| From
1st to 3rd June 1954, Birmingham New Street station celebrated it's
centenary with an exhibition of rolling stock. The exhibits were (1)
Locomotive "CITY OF BIRMINGHAM", a Stanier designed 4-6-2, (2)
Locomotive "HARDWICE, an L.N.W.R Crewe built "Precedent"
class 2-4-0, (3) Kirtley Locomotive no 20002, build at the Midland
Railways Derby works in 1866.
Carriages included (4) A Midland Railway coach built in 1910, (5) an LNWR coach built in 1908, (6) Queen Victoria's Saloon, built in 1869, and (7) Queen Adelaide's Saloon, built in 1842. On the evenings of 1st and 2nd June, a tour of local lines was organized by the Stephenson Locomotive Society. The loco was ex L.N.W.R 0-6-2T no 58903. Leaving New Street at 6.55pm, it travelled to Aston, Perry Barr, Handsworth Wood, Soho Soap works Jc, Galton Jc, Old Hill, Halesowen, Rubery, Halesowen Junction, Northfield, Kings Norton, Camp Hill, and Saltley. After a 10 minute stop and a run round, the train retraced its steps to Camp Hill, then ran via the Lifford Curve and Selly Oak, back to New Street, where it was due at 9.15pm. |
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I travelled with my father on the 1st June, and the highlight was the section from Halesowen through Hunnington and over Dowery Dell Viaduct, which I could see from the bedroom of my home. With 3 coaches, the entire tour took 2 hours 30 minutes, including four stops. It was certainly a struggle up the gradients from Halesowen to Rubery Siding. And it was the only journey I ever made on my "home" line. At the time two Austin workmens trains ran in each direction from Old Hill to and from Longbridge. They were hauled exclusively by 74xx 0-6-OPT locomotives from Stourbridge (84F) shed. Midland 2F 0-6-0's worked freight into Halesowen from the Longbridge end. The locos were usually 58126, 58138, and 58143. The latter was later replaced by 58167. The 2F's were superceded by Ivatt 2MT class 2-6-0's including 46443, currently operating on the Severn Valley Railway. The Austin workmen's trains ceased in 1958. In later years an afternoon freight from Swindon traversed the line with a 74xx at each end. They came on at Stourbridge Junction, ran up the bank to Old Hill, where they reversed. But the working did not last for long, since the Halesowen to Rubery line closed on 6th January 1964, though the Old Hill to Halesowen section survived until 1969. Dowery Dell viaduct was demolished in 1965, though the nearby Hunnington station remains as a private residence. The picture above was supplied to all railtour parcipitants, and shows 58903 passing Handsworth Wood on the 2nd June tour. |
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