Silverend

If you take a look at an old map when the area was full of industry,coal mines,clay pits,furnaces,brick works,glass works etc you see paths,tramways and railways all over the place which have long gone from memory but you can still see many of them in the landscape. Some are still in use as paths or roads,sometimes leading to places for what seems like no reason,while others can only be seen by their impact on the shape of buildings which leaves you puzzled as to why they are that shape. The New Inn on Quarry Bank High Street for instance has a lovely curved brick wall at it's rear following an old path that used to lead from workers cottages to a clay pit now long gone. http://goo.gl/maps/Annw At the old Harris & Pearson Firebrick and Retort works just off Brettall Lane in Brierley Hill there are several buildings with their end walls cut off at strange angles from when they had their own sidings,tramways and travelling crane. http://goo.gl/maps/wDaI This church in Lye is almost an acute triangle all because of a footpath. http://goo.gl/maps/urBG Last but not least are these factories that still follow the shape of a long gone railway creating very strange shapes to the buildings. http://goo.gl/maps/LtiY I would love to see some signs of long gone paths or railways on your layout for people to ponder over.

As a young teen in 70's Black Country I remember Davenports delivering beer to the house once a week for my dad. Us kids got pop off Alpine,they also delivered to the door by lorry,mmm...Dandelion and Burdock,can you still get it? Milk floats were a very common sight as well often in short convoys as they made their way either to or from the Dairies. It seemed that every town had a MacFisheries fishmonger as well.Ironmongers too. Where have all the mongers gone? Not forgetting real Rag & Bone men with a horse and cart giving goldfish for whatever items you gave them and dad sending me out with a shovel to pick up the manure for the roses.

May I suggest the Smethwick Summit canal which runs along side the railway and at Galton Bridge both pass under a road bridge as well as another railway line. http://goo.gl/maps/4HSP To the north west,under the M5,the railway crosses over one canal which in turn crosses over the other canal which is a fantastic arrangement of bridges. http://goo.gl/maps/VeJz Even further to the north west there's the complete opposite to what you asked for but I'll show you anyway where the railway and canal pass over the road at Dudley Port and Park Lane East,the second being very atmospheric as they are much smaller bridges. http://goo.gl/maps/Wffa http://goo.gl/maps/GOC5 If nothing else I hope you enjoy looking at them.