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New Street Station From 1854 - 1966

Trams - Cotteridge 36,Rednal 70 and Rubery 71 and trolley buses went in 1952 and 1951 respectively. I guess the overhead was not too long in being removed, That should put the date prior to mid 1950's at the very latest.
 
Definitely Station Street. The entrance to the left was the former Midland Railway parcels yard. I can't make out what the sign to the right says. I can read Platform...
 
And two much earlier interior images. Phenomenal roof span. Were the platforms much lower when it was first built? V.

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Looking at the photo in post #17 I notice there are two subways. Were these for transporting freight/goods/parcels? Or were they for passenger use? In the earlier images (post #18) there are no subways so they must have been added at a later stage.

Over the left-hand subway a man is changing/fixing/cleaning the light suspended over the subway ( and there are many lamps) so perhaps the subways were in use overnight and bright lighting was needed. And there are several carts standing to the left. This all suggests to me the movement of goods/parcels etc. using the subways. Viv.
 
viv
From Richard Foster's book(s) on New St Station, the subway was constructed in 1885, and was mainly for barrows carrying luggage etc, though passengers could use them
 
Just found this thread. There were subways to move parcels, not sure if they were on all platforms, as mentioned #14 parcels were distributed from Station Street, it was CityLink in recent years. You can see parcel trucks lined up on the platforms 7&8 in pictures in #11.
 
The subway was at the western end of the platforms and its removal has allowed the widening of the platform area. I am a little puzzled about the photo in post 17 as the sunlight would imply that we are looking from the east end. The subway also went thought to the post office in Victoria Square and the parcels office in Paradise Street. In the afternoons we used to see mailbags piled up on the platforms as well as parcels traffic on the railways.
 
Hope that this is the right thread.

Heading through the new concourse of Birmingham New Street Station today, found this restored bronze war memorial of the First World War.

L & N.W. Rly Birmingham Goods District (London & North Western Railway)

 
The subways were very handy a few years ago when I had a knee problem - the escalator on our platform was o-o-o and I couldn't manage the stairs, panic set in until a nice young man took us along the subway and found us another escalator. Can't remember where we came out though, perhaps someone could tell me?
 
I did not use the lifts until I had an accident in 2009 and discovered the subway. The lifts came out in a sort of luggage area just outside the concourse. Very handy for those who did not have tickets as they did not have to go through the barriers!!!! I did once see a ticket collector by the lifts.
 
The second photo looks like it was at the bridge over Queens Drive. I am trying to remember, Was there a second lot of steps on the footbridge as you crossed to the other half of the station?
 
Reference: Post #18. The L.N.W.R. side of New Street station, is shown in the very nice coloured photograph, taken at the turn of the twentieth century, and shows, on the right, two Webb 2-4-2T's adjacent to platform number one.

In the centre is island platform number 2, used mainly for suburban traffic.

Eddie
 
Another somewhat 'moody' photo of New Street Station, looking out at Station Street. You almost expect a character from 'The Third Man' to step from the shadows - or is that too fanciful for New Street?

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Far too fanciful I believe. :D Given that the 'photo suggests the 1950's I thing Teddy Boys and knuckledusters come to mind.
 
BrumBum said:
Another somewhat 'moody' photo of New Street Station, looking out at Station Street. You almost expect a character from 'The Third Man' to step from the shadows - or is that too fanciful for New Street?

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Is this Station St.? Seems to have an incline and Station St is virtually level. Could it possibly be Snow Hill and Livery St.? Anyone recognise the shops opposite?
 
devonjim said:
Is this Station St.? Seems to have an incline and Station St is virtually level. Could it possibly be Snow Hill and Livery St.? Anyone recognise the shops opposite?
Click to expand...

OK Hawkeye, you are right! I could pretend that I was waiting for someone to spot the deliberate mistake, but the photo I posted (from a set I 'inherited') is clearly marked on the back as 'New Street Station looking out at Station Street' and I just accepted that as true. However, having tracked down the business opposite it is clear that Geo L. Brown was at 5 Livery Street. Good knowledge from you.
 
Comes from years of frequenting Station St! Market Hotel, the old Rep and a Chinese restaurant was it the Liang Nam or The Happy Gathering not to mention twice daily trips across the city from the bus station in Edgbaston St to Colmore Circus on my daily commute to work.
 
Don't think cattle were ever transported to New St anyway, it was Bordesley, Camp hill or Banbury St wharves (for the cattle market. the latter seems the obvious place here.
 
As Mike says there were no facilities for cattle at New Street. I did however see elephants there once. There was a parcels van by the buffers on platform 2 or 2a and two railway men opened the door to see what was in the van and an elephant's trunk came out. They quickly pushed it back and shut the door.
 
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