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Snow Hill Station

Is it Snow Hill? Snow Hill was a GWR station but the nearest locomotive is lettered LMS. There seems to be a line of locomotives and it does seen to be a special occasion so it might be a meeting of the two former rivals.
 
Could this be the event? It's an extract from Mike Hitches book "Wolverhampton Railways Through Time". If so its November 1954. Viv.
 

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The caption to the photo of Snow Hill Station did not make sense with the date 1910 and the reference to opening the new line to Birmingham until I thought about it a bit more and realised that it was a reference to what was known as the Bicester Cut-off, the line which runs through High Wycombe, the route taken by Chiltern Railways to day rather than the longer route through Oxford and Reading.
 
A few missing Photobucket pics from this thread. Others not recoverable.
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The above images have now been returned to their original posts.
 
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As a boy living in Brookfields I was a keen train spotter, after school my mother would make me and my younger brother sandwiches and we would catch the train from Hockley to Snow Hill, spend an hour or two on the station spotting, but the highlight was always the Inter City Express Wolverhampton to Paddington which was pulled by a King class loco and occasionally a doubleheader, it also had Pullman Dining coaches, I used to look through the windows at the gleaming plates and silver cutlery and wish I could travel that way. However it was very many years later before I would live that experience.
When I was about twelve I joined the St John, because they met once a week at Snow Hill for training in one of the rooms. With my St John uniform I could get onto the Station for free, although it was only a Penny for a station ticket.
 
Vivienne14 said:
I seem to remember catching trains to Cornwall a couple of times from Snow Hill. Viv.
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Hi Viv, one of the express train to from Snow Hill to Cornwall was called 'The Cornishman'.
In the 50's and early 60's the loco's would be gleaming and coaches full of holiday makers during the summer months.
 
Welcome Vinny. Thanks for your interesting posts. I remember the carriages with their compartments and the slide down windows with the leather strap. I think, although not 100% sure, that the luggage racks had those string racks. There were pictures in fixed frames too, I remember a picture of Newquay, but no others. And the overriding memory of the compartments was 'wood' and lots of it all over the walls. And the seats were very comfy, although don't think I spent much time sitting in it due to to extreme excitement ! Viv.
 
I posted this on another thread but think it should go on this thread. Aerial view of the station roof with the hotel in front. Snow Hill (the road) just in view bottom left. Maybe about 1960s. Viv.

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Many thanks Phil (Oldmohawk) for the replacement images. I have reposted the images you kindly recovered from Photobucket.

This thread has been merged on several occasions because historically there have been a number of threads covering the same subject. The first tidy up was carried out some time ago by Mikejee (thank you) but subsequently another thread was merged with this one. It was Snow Hill Station in subject but many posts were unrelated to the station.

So today I have carried out a further tidy up to bring the thread back to its original focus on Snow Hill Station. I've moved other topics (e.g Alex's Pie Stand, Curzon St Station posts) to the relevant threads.

Viv.
 
John Hogson Lobley was commissioned by the Royal Army Medical Corps during WW1 to paint over a hundred paintings. They didn't glamourise war and his 1918 of "The Wounded Passing Through Snow Hill Railway Station" certainly shows that: men laid out on stretchers, one being taken away in a in a wheelchair, one with a broken arm looking shell shocked, no-one smiling ..... But what is odd (well to me) is that there's fruit on the table. Either all the stops were pulled to get hold of the fruit (even bananas) or it was wishful thinking.

There's a photo from 1975 which was taken in almost the same spot. Was this on the Livery Street side of the station? Viv.
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Hi Viv,
I'm sure your right it is Livery St. side, I think is was Platform 1 for some of the through trains and the Mail trains. Some of the other platforms were dead ends.
 
A view down Snow Hill. Judging by the 'no entry' signs work must just be starting on the ring road changes. Station looks like it's still in use (but was it only in use as a car park at this point?) Viv.

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Platform 1 Snow Hill station in 1912. The sign in the background looks as if the station staff have made it, and that lady's skirt is just short enough to not drag on the platform surface !
Platform One at Snow Hill Station , 1912..jpg
 
Did the platform(s) have booking windows as well as the station having a booking hall then (the one with the big clock below) ? The people appear to be buying tickets at the windows on platform 1 whilst the big sign seems to be pointing to the 'Booking Office' further away. Or were these windows for local tickets? (The painted sign behind the lady's head says "All local stations"). Viv.

