Dudley Freightliner Terminal
Encyclopedia
Dudley Freightliner Terminal was opened on the site of Dudley railway station
in October 1967, as one of Freightliner's
first rail terminals. It was an instant financial success and by 1981 was one of the most profitable Freightliner terminals in Britain, but Freightliner UK announced plans to close it and transfer the staff to the less successful Birmingham
terminal. These plans were shelved in 1983 but resurfaced in 1986, with the terminal finally closing in September 1989. Trains passed through the site of the Freightliner terminal until the Wednesbury
to Round Oak
section of the South Staffordshire Line
closed in 1993.
. A concrete strip was built over one of the Tipton Five Way lines to act as a footing for a large gantry crane
that had its other footing on the old platform. The old signal box was at the Blower's Green end of the station and was demolished in 1967 and replaced by a modernized one besides the main road's embankment. The sidings near the castle's
side embankment were replaced by the manager's office, a staff room and some sheds.
The Freightliner equipment was removed in about 1990 and the site of the former terminal is now little more than an overgrown field, though the some of concrete surface remains in place near the tracks (much of it was ripped up and removed in the late 1990s, along with the second signal box).
There were plans for a waste reception to be developed on the site in 1997, but these were quickly shelved. There have also been plans for housing and even a new football stadium
to be built on the site.
, Dudley Port railway station
, Dudley railway station
and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre
for trams on one track and for freight on the other. The freighters would continue on pat Brettell Lane railway station
and on to the mainline at Stourbridge junction. The closed section of railway through Dudley
is expected to re-open during the 2010s, as a combined Midland Metro
tramway and a heavy rail line for goods trains.
When the Midland Metro opens, it is expected that the route will involve trams leaving the traditional line near the former terminal site and passing through Dudley town centre before rejoining the line at the north mouth of the Dudley Railway Tunnel
.
Part of the terminal site is expected to be occupied by an expansion to Dudley Zoo
and its overflow car park is already in situ.
Dudley railway station
Dudley Railway Station was a passenger railway station located at Dudley, England, built where the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line and the South Staffordshire Line diverged to Wolverhampton and Walsall and Lichfield respectively.-History:...
in October 1967, as one of Freightliner's
Freightliner (UK)
Freightliner Group Limited is a rail freight and logistics company, founded in 1995 and now operating in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia. It is the second largest rail freight operator in the UK, after DB Schenker Rail .- History :...
first rail terminals. It was an instant financial success and by 1981 was one of the most profitable Freightliner terminals in Britain, but Freightliner UK announced plans to close it and transfer the staff to the less successful Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
terminal. These plans were shelved in 1983 but resurfaced in 1986, with the terminal finally closing in September 1989. Trains passed through the site of the Freightliner terminal until the Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
to Round Oak
Round Oak Steel Terminal
Round Oak Steel Terminal is a railway freight terminal dealing in steel from the Round Oak Steel Works until 1982 and from other sources thereafter, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England managed by Corus Group.-History:...
section of the South Staffordshire Line
South Staffordshire Line
The South Staffordshire Line was a railway line that connected Lichfield in Staffordshire, England with Dudley, formerly in Worcestershire. However, it joined the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's line just north of Dudley Station, where it, in essence, continued to Stourbridge, in...
closed in 1993.
History
The station platform became the depot platform, but with no buildings save for the odd shedShed
A shed is typically a simple, single-storey structure in a back garden or on an allotment that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop....
. A concrete strip was built over one of the Tipton Five Way lines to act as a footing for a large gantry crane
Gantry crane
Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam...
that had its other footing on the old platform. The old signal box was at the Blower's Green end of the station and was demolished in 1967 and replaced by a modernized one besides the main road's embankment. The sidings near the castle's
Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoological Gardens is a zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England...
side embankment were replaced by the manager's office, a staff room and some sheds.
The Freightliner equipment was removed in about 1990 and the site of the former terminal is now little more than an overgrown field, though the some of concrete surface remains in place near the tracks (much of it was ripped up and removed in the late 1990s, along with the second signal box).
Today's usage
People regularly use it for walking, bird watching and walking their dogs.There were plans for a waste reception to be developed on the site in 1997, but these were quickly shelved. There have also been plans for housing and even a new football stadium
Soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...
to be built on the site.
Metrolink
A £1,100,000/15 year long regeneration project will see the station become part of the local tram network with the line reopening between WalsallWalsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Dudley Port railway station
Dudley Port railway station
-History:There was a Low Level Station on the former South Staffordshire line that had opened in 1850. The line had reasonable passenger usage until about the early 1880s, when it began to slump at several stations, leading to the line becoming a largely freight only operation in 1887...
, Dudley railway station
Dudley railway station
Dudley Railway Station was a passenger railway station located at Dudley, England, built where the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line and the South Staffordshire Line diverged to Wolverhampton and Walsall and Lichfield respectively.-History:...
and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Westfield Merry Hill is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several expansion and renovation projects taking place since. The original developers and owners were Richardson Developments but the Centre has had a number...
for trams on one track and for freight on the other. The freighters would continue on pat Brettell Lane railway station
Brettell Lane railway station
-Brettell Lane railway station:Brettell Lane railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line built to serve the communities between Brierley Hill and Stourbridge in England.-History:...
and on to the mainline at Stourbridge junction. The closed section of railway through Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
is expected to re-open during the 2010s, as a combined Midland Metro
Midland Metro
The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...
tramway and a heavy rail line for goods trains.
When the Midland Metro opens, it is expected that the route will involve trams leaving the traditional line near the former terminal site and passing through Dudley town centre before rejoining the line at the north mouth of the Dudley Railway Tunnel
Dudley Railway Tunnel
Dudley Railway Tunnel is a railway tunnel located near to the former Dudley railway station in Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was opened in 1850 to allow the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line between Stourbridge and Wolverhampton to pass for several hundred yards beneath a hilly area of...
.
Part of the terminal site is expected to be occupied by an expansion to Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoological Gardens is a zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England...
and its overflow car park is already in situ.
Historic imagery of the site
----See also
- Round Oak Steel TerminalRound Oak Steel TerminalRound Oak Steel Terminal is a railway freight terminal dealing in steel from the Round Oak Steel Works until 1982 and from other sources thereafter, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England managed by Corus Group.-History:...
- Great Bridge North railway stationGreat Bridge North railway stationGreat Bridge North railway station was a station on the South Staffordshire Line.-History:The station was built in 1850 and served by the South Staffordshire Railway, which later became London, Midland and Scottish Railway...
- Wren's NestWren's NestThe Wren's Nest is a National Nature Reserve located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Today, apart from the geological interest, the site is home to a number of species of birds and locally rare flora; the caverns also support large roosting populations of bats...
quarry
External links
- Dudley station
- http://chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/some-south-staffordshire-railway-byways/
- localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk