 'must-have' for modellers at the design phase for the range of stations covered, together with the plans and diagrams.

I have copied you the relevant pages, if they are useful and will PM them to you. They may be useful.

Good luck with the project!

 

Neil

[N. Rudge]

There are details of the trackplan and signalling diagram of Stourbridge Town in C R Potts'"A Historical Survey of Great Western Stations Vol 4", (OPC, 1985) ISBN0-86093-191-1. Although out of print, I think that this series of books is a 'must-have' for modellers at the design phase for the range of stations covered, together with the plans and diagrams.

I have copied you the relevant pages, if they are useful and will PM them to you. They may be useful.

Good luck with the project!

 

Neil

 

That would be absolutely fantastic! Thank you very much!! Also, special thanks go for including the book information as that will be perfect for the bibliography that I'll need to create at the end of it, so thank you once again. Oh, did I remember to say thank you already?!

 

Right, how much is the average lager...

[martin_wynne]

Good luck with your project.

 

Are you aware of these two books from Oakwood Press? Everything there is to know about the railways at Stourbridge. Excellent.

 

 

Details:

 

http://www.oakwoodpr...BLACK%20COUNTRY

 

http://www.oakwoodpr...0-%20Volume%202

 

regards,

 

Martin.

[Guest oldlugger]

Yes good luck with your layout; keep us posted, and some photos later on would be very nice...

 

Cheers

Simon

[TheSignalEngineer]

The layout before the signal box was closed in 1935 is shown here. After that date the passenger and freight services were as you said worked as two single lines. The two wooden train staffs were Red/Round for the Passenger Branch and Green/Square for the Goods Branch There was no connection between the branches except at Stourbridge Junction Middle SB.

[N. Rudge]

Thanks for the replies chaps.

 

I do already have those books and will be working from them when I try to construct the station building, but thanks all the same Martin for the help.

 

I will upload some pictures in the due course, but as it is at the moment, I'm just planning what I'm going to be doing at the moment. I do have some materials ready for the construction of the board, those being some half inch thick (approximately) plywood and what i believe to be 3/4" x 3 3/4" timber for going around the perimeter and across the middle for strength, which is what I have been recommended to use from my local model railway club. After measuring the back of the car, I have discovered that I can only fit a maximum length of five feet into it, but that should be fine as I only want to model the station at Stourbridge Town, and the platform is about 4 foot long, so gives me about 6 inches either side to play with. This is the basic track plan I've come up with, and is one heck of a lot more accurate than the previous one, using the track plan that Neil, from a few posts ago, very kindly shared with me:

 

The platform will be to the bottom of this image, going over the road (the grey rectangle) up to the left hand side, leaving about a foot spare to the left to show the line beginning to curve around towards the Junction. One thing I'm unsure about is the way in which I'm going to do the road. What my idea was was to cut two rectangular holes out of the boardwhere the road goes either side of the railway line, and making a dropped section within these holes so that the road can be dropped as per real life, but so that I do not need to mess arund too much with the structure of the baseboard.

 

Oh, and thank you TheSignalEngineer for the link with the track diagram on it. As I mentioned earlier, it was part of the info that Neil sent to me, but thank you all the same, it's the thought that counts!

 

I'm aiming to get the construction of the layout started hopefully this week, or next week at the latest, then I'll get the track all prepared. Just two questions I'd like to pose to you chaps:

 

1) What would be the best method of printing out the track plan I've got to 1:76th scale? I have the track diagram with a scale along the bottom, showing the distance of 500', but am unsure about the distance between it.

 

2) How wide would be best for this layout, as the only thing the opposite side of the layout from the station itself will be a bus station, so basically an area of tarmac, and behind the station, a wide open concourse, again a piece of tarmac.

 

Thanks once again for the positive reaction to this project. I shall keep you updated as the layout progresses.

[Katier]

Best way unfortunately costs £50 in the form of Templot. Another alternative might be if your college art department has large format roll printing - they may be able to help.

