SM42

Going back to the 80s here. Enjoy

47218 at Kidderminster 11th May 1988

and

47528 Didcot 29th July 1988

Andy

Been having a sort through some old photos and found this.

33118 at Didcot 29th July 1988

Andy

37 418 leaving Stafford ( I think) with a Holyhead service

Not sure of date but possibly mid 90s

Andy

 A couple of RES liveried shots from the 90s.

47565 at Carlisle

47500 on a special at Kidderminster

And Finally a large logo 47536 at Carlisle

Andy

One thing that strikes me about the development of traffic Whitlocks End is whether it being a Centro station it has free parking ( I don't know the situation there I must admit) and is therefore sucking in commuters from nearby stations outside the Centro area where parking is not free.

This happened at Stourbridge Jn as I know several people who drove the 6 miles from Kidderminster to Stourbridge Jn because of the cost of parking (and the more frequent service helped)

Would Worcester Parkway be the same if parking was free. I would imagine Evesham and Pershore areas being a good source of traffic (if indeed parking is charged at these places) But then again would large numbers of people  from around  these areas who already commute by train,  and not towards London, be going anywhere other than Worcester in the first place?

Andy

A couple of scanned photos of 08910 at Carlisle in the mid 90s

Andy

Ah that fits in better with the original OWW service patterns which of course was through to Wolverhampton via Worcester.

 

The last vestige of that was the Kidderminster portion of the Cathedrals express which IIRC ran until at least 1964 - comined with Hereford portion and additional coaches at Worcester - what timescale are you thinking of ANdy?

 

kind regards

 

Phil

Phil

The service I recall ran in the mid 90s ( I was banging out the bells at Hartlebury then) and was a 165 or similar.

In fact I just thought to have a quick look in one of John Boyton's books (Rails Through the Hills)  and there is a 165 (114 to be precise) photographed leaving Kidderminster for Paddington in 1993 and he quotes the service as starting  from Stourbridge and ran between October 1993 and May 1995, one return service per day although the down service ran to Malvern from 1994.

Teaky, I can't see a service running via Foregate St and reversing (in favour of Shrub Hill )  for the simple reason that it would require the re-instatement of a junction (Rainbow Hill Jn?) and the rather incovenient fath of reversing a service at a rather inflexible site. However stranger things have happened.

Shrub Hill would in my view still serve a purpose for longer distance traffic (Birmingham - Cardiff perhaps) which would avoid a rather long taxi or bus ride into the city for those who hadn't driven to and set out from Parkway in the first place.  With a bit of investment and TLC Shrub Hill could be a quite wonderful place to arrive and depart.

Andy

To clarify Martin's comment above, the service I mentioned went via Worcester to Paddington. I can't remember though if started in Birmingham or not. It was one of the few 4 beaters of the day (well the only one on earlies ) that we signalled.

As for the Kidderminster rebuild (and at the risk of going too off topic, ) all I can say is I hope it is better than the last proposal, but with reduced parking to make a taxi rank to make room for bus  stops for the 2 or 3 buses a day and traffic lights at the station entrance I fear not. It might be quicker to get to Worcester Parkway then. .

Andy

And Hartlebury would be a good park and ride location....

 

Phil

Just that the parking bit could be an issue.

In the not too distant past there was a service to London Via Kidderminster and Stourbridge.

As things stand the in a 20 odd mile radius around Birmingham the rails are getting pretty crowded. With the Bromsgrove electricfication scheme  this is about to get worse on the West Suburban and going via Camp Hill (diesels only at present) just adds to the mele at Proof House. Adding time into schedules heading into this mass by the extra stop is going to take some pretty nifty timetabling, but if it wasn't practical then I don't think this project would have got this far.

As for Shrub Hill, I can also still see a role for the station alongside Parkway. It is sort of in Worcester for a start (closer than Parkway)  It  is convenient turn round point for late running norhbound traffic that doesn't clog up the Malvern route and delivers people in the right city in lieiu of Foregate St and it has the capacity to be the terminating point for services to / from  the south west.  (I vaguely recall a Worcester-  Weston Super Mare service at one point. Very useful for visiting a certain emporium in Cheltenham on an afternoon.)

Certainly as the city of Worcester expands  then I can see many not wishing to travel out to Parkway to catch a train when there is a much closer railhead in city environs, which with a bit of joined up thinking could be well connected to the rest of the city. In terms of capacity for road/ rail travel interchange it beats Foregate St as it has the room to provide the necessary road vehicle standage.

Parkway I can see would most likely mop up those to the south and east of the city,  the motorway network and interchange between routes

I see both stations having  a market, but whether the powers that be see that is another matter.

Andy

 

 

A full Grand Union is considered the tramway engineer's star turn, being a crossing of two routes with connections at every corner. They aren't common, but Prague has at least two, as well as several 3/4 Grand Unions, an example of which appears below -

 

 

Poznan has a couple that I can think of too. One at the junction of Roosevelta and Swiety Marcin (which also happens to be a roundabout for road vehicles) and at the junction of Roosevelta and Most Teatralny.

