Worcester Shrub Hill (WOS)

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Worcester Shrub Hill is one of Worcester's two railway stations though is not in the city centre like Worcester Foregate Street.

Information
Type:	National Rail (Cotswold & Snow Hill Lines)
Station code:	WOS
Opened:	1850
Platforms:	2

Shrub Hill is a much larger station than Foregate Street. It was opened in 1850 and was a joint project of the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton and Midland Railways. The current station building dates from 1865.

The station has two platforms connected by a footbridge though people who can't use the stairs have to cross the track (under supervision). The former platform three was a bay platform that is no longer in use but used to host services to Cheltenham Spa. Shrub Hill is adjacent to Worcester TMD with a number of stabling sidings behind the station. The station is host to a number of fine semaphore signals.

As well as West Midlands Trains services to/from Birmingham and Malvern the station has regular GWR services to London Paddington, Hereford and other destinations like Evesham and Westbury.

GWR 800 009 at Worcester Shrub Hill

GWR HST led by 43 189

Fine semaphores

View down the line, signalbox on the right

View from the footbridge, both platforms occupied

GWR 166 206 prepares to depart

Sandwell and Dudley (SAD)

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Sandwell & Dudley is a stop on the West Coast Main Line in the West Midlands between Smethwick Galton Bridge and Dudley Port. 

A LNWR train prepares to depart

Information
Type:	National Rail (West Coast Main Line)
Station code:	SAD
Opened:	1852
Platforms:	2

The station was opened as Oldbury and Bromford Lane by the Birmingham, Wolverhampton & Stour Valley Railway (later the London North Western Railway) in 1852. The station later becoming just Oldbury. The station was rebuilt and enlarged for intercity traffic (long enough for thirteen coach trains [1]) in 1983 and renamed Sandwell and Dudley (though the name Oldbury International was considered and even used on some early announcements after reopening [2]). The station was rebuilt in the plain brickwalls and mono-pitch roof style common to British Rail in the 1980s, sometimes called neovernacular [3].

The station platforms are accessible via a subway and ground level booking office. The station is managed by West Midlands Railway. Most services are provided by West Midland Railway and London Northwestern Railway, there is an hourly service by Avanti West Coast as well.

Avanti West Coast Pendolino passes through

Waiting room

LNWR 350 405 arrives

Steps down to the booking hall and exits

A Cross Country service passes through

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Birmingham to Wolverhampton via Tipton (Middleton Press, 2008) Fig. 67

[2] Ibid. Fig. 69

[3] David Lawrence, British Rail Architecture 1948-97 (Crecy, 2018) p. 155

Southend Victoria (SOV)

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Southend Victoria is one of the stations serving Southend-on-Sea. It is on the Shenfield-Southend Line and is served by Greater Anglia services out of London Liverpool Street.

Information
Type:	National Rail (Shenfield-Southend Line)
Station code:	SOV
Opened:	1889
Platforms:	4

The station was opened, as Southend-on-Sea, by the Great Eastern Railway in 1889 close to the existing London, Tilbury & Southend Railway station Southend Central. The station was renamed Southend-on-Sea Victoria in 1949 and twenty years later shortened to Southend Victoria.

The line was electrified in 1956, originally to 1, 500v DC overhead. British Railways had already decided however to standardise on 25kV AC overhead earlier that year [1]. The line was converted to AC in 1960, initially to 6.25kV and in 1979 finally to 25kV.

The station is a terminus and is next to carriage sidings. All four platforms can handle twelve-coach trains.

Looking down the platform away from the station building

Greater Anglia 321 327 on one of the storage sidings

Just arrived

Station sign

Greater Anglia 321 358 at the buffers

Station frontage

[1] John Glover, Eastern Electric (Ian Allan, 2003) p. 67

Olton (OLT)

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Olton is a stop on the Chiltern Main Line in the West Midlands situated between Acocks Green and Solihull. 