[Guest Phil]

Martin Wynne's book suggestions are very good and highly recommended, but there are a number of other books with useful photographs in too. Michael Hale was an eminent photographer of Black Country railways and canals, who had a number of books published, but which are long out of print. Steam in the black Country has the following :

 

Pannier tank 3649 makes a vigorous charge up the steep gradient from Stourbridge Town goods depot on April 23rd 1960

 

June 1st 1957 8742 approaches the junction station with mineral wagons from the town goods yard.

 

Also in June 1st 1957, in Michael's second book "More" 1438 propels an autotrailer off the branch into Stourbridge Jn station.

 

Ned Williams in Railways of the Black Country volume 1 devotes 12 photos to the town branch with a good mixture of subjects.

 

August 12th 1957 and W14W is standing in the platform, There appears to be an open wagon at the extreme end of the platform - a temprory stop block maybe ?

 

9th September 1957 and 1414 is ready to propel it's auto coach back to the junction. The line beyond the platform is still in situ.and a wagon is in a similar position to the previous month.

 

Fast forward to 2nd November 1963 and 6434 and auto car "wren" form the service. An iron mink body has appeared on the platform. The track is truncated at a stop block and an enamel sign has replaced the old GWR wooden one.

 

The remainder of the pictures shown pannier tanks on freight trips and class 122 diesel cars on the passenger duty.

 

 

There are many more books with images in but hope these few help

[N. Rudge]

Thanks for the information about the books, Phil, I shall have a look for those in the Stourbridge Library tomorrow to see if I can find them.

 

Katier, I'm not sure if my college actually has that sort of thing, and because it's the main holidays, I don't go back until september, but never fear, I'll manage somehow!

[alibuchan]

might be worth having a look at XtrkCAD, its free and very easy to print out on to A4 sheets to stick together. but you just remember to overlap the pages so the tracks line up.

 

cant wait to see this one as it is something that is 'close' to me. Always thought about modelling the junction in n gauge as it is now. Just a bit of a pipe dream at the moment.

 

Alistair

[N. Rudge]

I think I tried to use that programme the once, but gave up on it for some odd reason, but seeing as you've pointed out it can print the track plan off, I may give it a try. Thank you for the help.

 

I'm certainly glad I joined this forum. The help that I've recieved is just phenominal, and to think it's only been on here for three days! Thanks all once again!!

[alibuchan]

don't know whether this would help you in any way, shape or form, but here is a pdf file that is pretty much what your drawing a few posts above is. This is the XtrkCAD drawing so you can see the whole thing.

 

 

If it needs adjusting it can be done quite easily.

 

the whole layout is only 8 inches wide and the grey block (foster St) is 2 inches wide. The letters across the top will look correct when they are joined together. (Just a couple of reference points to get the over-lap right to allow for the paper margins)

 

Alistair

 

s\'bridge town station 2.pdf

[N. Rudge]

don't know whether this would help you in any way, shape or form, but here is a pdf file that is pretty much what your drawing a few posts above is. This is the XtrkCAD drawing so you can see the whole thing.

 

 

If it needs adjusting it can be done quite easily.

 

the whole layout is only 8 inches wide and the grey block (foster St) is 2 inches wide. The letters across the top will look correct when they are joined together. (Just a couple of reference points to get the over-lap right to allow for the paper margins)

 

Alistair

 

s\'bridge town station 2.pdf

 

Thank you very much, that is extremely helpful and I shall get the printer on the go straight away! That should get the layout moving along nicely. I had a little tinker about with XtrkCAD, but I couldn't quite qwork out how to alter the board size, but that's perfect, so thank you for the help.

 

I don't think I've ever said or typed thank you so much in my life, but I certainly have good reason to with all of the help and assistance being offered here. Thank you ever so much, everyone! Without all of your help, I'd never have got all of the information I have now, and I truly believe that I'm ready to start making this layout, whereas before I did not have a clue.

[The Stationmaster]

The layout before the signal box was closed in 1935 is shown here. After that date the passenger and freight services were as you said worked as two single lines. The two wooden train staffs were Red/Round for the Passenger Branch and Green/Square for the Goods Branch There was no connection between the branches except at Stourbridge Junction Middle SB.

