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Hi Wille, as Dek says-do have a look at the 'Nechells Flyer' thread on this site. https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28175 You might also find this website on the old CEGB Midlands Region interesting,there may be a few names there that you might recognise...

Photo (possibly 1950's) of the Derby end of the 'Midland' side of the station showing New Street No.2 signal box.

I think the "and South Yardley" might have been added by the GWR some time after the station had originally opened.

Hi David.I was watching the tele series 'Pete Waterman's Trains' on More 4 a few weeks ago,and according to Mr.W he lived in Coventry at the time but sometimes went to Leamington,arriving at the Avenue (LMS) station.Pete related that the station was very quiet,so he went to investigate all the...

Methinks it is Acocks Green and South Yardley? And the photographer might have been Michael Mensing?

Yes,it's Pete Waterman's favourite station! Looks like a GWR 'Hall' class loco approaching from the south with Leamington South signal box on the left of the pic. Great photo!

Thanks for posting a very interesting history of one of Birmingham landmarks.I went to a few concerts there in the 1970's.I also remember going on a school outing to listen to the Vienna Boys Choir in the 1960's A little known fact about the Town Hall was that it was the venue for the first...

Mike, I think the "engine" in the photograph is one of the Great Western Railway's Railmotors.These were basically carriages with a steam boiler at one end,supplying steam to cylinders on a power bogie under one end of the carriage. They were introduced in the early years of the last century...

That's very intersting pistonvalve-I'd like to hear more if possible. The switching sounds very iffy!Presumably this took place in the switch house to the south of the turbine and boiler houses? Attached is another old pic of the A station at Nechells,this time showing the switch house (parts of...

Excellent pic-and with an old GWR steam loco too! Parts of the derelict viaduct that was built between Bordesley and the Curzon Street area,but never used are still standing.

What I couldn't understand,from watching the news report on this fatality,is that there is a signal box right next to the level crossing,complete with signals,albeit of the old semaphore type.It used to be the practice in signal boxes to interlock the level crossing mechanisms with the running...

Hi pistonvalve. Not sure of the exact date that the upper quadrant signal arms were fitted,but it must have been after BR London Midland Region took over responsibility for all the old GWR lines in Brum and the West Midlands on 1st January 1963.Moor Street Signal Box closed on 1st September...

Having been watching Michael Portillo's Great Train Journeys'on BBC2,and reading a recent article in Heritage Railway' (both featuring Carlisle) I was reminded of the Warwickshire Railway Society Railtour that I went on in November 1964,which ran from Birmingham to Carlisle. Locos used were...

Pop music impresario Pete Waterman has a loco works at the Crewe centre where lovely old steam locos are restored.

I saw the item on Midlands Today,very interesting it was too. Attached are a few pics taken at Moor Street Station,in 1969.The connection to Snow Hill was being dismantled at the time,only for it to be reinstated some years later.The GWR signal box was demolished not long after the photos were...

That's very interesting stuff indeed Ray,and thanks for posting it. Not sure what image program you have-but somewhere along the toolbar should be the word 'Image'.Try clicking on that and look for 'Resize' and you should be then able to reduce the file size. Attached is a cross section of...

Thanks for the replies. Hi Powerman, I think the 'regulating' arrangements in the boiler house must have changed over time.My recollection (late 60s) is that No 12 used to be the regulating boiler.The stoker would broadcast the boiler loadings (based on steam flow rates) over the boiler house...

I remember hearing that saying too! Another version was 'sticking your jib out' if someone was in a right mood!

Hi Powerman, There were indeed 2 Bellis and Morcom house sets in the A station,and you're right about the B station boilers too.If I remember correctly,No 12 boiler was always operated by the 'regulator' stoker who determined all the boiler steaming rates on instructions given by control room...

Hi Ray, Glad you liked the old photos.Oddly enough photos of Nechells B are proving more elusive than those for the older A Station! However I'm trying to track down the whereabouts of the CEGB's photographic archives which (assuming they still exist) must contain many photos. As far as I'm...