WMR 172 101 (at the time still in Chiltern livery) departs Olton

Information
Type:	National Rail (Snow Hill Lines & Chiltern Main Line)
Station code:	OLT
Opened:	1869
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1869 on their Oxford-Birmingham line. Olton was originally a basic station with a couple of platforms but was expanded to four platforms (two island platforms) in 1933 [1] as the line from Birmingham was quadrupled as far as Lapworth. However, only one of those island platforms is now in use.

The platforms are on an embankment with the booking office at street level below the platforms. On the platforms are some basic facilities including a waiting room. Most services to Olton are operated by West Midlands Railway, who manage the station, with some Chiltern Railway services stopping in peak times.

Station entrance

In London Midland days a Class 172 arrives

Steps down to ground level, a lift is also available

Chiltern 168 328 passes through the station

View down the platform

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Banbury to Birmingham (Middleton Press, 2004) Fig. 80

Birmingham New Street (BHM)

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Birmingham New Street is the largest railway station in Birmingham and the central hub for the railway network outside of London. It is the sixth busiest station in Britain and the busiest interchange outside of London.

Information
Type:	National Rail (West Coast Main Line & Other trunk and local lines) TfWM Midland Metro
Station code:	BHM
Opened:	1854
Platforms:	13 (+2 Metro)

The station was first opened in 1854 by the London & North Western Railway and was very different to the station as it is now. When built it had the largest single span roof in the world (London St Pancras took this title from New Street in 1868 [1]). This roof was badly damaged by bombing in the Second World War, temporary canopies being built after the war when the remains of the original roof were dismantled [2].

The station was completely rebuilt in the 1960s as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification and modernisation programme. The new station design was a complete departure from the old one, as with other station rebuilds of the period British Rail were keen to integrate retail into the rail travel experience and the station was built with a shopping precinct on top of it. The new station was intended to show how concrete could be used "with strength and delicacy" [3]. However the public was a bit sceptical about this especially as the new low concrete roof over the platforms made them rather dark and depressing [4] and the station has frequently featured in polls for Britain's worst buildings!

By the twenty first century Birmingham New Street was becoming rather tired and was struggling to cope with greatly expanded passenger numbers. Work began on a major redevelopment of the station in 2010 with a new concourse, a high roof over that concourse and improved retail facilities (Grand Central). At platform level things have also improved somewhat though the problems with an overall low roof remain. The Midlands Metro was extended from Birmingham Snow Hill to New Street in 2016. This is the current terminus of the light rail network and harks back to New Street pre-World War 2 when the Birmingham tramway network had it's hub outside of the station [5].

LM 350 116 stands ready

Despite recent refurbishment at platform level the station can still be a bit dark and dingy

Station concourse

New Street is a hub for local services including this LM 323 

Two Class 170s peer out into the light

A Midlands Metro tram stands outside New Street

[1] Mark Norton, Birmingham New Street Station Through Time (Amberley, 2013) Stp. 6 
[2] Vic Mitchell, Birmingham to Tamworth & Nuneaton (Middleton Press, 2014) Fig. 4
[3] David Lawrence, British Rail Designed 1948-97 (Ian Allan, 2016) p. 101
[4] Norton p. 56
[5] Vic Mitchell, North of Birmingham (Middleton Press, 2014) Fig. 71

Codsall (CSL)

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Codsall is a stop on the Birmingham New Street-Shrewsbury line in Staffordshire between Bilbrook and Albrighton.

WMR 170 502 arrives at the station

Information
Type:	National Rail (Birmingham-Shrewsbury Line)
Station code:	CSL
Opened:	1849
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railway in 1849 later becoming part of the Great Western Railway in 1854. The station being on the GWR line from London Paddington to Birkenhead. The station building dates from from the 1850s with a GWR footbridge added in 1883. This was unfortunately destroyed by a contractor's crane in accident in 2005 [1], the bridge was later restored though is slightly higher than the original bridge.

The station had a goods yard but this was closed in 1964 [2]. A signalbox to the East of the station was closed in 2006. The original station building is now a pub. Station facilities are the usual shelters and screens. The station is served by West Midlands Railway with two trains an hour in each direction with a limited number of stops by Transport for Wales.

