Stourbridge Junction to Birmingham New Street in 1990

[colliecandle]

Nice video - shame about all that disgusting visually polluting OLE though!

[azores91]

0 facts about you 1.You're reading my comment 2.You're realizing that's a stupid fact 4.You didn't notice I skipped three 5.You're checking now 6.You're smiling 7. You're still reading my comment 9.You didn't realize I skipped eight 10.You're checking again.11You are enjoying this 12.You didn't realize there's only supposed to be ten facts Copy and paste this to ONE video And tomorrow will be the best day ever Thumbs Up If You Liked This!

[SamMitchell90]

When you see the line diverting towards where Smethwick Galton Bridge Higher Level is now, what was there before? Was it just a derelict line?

[shaneh87]

@SamMitchell90 It went to a goods yard at Handsworth i believe.

[SamMitchell90]

Why did they stop putting trains on from Stourbridge to New Street? The line just before Smethwick Galton Bridge that goes to New Street is still in really good condition.

Any idea why the stopped it?

[shaneh87]

@SamMitchell90 It's because they fail at life tbh.They should've just reopened Wolvo lower level and linked that onto the now metro tracks.I've never been a fan of them connecting the Stourbridge line with Snow Hill as i much prefer New Street.Plus whenever you need to take the train anywhere in the country you have to change at Galton Bridge to get to New Street which is a pain in the ass.

[SamMitchell90]

@shaneh87

It really is a pain in the ass. It'd be a lot easier to just get a train that called at Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis, Smethwick Rolfe Street and then Birmingham New Street. Everytime I go through the old Smethwick West I see the line to New Street in perfectly good condition and I just think "What a waste"

I'm going to write to London Midland and ask why services aren't on and if they can resume them.

[shaneh87]

@SamMitchell90 Up until a few years ago they did a service that called at Stourbridge and Cradley Heath then went straight into New Street but it only called at Cradley heath once a day.

[Pardoe1976]

I grew up in Cradley Heath (Timbertree nr Haden Hill Park) but still live close by, its bostin 2see this footage an the stops at Cradley Heath an Old Hill wow al the mems come floodin bak ;-) ..... Pardoe1976 ;-) x

[daveworley]

Wow this is insanely good! You'd never believe the line was quite that twisting; you certainly don't feel the curves as a passenger apart from Stourbridge N Jnc obviously!

This is awesome, thanks so much for sharing!

[toppackage]

awesome vid!

[GringoJnr]

Ah... the way things used to be! bliss

whats the tune accompanying this video?

[adeholmes10]

ELO- sweet talking woman from 1978

[Glassgirl2009]

I still live in the area and use this line regularly, pity the service no longer goes to new street, now it goes to snow hill and moor street past some dump called the hawthorns.

Would mention the Parry People Mover on the Stourbridge Town branch, but I might get into trouble for swearing lol!!!

[TimRuffle]

I used to live in Stourbridge and every so often we'd take this train and drop in on Dad at work in Birmingham. Travelling after the rush hour you stood a fair chance of sitting right at the front with a view forward through the cab which was great but, if the driver was in a good mood, you could get to sit in the cab. Looks like it hadn't changed much when you filmed it.

Last time I travelled this line we changed trains for Durham and I've lived here ever since.

Much enjoyed.

[prontford]

I really enjoyed that. Good to see the signalboxes at Cradley and Rowley, the old booking office at Langley, and Smethwick West (with its tower blocks looming over) still 6 years away from closure.

It looks like the the new stretch of tunnel under the ICC/Symphony Hall was under construction at the time. It wasn't there in 1988.

[nuged568]

I used to do this journey Saturday nights after watching Speedwa\y racing at Cradley Heath. I would get on the train at Cradley and the old 101 units would struggle and vidrate up the bank - sorry, bonk - through Old Hill and Rowley Regis to Langley Green. Then on to New St. where I would get my connection to Lea Hall. Happy days, and please bring Speedway back to Cradley. We have now got Speedway back in Birmingham so you are next I hope!

[UncleBlakie]

Sadly... there is no chance of that now. The old St Annes has houses on it . But I can still smell the bikes when i go past it.

