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Snow Hill Station

ASTONITE said:
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Snow Hill would have still been a great station today if left as it was.
I can remember when I was about 14 in 1963 I was in the Army Cadets. I and a few hundred sprogs were waiting for the train to take us to the Isle Of Man for our Annual camp. When it came into the station it had on the front of the engine a Union Flag crossed with the Army Cadets flag with Troop Train in big letters over the top. That was one of the proudest days of my life, I felt 6 foot tall and that took some doing:)
 
Frothblower said:
Snow Hill would have still been a great station today if left as it was.
I can remember when I was about 14 in 1963 I was in the Army Cadets. I and a few hundred sprogs were waiting for the train to take us to the Isle Of Man for our Annual camp. When it came into the station it had on the front of the engine a Union Flag crossed with the Army Cadets flag with Troop Train in big letters over the top. That was one of the proudest days of my life, I felt 6 foot tall and that took some doing:)
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totally agree with you froth...snow hill station was a great loss to brum...

lyn
 
I found out about these girders in the book British Railways Past and Present Birmingham in the chapter about Birmingham Snow Hill.

It is between the modern platforms 2 and 3 on the Great Charles Street bridge


Birmingham Snow Hill Station - old section between platform 3 and 2 by ell brown, on Flickr

Here is some more photos of it with the brand new Class 172 London Midland trains and the new second entrance


Birmingham Snow Hill Station - London Midland 172 333 by ell brown, on Flickr


Birmingham Snow Hill Station - London Midland 172 336 by ell brown, on Flickr


Birmingham Snow Hill Station - London Midland 172 336 by ell brown, on Flickr
 
Lyn, our friends over on Skyscraper City have just alerted us to a couple of new videos on Youtube. Via the Birmingham Conservation Trust there are a wealth of Snow Hill Station pictures on this link here:-

https://birminghamconservationtrust.org/2011/08/13/1950s-film-of-birmingham/

You will find the precise location to your Snow Hill photo of a few days ago at 3.58 minutes approximately.

On that Youtube/Conservation Trust link you will also find some very interesting photos of Nechells.

(Or while I've been away has everyone got ahead of me on this?)
 
thanks davidfowler for the pics.of the booking hall i remember it .every year dad bought me a ian allen loco book from the news stand in there.
 
I often like to have a browse through the old threads;
When filled with smoke and steam, Snow Hill seemed to have drama. I left there for two year's National Service clutching my government railway warrant, and caught trains for holidays in the south west, and hung about the passenger entrance after a night out, or before a Sunday evening in the Gaumont cinema.
I also seem to remember you could buy a 1d platform ticket to sample the delights of the British Rail Buffet.

They fought a
losing battle.


It was crowded
at times.


Another crowd.


Refreshments
at the train.


I had to stand all the way
to a Devon Holiday.


The Booking Hall.


Edited to suit xenforo
 
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Another one with no information, but it says Snow Hill on the wall.
 
Yes, this is just around the corner from Colmore Row, I used to get the bus to Handsworth from here, and you can see the Dudley bus sign - the No 74. I think the shelters were newer than this when I used to get the bus here, but oh those memories! Thanks Stitcher.
 
Shortie
If you are refering to the immediately previous picture, i think you are mistaken that it is around the corner. I think this is a view of the front of the station. If you look at the 1926 picture below , the bus shelters are not there, but the portico around the smaller restaurant extrance is the same , as is the stonework to the left of it, and you can see one of the nobs (or whatever is the correct term) on the top of the main passenger entrance to the far left of the photo. I may be wrong, but i don't think that the side of the station had a sign saying "snow Hill station" high up
Mike

snow_hill_1926.jpg
 
You are right Mike, I had looked quite quickly, just having come in. I had not looked above, just at the shelters. I don't remember catching the bus outside, however, maybe my memory is playing tricks - I know the stops eventually moved to opposite Lloyd house. I must learn to look properly!! It is such a pity they demolished this building without thinking it through properly, it would have been a great asset to Birmingham, and who knows, it could even be in line for a refurbishment right now? Thanks for making me take a second look Mike.

Shortie
 
Those particular type of shelters I remember very clearly: your hands got glued to the metal railings in the winter, and you got 1st-degree burns touching them in the summer!
 
Great picture of the Old Snow Hill Stn. Just as I remember it a couple of decades later. Gosh! the old trams looked quite modern then and I suppose any one looking at it in 26 would have been commenting on the new trams.
 