There is a 3/4 at Rondo Srodka (near the Malta Lake narrow gauge railway) which also happens to be across a roundabout (fun when the traffic lights change and the tram is hanging out  halfway across the road whilst it waits for a signal at the other side of the roundabout) and there is an interesting double line / single line 3/4 at the junction of Gwarna and 27 Grudnia.

Unfortunately I don't have photos of these but Google Maps shows them quite well.

Back in Blighty, If I remember correctly, outside New St PSB there is a double slip with a switch diamond in the middle (for want of a better description) I may have a photo lurking somehwere. 

It was certainly fun to clip up if you had too. Even had its own special extra long (and heavy) point clip.

Andy

Try finding anything at £1.50 on a trade stand these days!

You're obviously looking at the wrong trade stands.

OK £1.50 might be optimistic but sub £4.00 is quite common. Stil gets the same reaction though

Andy

Apparently picking up an item on a trade stand marked up at £1.50 and asking "What's your best price on this?" can result in a rather unsociable response.

Andy

Currently enjoying a pint of Bird's Brewery's Serendipity and very well named it is too.

Happened across the place on the outskirts of Bromsgrove a few weeks back and managed to call in today. A return trip is in order I think.

Andy

My head hurts now.

Andy

I was thinking about the ground signal in this case Jim. .

The main signal would not need one as any train routed via that signal would already have passed the warning board and would be expecting the TSR and of course the driver would be familiar with the contents of the WON.

However,  the R board is not strictly correct as you are arriving (so I understand)   mid point of the TSR rather than heading towards a commencement board more than 300yds ahead.

Looks like someone's  trying to do the right thing in a situation not covered in the rule book.

Andy

If there is a set back move then I agree that and R board would be a sensible installation (though I don't think strictly specified in the rules) but then the sign should be at the signal that routes the train across (assuming this signal is between the warning and commencement board) and there should be an arrowed warning board somewhere further back  if there is main signalled route across.

On that basis  not only is it an incomplete sign, it's also in the wrong place.  This makes it even more stupid than before as if it were in the right place it wouldn't be in the picture

Putting the sign after the crossover would mean drivers running on the affected line suddenly coming across a lonesome commencement board in the middle of a TSR with no reason to be there.

Temporary speed restrictions are rarely simple affairs where there is more than  one route

I'm just glad I don't drive trains for a living. It makes my head hurt just thinkiing about this one.

Andy

Gary

I suspect the 30/50 applies to the line on the far left and I would imagine there is a warning board with arrow a bit further back

I agree  it is a stupid sign  for both looking odd and spoiling the picture.

Andy

Like Alistair I've always found prices to be on a par with other outlets for items I have purchased .

I suppose it depends on what particular product you are looking for really.

For anyone intending to visit mid week, I believe that they are still closed on Wednesdays as it was at the old shop.

As well as the car park there is also free, time limited (one hour last time I looked)  roadside parking opposite.

Andy

Oh yes John there will be room to turn around without everybody else having to turn around too. 

Mind you as I haven't had chance to visit now it is not a building site,  Derek may have filled it all up by now.

There is also a handy little* customer car park at the downhill end of the row of (2) shops. Next to Kim Johnson Designs; Derek's new neighbour

Andy

*By little I mean it  is about  10 or 12  car's worth but it is shared with two other businesses. .

You beat me to it

I noticed that the new doors were open when I passed yesterday.

Anyone who has been before but not yet had chance to visit the new premises will find them significantly bigger  than the old. 

Andy

Good stuff.

I too wondered where the strange paint colour was going.

Good to see some balloonage too.

Andy

Thank you

That explains it

Must be the "Dunton Green cream cake four" case she's on then.

Andy

Out of interest what time is the last train back from Westerham.

Mrs Sm42 has not yet returned and Kipper's case closed announcement seems to indicate her work is done.

I suppose another mission in some far flung part of the globe has come up.

I was surprised when she turned up in Westerham. I thought she'd gone to Tesco.

Andy (out from under the table)

It's your lucky day Lyndonsdad

Just catching up here (really should have been warming up the war room) when Mrs SM42 popped in to see how things were going as she prepares for her next mission.

Fortunately for you I had a second internet tab open so was able to flick across and look busy.  Mrs SM42 would not be impressed by such a slur on her nationality.

Brent! I ask you? Brentski perhaps.

A word of warnig to all who may feel the need to cross her path in a less than helpful way. Revelations about her training at school (No ordinary comprehensive I can tell you) have revealed things far beyond being a good shot.

Andy (a bit more nervous than usual)

......towards Camp Hill was no good though, the natives dumped enough rubbish to stop trains let alone my bike.

It hasn't changed much.

Andy