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Vinny said:
Hi Viv,
I'm sure your right it is Livery St. side, I think is was Platform 1 for some of the through trains and the Mail trains. Some of the other platforms were dead ends.
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Snow Hill Station had a system of dual numbering their through platforms so platform 1 was in fact numbered 1/2. The dead ends were numbered 3, 4, 9 & 10. They were used by local trains to/from Dudley and Stourbridge Junction and beyond.

I often caught a train to Swan Village from the 'dead ends' but one Good Friday, I was pleased to see a GWR three car diesel turn up on platform 1/2 as it was heading for Wolverhampton LL. These diesels were nearing the end of their working life and had been designed to work a semi fast train from Birmingham to Cardiff. They were fitted with a buffet.
 
Vinny said:
Hi Viv, one of the express train to from Snow Hill to Cornwall was called 'The Cornishman'.
In the 50's and early 60's the loco's would be gleaming and coaches full of holiday makers during the summer months.
Click to expand...
Originally the name was carried by a London to Penzance train from 1890 until 1904 it was replaced by the Cornish Riviera Express. The Cornishman, as many will remember it, started in 1951 until 1975 starting from Wolverhampton and had some carriages which went to Kingswear, They were detached at Newton Abbot.
The other well known train, which came to South Devon was the Bradford to Paignton "Devonian" which was a New Street train.
 
Viv, your post #582 reminded me of holidays in the 50's. I think it's the 'smells and feels' as much as anything that bring all back. Not just of the engine itself but the fabric of the seats in the carriages. I suppose, because we had short skirts when we were little, no trousers or tights in the summer, I can still feel the fabric - was it like a coarse velvet?
Off topic but concerned with the beginning of this post - we often go to Shakerstone to see the preserved railway there, part of the Battlefield Line and they have a lovely little Victorian Tea Room. On Sunday we sat on the platform in the sunshine, drinking our Cappuccinos (none of that malarky in the 50's) and taking in the sights and sounds. Looking forward to their 40's weekend in September when I'll roll up my trousers, close my eyes and go back to my childhood on those seats. Does anyone remember if there were tables outside at Snow Hill or were they just in the refreshment room as in the last post. I doubt it as I rather think 'al fresco' is a modern thing isn't it?
 
Hi Lady P. You're thinking along the same track (!!!) as me. I was trying to remember what exactly the seat material was and, yes it was coarse. Suppose it had to be to stand up to all that use. Think the compartments had lamps with glass lampshades too.

Don't remember any al fresco refreshments at the station in those days, this is probably the nearest you'll get to it ! 1940s refreshment trolley in the 1940s. Viv.

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Vivienne14 said:
Hi Lady P. You're thinking along the same track (!!!) as me. I was trying to remember what exactly the seat material was and, yes it was coarse. Suppose it had to be to stand up to all that use. Think the compartments had lamps with glass lampshades too.

Don't remember any al fresco refreshments at the station in those days, this is probably the nearest you'll get to it ! 1940s refreshment trolley in the 1940s. Viv.

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Viv and Lady P
Oh the memories, the smell of the steam in the compartment (and stale tobacco), the luggage rack which was knotted cord, I assume that the seats were covered with uncut moquette the same as the buses because it was so hard=wearing, all those pictures of holiday places and of course the luggage that had to be left in the corridor. Some compartments had lamps with glass lampshades, but all four pre nationalisation companies had very different designs, ideas and fixtures and fittings. when flying Scotsman was on the Severn Valley last September, it pulled original 1930s rolling stock and although it just showed how much we have advanced in design etc in eighty odd years, none of it has done much to improving personal comfort. The 1936 built carriage I was in had far more comfort than I am currently offered by X Country, Virgin or the airliner copyists at GWR. The unluckiest passengers were those whose long journey consisted of non corridor (therefore non-toilet) coaches a rarity admittedly (except for the war years) but we all either experienced it or knew someone who had and I do not mean the local trains, but the long distance and relief trains. I think the only 'al-fresco' refreshments were those offered by the lady with the trolley and I am certain she was around to the early fifties.

Bob
 
Thank you Viv & Bob. I did wonder about uncut moquette but I also think I may have been confusing the seats on the bus with those on the trains. I will try all the carriages in September and see what I come up with! Watch this space...
 
The GWR "B" sets, non corridor cars usually in pairs and two pairs were usually more than enough for most branch lines, were not that rare once you were off the main lines. They were known a "D"sets in the Birmingham District and were often four pairs. You could be in one for well over an hour, sometimes longer in the rural areas. They were favoured by those who "wished to be alone" quite often as they were free from nosy passers by. :D
Most railway and large bus companies chose their own specific designs of moquettes.
 
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