Stitcher's post 45 of the front of Snow Hill Station was always an odd situation as the buses went against the one way system in Colmore Row and the shelters were not on the pavement but out on an island in the road. I presume this was because the tram tracks could not be altered when Birmingham's famous one way system was introduced, I think in 1933.
 
The only Snow in this post is in the title! Look at these jolly folk queueing for holiday tickets at Snow Hill Station in 1957. Holidays ...... blue skies ..... sunshine ...... WARMTH ........ ah lovely. Viv

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1328430671.356257.jpg
 
smashing pic there viv ive not seen that one before...had a good look at those faces just in case i spotted our dad...we always travelled to our holiday in wales via snow hill....

lyn
 
3 more pics which I don't think I put on this thread before.

In the 1960s
SnowHillSTN1960s.jpg

No 13 bus outside the entrance
SnowHillEntrance.jpg

Looking down Livery Street
LiveryStSnowHill.jpg
 
Bit off thread but that was an old saying, "He had a face as long as
Livery Street". Bernard (delivered the post in that area during my Town 3 days in
the delivery room.)
 
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Wonderful pics! Brought back some wonderful memories. My nan lived in Brighton in the 60s and used to come to Snow Hill when when was visiting us. Remember the old trains. Lived in Handsworth as a child and used to catch the 70, 71 or 72 bus from outside the station to Handsworth........
 
tgille said:
Started work on Snow Hill Stn as a porter in 1959 main duties were unloading the various parcel trains that came into the station and assisting helping passingers with there luggage we called it quilling and used to make a bomb out of the tips we got,I worked a three shift system which was 6-2 2-10 and 10-6 nights and quite often did 12hr shifts, I used the pie wagon most when on nights during my break which was after the 1 oclock train which was the last train to London Paddington. worst shift was the afternoon 2-10 shift which included unloading the post office mail bags in the tunnel and loading into the railway vans I swear some of them contained bricks or lumps of concrete on top of that when the trains pulled of platform 7 it filled the tunnel with smoke and nearly choked us all. one of the shifts I did included going from Snow Hill into Moor St station to unload vans that contained mostly flowers and mushrooms In 1962 I moved onto driving delivering parcels from Snow Hill and with the closing of Snow Hill they joined the GWR with the LMS drivers together and we moved into Curzon St depot I spent the rest of my time as a driver till I retired in 1992 through ill health. I have many happy memories of Snow Hill and was deeply saddened when they finally closed it.
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Perhaps when you have time you could share a few more memories with us here. There are plenty of railway buffs on this forum who will enjoy them, my self included.
 
Bernard, (ost 223) theres no contest. You cannot even compare the modern glass and metal frontage to the beautiful old Snow Hill station, WHY was it demolished to be replaced with that !!! Why cannot Birmingham restore its wonderful buildings instead of demolishing them and replacing them with Tat. Slightly of thread, I remember the old Library, look what happened to that !! - and in my opiion the new one is not much of an improvemnt, maybe I,m an old fuddy duddy but I know what I like. Eric
 
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Eric, I was not done like that really, although I do agree with your sentiments. Snow Hill Station closed for some years, the knocked down the frontage which was actually a hotel, and then built the offices that are there. Later on the line was re-opened and we found this green and glass apparition there as the new front. I was shocked then, and I remain the same now - but then I am a bit of a dinosaour!
 
I remember one of the first times I went into the present Snow Hill, a train spotter telling me that he could feel the ghost of the old Snow Hill because it was built on the rubble of the old station. I think he was just romantising. However the layout of the station follows the old layout with the corridor, the two staircases and the platforms. Perhap when we get platform 4 back it will feel a bit more like the old station.

Just remembered I must get my boxset of Gangsters back from the person I lent it to and watch again the scene of the Battle of Snow Hill Station filmed in the ruins of the old station.
 
This 1977 photo certainly conjours up the sentiments others have mentioned. Agree it was such a waste, especially as it lay empty for a long time. The only positive I can get from this one is it gives a good view of town in the distance. Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1329653288.163774.jpg
 
Oh Viv - I amost wish I had not seen this! As you say, a waste, but then Birmingham has been very good at waste - the Gt Western Hotel for one - could have served as a hotel today, save building such monstrosities. Only my opinion of course, but I am sure others share it too.
 
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