Worley on the rails!

[Dave]

Saturday was an important day for me as it was the first time since Toni died that I went to Birmingham. It was also the first day in ages I'd been trainspotting.

I decided pretty late on I was going to go out, and I had no idea where to go. I plumped, in the end, for a move from Stourbridge out to Worcester, skip back to Birmingham via an hour at Bromsgrove, then come home in a big circle. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way

Arrive at Stourbridge Town via the 311. See the train depart. Bollocks. Never mind... Approach the ticket office and explain what I want.

It basically involves a Centrocard Daytripper so I can go anywhere in the Centro PTE area. Additionally I want to go out to Worcester and then go on to New Street. Because the line to Birmingham from Stourbridge goes to Birmingham Snow Hill (whereas I want to go to New Street), I can't get a return from Stourbridge to Worcester and return because I won't be valid to travel outside of that route and I want to go from Worcester-Birmingham via Bromsgrove.

Thus I have to buy a ticket from Worcester to Longbridge, which is the first station on the line from Worcester to New Street that is inside the Centrocard zone.

Anyway. The formalities aside, I grab a couple of shots of Stourbridge Town, as always. The usual... Warning signs and the platform etc.

Jump on the Town car up to the Junction at 1243 and, a whole three minute journey later, step off the train. Be reliably informed that the first train to Worcester departs at 1317 and trudge through the subway to platform 3. Note what a nice day it is. Help a couple of people get the right train and settle into a nice photting routine. Take a few of the scenery and get lots of station features in. Notice how many pictures I'm taking that are actually angled. Twat. Anyhow. See a couple of interesting things - mainly a 150 heading onto the Goods loop for later use, and a 150 reversing from platform 3 heading for Birmingham. Not very exciting, you say, but this is Stourbridge Junction...

I jump on the train for Worcester and realise it's a stopper. Hagley and Blakedown both need to be called at. Bollocks again. See some interesting stuff at Kidderminster, including the Severn Valley Railway's Class 08 shunter near the Mainline connection. Arrive into Worcester Shrub Hill just after quarter to two and take full advantage of the fact I'm stuck here for 40 minutes. Well. I was told 40 minutes. This was on the grounds that I walked up to Worcester Foregate Street. While this would add to my repertoire, I want to see the trains that First Great Western supply (on reflection I could have done this at Foregate Street too, but whatever). I make an executive decision, therefore, to get the 1447 from Shrub Hill (lo and behold the exact same unit I got to the place) and bail at Droitwich Spa. I arrive here at 1454 or some god-forsaken hour.

Next train to New Street? 1550 - Oh. Bollocks. While Droitwich Spa station is a beautiful place, which includes a shop that's open - that's a rarity these days! - it's not the most inspiring place to spend an hour. I manage to get a few shots, mainly of the architecture, and the signals at the east end of the platforms. Not perfect, but I live. A 158 turns up vice the 170s that usually operate the Birmingham-Hereford via Bromsgrove services. Exciting - a new unit travelled upon!

I am toying whether to jump at Bromsgrove - I'm not helping myself if I do so, but there is nothing to lose. I do indeed bail at the wonderful little place and, slightly dazed at the lack of facilities, search for a shop to replace batteries. Having done this, I return just as a Voyager passes. Damn. But the next thing through the station is a Class 60 on tanks. This is a great result and well worth the bailing. I get a great video with some awesome stills. I am now satisfied. I get some more phots of architecture and trains, both stopping and passing, and am relatively happy. Jump on the more typical 170 unit to New Street, I remain in a good mood. Change at New Street and grab a Burger King, because no matter what people tell me I'm fat and round and require such comfort.

I head back to the platforms and grab the 1807 for Wolverhampton which, unusually, is a 150 vice the usual 323s. This I find amusing as we pull out of Birmingham, as there are about 10 323s stabled. I jump off at Galton Bridge and run up to the High Level. Photos are assured here - the architecture's nice - but the train turns up immediately. It's full and standing, so I stand - as always. There are plenty of hot women, but these are uninteresting. Despite my original intention to run full circle, I bail two stops short at Cradley Heath, for a bus to Merry Hill. I don't even get what I want there, either.

So there you go.

The day:

Stourbridge Town to Stourbridge Junction
dep 1243 arr 1246 - Class 153 'Super Sprinter' 153381

Stourbridge Junction to Worcester Shrub Hill
dep 1317 arr 1349 - Class 150 'Sprinter' 150231

Worcester Shrub Hill to Droitwich Spa
dep 1447 arr 1459 - Class 150 'Sprinter' 150231

Droitwich Spa to Bromsgrove
dep 1540 arr 1556 - Class 158 'Super Sprinter'

Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street
dep 1701 arr 1723 - Class 170 'Turbostar' 170503

Birmingham New Street to Smethwick Galton Bridge
dep 1807 arr 1820 - Class 150 'Sprinter'

Smethwick Galton Bridge to Cradley Heath
dep 1823 arr 1837 - Class 150 'Sprinter'

The day's pictures can be found here:
http://www.daveworley.fotopic.net/c1228207.html

A couple of videos at Bromsgrove are here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q4zbXLCUpw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmGyVqDrV98

[Illegal_Alien]

Nice pictures, but when i saw those lines without trains my first thaught whas that it where abandoned lines.

