RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted March 4, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2017 4th March 1967 saw the final weekend of through services at Birmingham Snow Hill. Special steam hauled trains ran on Saturday and Sunday. The new electric service started through New Street on Mondey 6th March. Saturday 4th March was also the last day of 'The Pines'. It had been diverted via Snow Hill and Oxford from September 1962. Here it is entering Snow Hill on its last run from Manchester to Bournemouth behind D1653. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 4, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2017 A day I remember well - dmu (!) from Reading to Snow Hill then a Paddington starter on to Salop and Chester with a Black Five from Salop to Chester and watching both the trains with preserved 'Castles' arrive at Chester. Great day, sad day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted March 4, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2017 Thanks for this.Like many of us,I too have fond memories Snow Hill between the mid fifties through to 1964. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Louch Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Lovely photo SE, haven't seen many of SH from this angle. I guess it was taken from the footbridge? Scary thought: I saw both of the steam specials through the station in 1967; IIRC 'The Birkenhead Flyer' was hauled by 4079 and 'The Zulu' by 7029 as a 9 year old with my father. Huge crowds in attendance on a gloomy day IIRC and I had a couple of very ropy Instamatic which I can't find now! Must look again. I can't recall ever seeing any shots of the 'specials' at Snow Hill and would love to get hold of copies if anyone knows where they exist? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted March 4, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2017 Yes, another nail in the coffin of the Old Railway. But let's not forget that Snow Hill (and Moor St) are now, in my recent experience at least, again vibrant locations with plenty of customers, trains and indeed destinations. The industry in the Second City's second railway has moved forward, and is different, but apparently providing what the customer wants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted March 4, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2017 A day I remember well - dmu (!) from Reading to Snow Hill then a Paddington starter on to Salop and Chester with a Black Five from Salop to Chester and watching both the trains with preserved 'Castles' arrive at Chester. Great day, sad day. A hectic two weeks running up to it. A fault had been found on the lock dogs in the EP point machines at Coventry which led to them failing in large numbers. We stripped and rebuilt about 50 machines in situ between trains in just over a week. Having finished the last one we went to change an AWS electro inductor and sheltering from a freak snowstorm we missed the train back to New St. Whilst we were waiting at Coventry the Stechford crash happened so our Inspector picked us up in his wife's car, she was shopping in Coventry, dropping her off at home on the way to the accident site. Three days of intensive activity saw the debris cleared, line relaid, signalling renewed and new OLE masts and knitting installed by Friday afternoon. On the Saturday I went to Leamington to see Clun Castle on the Zulu, then back to Snow Hill to see Pendennis Castle on the Birkenhead Flyer. After waiting at Snow Hill to see the last Up 'Pines' it was over to New St to have a look at the display for the new electric service parked in Platform 1. I didn't get chance to see the Sunday specials as I was covering a relaying job at Saltley. Lovely photo SE, haven't seen many of SH from this angle. I guess it was taken from the footbridge? Scary thought: I saw both of the steam specials through the station in 1967; IIRC 'The Birkenhead Flyer' was hauled by 4079 and 'The Zulu' by 7029 as a 9 year old with my father. Huge crowds in attendance on a gloomy day IIRC and I had a couple of very ropy Instamatic which I can't find now! Must look again. I can't recall ever seeing any shots of the 'specials' at Snow Hill and would love to get hold of copies if anyone knows where they exist? Andy Correct, Andy, the picture of 'The Pines' was taken from the steps to Platform 5.Good pictures of the specials at Snow Hill seem rare as the proverbial rocking horse droppings, probably due to the crowds on the platforms making it near impossible to get one. The sun did manage to come out for a while. This was the crowd off the north end of the up platforms. I got this one of 4079 as it was running in by crouching down and shooting between the people standing on the platform edge. And one while it was standing waiting to leave. This link is 7029 on the Zulu https://flic.kr/p/c3aQmS Finally 4079 on the Birkenhead Flyer. 4079 by Hugh Llewelyn, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Louch Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Good day Charles, wonderful photos at Snow Hill - I must have been somewhere in the crowds on your photos! I'm still looking for my Instamatic snaps - if I find, I'll upload them. I left Brum some 23 years ago and never visited the 'new' Snow Hill (or indeed the revamped Moor Street) and always preferred Snow Hill to New Street especially after the latter was savaged rebuilt although, to be fair, it did need some sort of rationalisation as it was somewhat 'messy' as a joint MR/LNWR station! Will make a concerted effort to go back to the city this year.....! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.