 

That is an absolutely smashing bit of GW signalling - and three crossovers with two of them only signalled for use in one direction and only serving a single function; great stuff and thanks for that link (which has been duly filed away as I haven't got that DVD - yet)

[sixteen 12by 10s]

Hi

 

Its nice to see so much interest been taken In my home town station, and good luck with your project. I can remember the station building standing, and the 1977 incident when a DMU bogie landed in Foster street.

 

The Town branch survives, just, but with yet another redevelopment of the area taking place, it looks like it has had another lifeline, the only thing is,every time the remodelling takes place the branch gets slightly shorter, so by about 2030, the bus station will be at the junction!

 

Gary

[Blandford1969]

In terms of plans of the building, sadly the survival of plans in England is sketchy. You could try the local record office to see what records they have got,Great Western Society,Kidderminster Railway Museum, English Heritage and of course the Public Record Office.

 

However if none of them have got anything then you will probably have to draw them up yourself. If from maps you can get the width and lenght of the building that would be a good start. Beyond that you will then be down to getting some good photos that show each of the elevations (or even parts) from which you can count the bricks. It is time consuming, but will result in a fairly accurate plan.

 

For the purposes of drawing and allowing for cement, bricks are 9" long and 3" high (on average) there are exceptions. Looking on Flickr there are a couple of photos which would get you part of the building.

 

The canopy woodwork will have been a standard width - (probably 6") that then helps with scalling photos.

 

It may be a slog getting good photos to do the plans, but it is very satisfying as something reappears. I'll have a look to see if I've got any negs of the station I can scan.

 

Kind regards

 

Duncan

[Dukedog]

Stourbridge is my home town too! although I live a stone's throw from Stourbridge junction not the town.

 

I must have dozens of pictures in various books in my collection. Unfortunately copyright prevents me from scanning and publishing them here.

however if i can help in anyway drop me a PM

 

Cheers!

Frank

[N. Rudge]

It's nice to hear that all of you are looking forward to seeing this, and thank you for the well wishes from the people who live locally to the station. Thanks also for the offers of help. Should I require it, which I probably will at some point, you lot will be my first port of call!

 

Duncan, thanks for the advice and info regarding how I should go about creating the station building. I'll look back at your post when it comes to drawing up a plan. I've got a fair few pictures to work from now, after going to the library at Stourbridge and borrowing some books (including some of the books mentioned by Phil and Neil. Cheers once again chaps), so I'll keep copies of them, along with the book reference info for the bibliography at the end of the project, so that I can access each picture easily.

 

I'll more likely than not start constructing the baseboard tomorrow and/or the day after, so some long awaited photos will be heading to a forum near you very shortly! (Can't imagine which forum though...)

[alibuchan]

Thank you very much, that is extremely helpful and I shall get the printer on the go straight away! That should get the layout moving along nicely. I had a little tinker about with XtrkCAD, but I couldn't quite qwork out how to alter the board size, but that's perfect, so thank you for the help.

 

I don't think I've ever said or typed thank you so much in my life, but I certainly have good reason to with all of the help and assistance being offered here. Thank you ever so much, everyone! Without all of your help, I'd never have got all of the information I have now, and I truly believe that I'm ready to start making this layout, whereas before I did not have a clue.

 

It's a not a problem. it took me a while to learn XtrkCAD but once you get to grips it is a useful tool.

 

That is the beauty of this forum. I used to be a member of another and at the time their posts quite anti-RMWeb, but once I tried it I never went back. With so much help and useful info out there it is a huge goldmine.

 

This is one topic, that I will keep watching what with the close proximity to the other end of that line.

 

My long standing plan of a modern day N Gauge Stourbridge Junction is still on the drawing board.

 

Alistair

[TheSignalEngineer]

Hi

I can remember the station building standing, and the 1977 incident when a DMU bogie landed in Foster street.

 

Gary

I think the driver got a bit over enthusiastic as it was the afternoon of the Grand National. Unfortunately he fell at the wall. The DMU ran round for some time afterwards with a broken 2A shedplate on the solebar. I hate to think what shape the underframe was.