[lobster]

Dave, the adventurist chav.

still, quality nice material. i love (some of) the photos (some places indeed look rather deserted), and the general idea. a trip like this, i mean. i've never even remotely considered anything alike.

quality material, i tell you.

[WWW]

damn you, now I am to produce my scottie super-spotting blast!In the summer.

[Purno]

Damn that topic title scared me...

[Raichase]

Nice photos, as expected Dave.

Was rather impressed with the videos too . Admit it, you got the Voyager for me, right?

Some comments, as I look through the photos:

That old clock looks really cool. We have some around the place, reminds me to take photos while they are still around at all!
First Great Western trains are painted in such ugly colours, they make the trains look crap! Virginise everything, I say! Please pass these comments on to management.
Cool old Semaphores, too . Very few remain here, mostly out in the sticks on freight lines.
I liked the shots of the abandoned station platforms!
Is the signal under the platform canopy unusual? I've never seen anything like it here!
The unused points at WSH, is that still certified? Or do they really, never use it? A lot of points here are run over twice a day, simply to keep them certified (if points are not run over once in 24 hours, they are unusable by railway standards, and may not be used until they are inspected...)

Thanks again for sharing, those are good .

[Dave]

Those points are kept there, and in fact it worked that the Green DMU (The Central 150), drove from platform 2 to the South, stopped and reversed on to the middle road, where the star is on the diagram below.

That train CAN fit on the platform after the siding, but for some reason, rather than just moving over those points described, it reverses back up the middle road and crosses over to the northbound line and platform 1.

I did think it might go over those points, but obviously not.

FGW's house colours are like that, but are darker and the HSTs that First Great Western own are a lot better looking (though still not as good as GNER's!). The Adelante was a stupid colour scheme and in fact the Adelante is a bit p*** poor in terms of reliability. It's got the same specs as a Voyager, as I remember it - it's 5 car and can do up to 125 mph - but is far less reliable and as such has been reduced from being a train to supplement the HSTs on the Great Western Mainline to running the Cotswold Line which is London Paddington-Oxford-Worcester-Hereford.

That signal at WSH - I don't have a clue what the discs are. I think the ground signals are shunting signals, as with the modern ones that are on Wikipedia.

The semaphores are fantastic - my favourite shot of them all on that collection is the sempahore gantry. Looks awesome! That controls the Worcester Triangle, which has Droitwich, Shrub Hill and Foregate Street at each "corner" and allows a number of complicated manoeuvers for passenger trains.

Shrub Hill also has avoiding lines behind platform 2, as well as a platform 3, which is a bay platform.

And yes, the Voyager was for you, Raichase

[Ameecher]

I must say this Dave, why do you take pictures at jaunty angles?

*** Me runs away and hides from the wrath of the Worley.

[Dave]

I'm going to kick your face in.

[r]

I don't know what any of the trains in Birmingham are. They're either the crap blue ones, the nice green ones or Virgin ones.

[Dave]

I assume the "nice green ones" you speak of are the Class 323s that call at Perry Barr?

The nasty blue ones? Surely not a 350? I dunno.

[r]

The nice green ones are the ones that go to places that aren't suburbs of Birmingham.

[RFT]

Nice pics.
Seeing Shrub Hill always takes me back to my student days...

[m3henry]

An interesting day for the young traveler of the hour. reminding me of when my dad (many many years ago as a lad) went from potters bar to paddingto just for a spot of trainspotting
I like the pictures and the way I keep sliding off my stool when I look at them.
I do not like the face full of train in the video when you turn to look the other way, its a law of videoing, and one that makes a good video spoil.

[Dave]

If I could have gone any further back, I would have Bromsgrove's platforms aren't exactly convenient for the task.

[andel]

I'll have to put your pictures to shame, Mr Worley - just ordered a new Nikon L2 camera - nothing too flash but a little something to have on my person whilst out and about!

[Hula121]

If I were living in the UK, I'd love to do that as a hobby.

[SM9T8]

Is the signal under the platform canopy unusual? I've never seen anything like it here!

I believe they are repeat signals, for when a view of the main signal is obsucred by buildings, canopies etc.
I don't know how common they are, I don't remember ever seening one in the flesh, I expect the original companies would have avoided using them where ever possible though.

Nice Pics by the way!

[Raichase]

Is the signal under the platform canopy unusual? I've never seen anything like it here!

I believe they are repeat signals, for when a view of the main signal is obsucred by buildings, canopies etc.
I don't know how common they are, I don't remember ever seening one in the flesh, I expect the original companies would have avoided using them where ever possible though.

Yeah, I'm aware of the function of a repeat signal - when you commented on how common they are, were you talking about repeat signals, or signals under the canopy, because thats the bit I thought odd!

Thanks for the info, Emohawk .

[Dave]

Could be a repeater signal, actually that would make sense, since the signal gantry at the North end of Shrub Hill is obscured by the goods bridge.

Of course there is one for each direction. These days they're electric on a dot matrix, or - an older fashion - a disc that actually moves with a light behind it.

Interesting enough.