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New Street Station 1967

The teacher who hit us over our heads became a mayor. Isn't that ironic.

Does this mural ring any bells with people ? I don’t remember it. Viv.

Source: British Newspaper Archive
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All I can say is that it has triggered a memory but I can't say from when or where at New Street Station. I would have been more concerned at looking down at my feet when travelling down those escalators.
It triggered a memory for me too, I think, but it's vague.
 
They pulled down the old station with the open and high roofs just at the time they were getting rid of steam locos. I did love the smell of steam locos. The new station was all enclosed with diesel trains that had sickly smelling exhausts.

While the new station looked very modern and spaced age in design, it very quickly started to look shabby with the fumes from the diesel trains and the tiles getting smashed by all those post office truck that ran on the platforms.
 
Opening day in 1967. This is how I remember the 60s station. Being a frequent traveller for work in the 1980s, just after that arriving back from London when I moved away, it really lacked any charm, warmth or character. By then it had, to me, become simply a place you passed through, without lingering and rushing to catch the next train out as soon as possible. Don’t think the bright, white lighting did it any favours either. It was like boarding a train from a Cold War MI5 bunker. Viv.

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The train bit below is a little bit better . but not much. I remember the bar on the "bridge", which in later years they tried to "improve" This partly involved repainting and then going to great trouble to make the ceiling in this (no smoking) area look as if the ceiling was tobacco-smoke-stained
 
The view of the ticket office shows the machines used to print blank edmondson size card. The carrier was moved along to to specific ticket location, the card was inserted and printed. There were various other types of ticket machines then in use, These machines could be fast, But the fastest one I noted was the rapid printer at Moor Street used for some popular destinations.

For the New Street machines the biggest problem was a fare change when all the plates in the machine had to be changed,

Progress in printing tickets led to the INTIS and APTIS machines being installed.
 
Nice view of the rear of the special triangular signals produced for New Street because of the limited clearance beneath the deck. They were of the 'searchlight' pattern, having only one main lens that showed red, yellow or green depending on the position of the filter vane. I believe they were later replaced by something more conventional, presumably because of the difficulty of maintaining them. Now LEDs are being used signals that look like searchlights are becoming commonplace.nsnew.jpgnsold.jpg
These layout diagrams derived from Britain's New Railway, by O.S. Nock
 
For those really interested in Birmingham Railways, the latest (march 2022) issue of Backtrack magazine has an article titled "Birmingham's Grand Central Station. Memories of the old /new Street 1954-62"
 
Yes, in the forties and early fifties both LMR and WR used horse and cart until replaced by the three wheel Scammells.

Bob
My uncle used to drive those 3 wheelers. He later changed career to become a prison officer! There used to be a Scammell in the old goods shed at Broadway Caravan Club site, (built on old sidings), but its not there now, I don't know where it went. It looked in good order, so perhaps in a museum.
Andrew.
 
had a friend at new st station. he was a wheel taper. his shed was on the end of the platform just under the bridge, it was lit by gas lighting .The lamp he used was a calcium carbide lamp and a hammer similar to the ones below


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I am not sure if they were introduced before the War, when technology was with3 wheeled vehicles, or post war in 40/50's austerity, but they worked and had a brilliant turning capacity for tight goods yards etc,so lasted right up to mid, late 60's.
 
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