[azores91]

n 2003 there was a boy named Link, and his friends at school were bullying him and laughing at him because his name was the same as a game character. Half a year later he was found in the kitchen with a knife. He had slit his throat. If you don't put this on 3 videos in 10 minutes, he will stab you with the knife in your neck while you're asleep

[sinchydog]

I Like The The Trains But In That Year Did They Have Any Class 323s ?

[shaneh87]

I've got so many great memories from taking this train with my nan :D Nothing beats the old Stourbridge to New Street line.Btw does anyone know if this service actually carried on through New street to anywhere?

[RandomRosemary]

@shaneh87 Not anymore, no. From Stourbridge to Birmingham way you can pretty much only get to Snow Hill and Moor Street, and go from there either by train or by foot to New Street. Or get off at Smethwick G B And train the last little bit of the journey to New Street.

[shaneh87]

@RandomRosemary You misunderstood me, i meant did the trains from Hereford/Stourbridge continue through New street to say Coventry or Lichfield ect.

[gaz318]

Interesting that a line diverges at Smethick to where Galton Bridge High level now is, seeing as the line north of Snow Hill had yet to reopen at this point, where did the line then go ?

[DazrahT]

I believe that it used to go to Cooper's Metals (Handsworth), which is still there.

[UncleBlakie]

Ok... This vid is pre Galton bridge, which is split level, so if you look close, you will see a line going off to the left just at Smethwick West. This is where the old Snow Hill line was, and now has been replaced.

[UncleBlakie]

Yes... this was before the new Galton Bridge Station was built. They now turn to the left just after Smethwick West, and run along side the Metro line ( which is the line the steam used to run to Snow Hill). This is very strange because i do not remeber this service stopping at Rolfe St... I lived in the tower block to the left of Smethwick West Station.

[wdielwlairajmd]

Interesting that it stopped at Smethwick Rolfe Street!

What were the frequencies of trains in 1990?

[stourboy]

What is the soundtrack tune please? It sounds brilliant :)

Great video too, great to watch it, such a shame they took down all the semaphores and will soon be doing the same between Kidderminster and Worcester :(

[gepree68]

It's Sweet Talking Woman by ELO (The Electric Light Orchestra)

[jonnytightpants]

man, that way to brum on the express took like 22mins or something, its about 42 now, going round galton bridge n jewellery quarter. think the last itme i caught that tho was when there was that bomb scare at new street in 1997 or 1998.a city in panic!

[TheManWithNoName786]

Wow, i only been catching the train recently after moving jobs, Rowley Regis look so different...and small!

[DJNoizeUK]

lool ... i live in stourbridge get that train alot :)

[azores91]

wow, yes i used to frequently travel from stourbridge to brum on the trains, and the journey now is nowhere near as exciting with a complete set of coloured signals rather than semaphore, and stourbridge junction signalling from the junction to the hawthorns. the old days are missed. it always made me laugh how semaphore was used on the stourbridge town line when it wasnt really needed! do you have any more of these archived videos gepree?

[azores91]

gepree thanks for these incredible videos. did you shoot these yourself? i find it soo fascinating to relive the memories; all the coloured signals with crosses on them, semaphore signals, smethwick west. regional railways, haha. brings a tear to my eye.

[gepree68]

Yes I filmed them myself with a VHS camcorder I hired from Radio Rentals in 1990. The Stourbridge to Birmingham video was filmed from the passenger side of the closed sliding door behind the DMU cab, but the Birmingham to Stourbridge one was taken from the cab itself, thanks to a very helpful driver.

[gepree68]

I deliberately decided to film the journey because I wanted to record the old semaphore signals (and the old signal lights) which were taken down a week or so afterwards. And of course it is also interesting to see Smethwick West station, the now demolished signal boxes at Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis, Langley Green and Smethwick West, and the single line to the left at Smethwick West which is now the main line to Snow Hill station.

[Rocafile]

yay

[simonps1966]

Great video - made that trip many times.

Happy memories!

[wdielwlairajmd]

Very interesting!