View down the platform showing the footbridge

Original station building

View down the platform showing WMR signage

Road bridge and station sign, the entrance is to the left

Under the bridge

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury (Middleton Press, 2009) Fig. 65
[2] Ibid. Fig. 63

Hinckley (HNK)

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Hinckley is a stop on the Birmingham New Street-Leicester Line in Leicestershire between Nuneaton and Narborough. 

XC 170 117 at Hinckley

Information
Type:	National Rail (Birmingham-Leicester Line)
Station code:	HNK
Opened:	1864
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the South Leicestershire Railway in 1864, for two years prior trains terminated at London Road to the West of the current station site [1], the line being completed through to South Wigston in 1864. The original station building dates from then though is no longer purely in use as a station with small businesses occupying part of the building, though the ticket office remains staffed at times. 

The original footbridges were replaced in 1983 [2] by a stepless one, this also allows for a pedestrian right of way across the railway line. The station had extensive goods handling facilities including two separate goods sheds but, as with most station goods facilities, are now long gone.

The station is managed by East Midlands Railway though all services, usually one an hour in each direction, are run by Cross Country.

View down the platform

Station frontage

An XC train under the footbridge

View from the footbridge

XC 170 523 heads off towards Leicester

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Coventry to Leicester (Middleton Press, 2017) Map. XVII

[2] Ibid. Fig. 45

Derby (DBY)

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Derby is one of the great railway centres on the network. It is still a junction of the Midland Main Line and the lines to Birmingham New Street, Nottingham and Matlock, and also adjacent to the Railway Technical Centre. One of the largest remaining British railway manufacturing centres at Bombardier Derby is also nearby.

ROG 57 312 at Derby with a special excursion

Information
Type:	National Rail (Midland Main Line)
Station code:	DBY
Opened:	1839
Platforms:	7

Derby first got a station when the Midland Counties Railway station opened in 1839, though this was only a temporary structure with the first permanent station opening the following year, which was known as Derby Station Street.

Derby, which between 1950 and 1968 was known as Derby Midland [1] (this name is still displayed on the front of the main station building), has been extended and rebuilt a number of times. The latest change being in 2018 when the station layout was remodelled to remove bottlenecks and improve line speeds, the station was also resignalled with a new gantry to the South of the station. A bay platform was removed and replaced by a new through platform which is one side of a new island. There is a seventh platform (the other side of the new island) though it is not usually in public use.

It is hoped that one day the lines will also be under the wires thanks to Midland Main Line electrification (though this project is subject to delays and may not take place for a long time).


Derby is served by East Midland Railway and Cross Country services between the North East and South West as well as links to destinations such as Crewe. There are two entrances to the station with a second entrance added at the Pride Park development in the 2001 along with a new overbridge [2].

XC 43 303 at Derby

An EMT 153 enters the station under the new signal gantry

View down the platform

An EMT 222 leaves the station

Derby is still host to interesting traction

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Derby to Stoke-on-Trent (Middleton Press, 2016) Fig. 5
[2] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Derby to Chesterfield (Middleton Press, 2017) Fig. 9

Maida Vale (ZMV)

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Information
Type:	Transport for London (Bakerloo Line)
Station code:	ZMV
Opened:	1915
Platforms:	2

Maida Vale is one of the stations built for the Bakerloo Line's extension from Paddington to Queen's Park, the station opening in 1915.

When the station opened it was the first station (and uniquely at the time) to be staffed entirely by women [1] who were being hired to roles previously reserved by men to replace men who had gone to the war.

The station building is to the common, of the time, Leslie Green design though was designed by his assistant Stanley Heaps. Inside the ticket foyer is an interesting mosaic of the London Underground "bullseye" logo, built not long before the logo changed to the one used ever since. The station is Grade II listed.

A Bakerloo Line 72ts train stands at Maida Vale 

Station exterior, with original signage

Bullseye mosaic

Analogue time keeping between the platforms

Main entrance

[1] Paul Moss, London Underground (Haynes, 2014) p. 56