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Website for Warwickshire Railways

just been watching their finest hour on the history channel about the railway workers what a marvelous job they did checked this link :) ty
 
I thought that this was not history but on reflection it is nearly 3/4 of a century ago anyway if you look at the link below you will see goods sidings in Washwood Heath. If you look in the background you will see the houses in Warren Road on the skyline. You can just make out the steeple of ST Marks on the right and in the middle somewhere is Leigh Road School. The road runs off down to Common Lane at the left. At the bottom of the back gardens is the bank down to the industrial sheds with a wooden fence at the bottom of it. This area is covered with buildings now. If you GE it you can see all of the rail lines. Thought it might be of interest to those who know the area.

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/mrwhg348e.htm
 
That was interesting, Rupert. When I was little my dad used to be the organist at St Mark's, Washwood Heath (also as guest at the Beaufort Cinema), and - as we were lucky enough to have a car before the war - we used to get there from our house by Witton Cemetery along Electric Avenue, Grosvenor Road and Aston Church Road. I was always very nosey, and noticed all sort of things on that journey. A big event was going with my dad's school (he was also a teacher at Loxton Street) on an evacuation train from Saltley station to Castle Gresley, where we spent three weeks, by which time most of the lads had either been taken back home, or they made their own way.
Another event I recall was walking along the public footpath from Bromford Lane alongside the railway at least as far as Common Lane one cold snowy day in March or April 1947. Our purpose was to see one or two private steam engines in the Bromford Tube factory, but what impressed me was the continuous line of coal trains using the slow tracks to bring coal from the Nuneaton area to Saltley Gas Works. The signals were permanently 'off', and the coal trains followed each other 'on sight' - something that only happened when things were serious. That was a rough time.
Peter
 
That's a coincidence. Around about that time I would go with my dad to Holly Lane where his company had a sports ground and dad used to play cricket there on sundays. We would be picked up by the company lorry at the corner of Aston Church and Washwood Heath. One sunday they missed us and went right by. We walked all the way to Bromford Lane along that path in the opposite direction to you and on to Holly Lane. Bit smelly past the Sewage Farm. A neat path but not a pleasant one I think.
 
Stunning new look for Birmingham's New Street station

Sep 18 2008 By Patrice John, Transport Correspondent
7534F4E1-E2C3-8A69-DA7B5A7A71BBA271.jpg

BOLD and brave, this iconic new gateway to Birmingham will cement the city’s place as one of Europe’s style capitals.
Architects and transport chiefs were today purring over the New Street designs, which they say will put Birmingham in the same league as architectural giants like Barcelona and London.
The new station will be covered in reflective sheets of metal and will include digital displays built in a breathtaking new atrium area designed to flood the station with light.
The £600 million scheme is the brainchild of principal architect Alejandro Zaera-Polo who wanted to create a vibrant and bright hub for a truly world-class city.
The initiative has been driven by Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, Advantage West Midlands and Centro as part of the Gateway project.
It has been designed to double passenger numbers by building a bigger concourse, increasing the number of escalators and lifts and improving pedestrian links with eight entrances.
7535E6C2-F915-373F-1DE6950AC316970D.jpg

Out will go the dark, dingy corridors to be replaced by bright, open areas designed to catch the eye of visitors and regular rail users.
Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher claimed the design was a result of ‘listening to the people of Birmingham’ and said: “We listened to the people of Birmingham and made New Street a top priority - with this new design we can be sure of a top class station for the millions of people who use it every year.”
Advantage West Midlands pledged £100 million to the project. Chief executive Mick Laverty said: “This is an investment that will have real impact.
"New Street Gateway has a vital role to play in fulfilling the vision of the West Midlands as a global centre where people and businesses choose to connect.”



Chairman of the New Street Gateway Funders’ Board, Coun Mike Whitby said: “The Birmingham Gateway, which will support over 52 million passengers a year, demands a world-class architectural vision to embody the rebirth of New Street Station.
“Alejandro Zaera-Polo’s bold architecture symbolises Birmingham’s arrival over the last few years as a globally relevant city looking to its future, as a connected international hub.”
The Birmingham Mail championed the Wake Up To The State of New Street campaign which aimed to press the Government into backing a new station for the city.






 
Peter Walker said:
Another event I recall was walking along the public footpath from Bromford Lane alongside the railway at least as far as Common Lane one cold snowy day in March or April 1947. Our purpose was to see one or two private steam engines in the Bromford Tube factory, but what impressed me was the continuous line of coal trains using the slow tracks to bring coal from the Nuneaton area to Saltley Gas Works. The signals were permanently 'off', and the coal trains followed each other 'on sight' - something that only happened when things were serious. That was a rough time.
Peter
Click to expand...


Hi Peter,

I remember the footpath well. As kids in the 1950s, it was known as
the Monkey Run.

Kind regards

Dave
 
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