Stourbridge Town railway station
Encyclopedia
Stourbridge Town is a railway station near the centre of Stourbridge
, West Midlands
, England
. It is situated at the end of a short branch line
linking the station with Stourbridge Junction
just 0.8 miles (1.3 km) away, where passengers can change for mainline train services. It is said to be the shortest operational branch railway line in the world.
was situated too far from Stourbridge
town centre. The original station, situated upon the site now occupied by Stourbridge bus station
, was a surprisingly grand affair, with one 298 ft (91 m) platform and substantial brick buildings covered by a full-length awning. The station was closed as a wartime economy measure between 1 April 1915 and 28 February 1919, with passenger services being replaced by Midland Red
buses. During the General Strike
in 1926, the bus service between Junction and Town stations was re-introduced from 7 May to 10 July to cover for the withdrawn train services.
The station and branch were listed for closure under the Beeching axe
, but won a stay of execution in 1965, although the station became unstaffed from July 1967. The 1879 station survived mostly intact until February 1979 when it was demolished. Some of the material from the old station was saved and used for buildings at Tyseley Locomotive Works.
In 1979, the branch was cut back by 70 yards (64 m) towards Junction station, leaving room for a bus station. The new station was a low-cost portable building.
Despite threats and rumours of closure in the 1980s and 1990s, the station building was replaced in early 1994, with a new station opening to passengers on 25 April 1994. The current station is a small modern facility directly linked to the bus station
allowing easy interchange with bus services at this urban railhead
. It has a single 170 ft (52 m) platform which is more than long enough to hold a single car Class 153
railcar, which formerly shuttled passengers between the station and Stourbridge Junction; the line now uses two Class 139
people mover
-type cars. Due to the nature of the gradient, there is a short section of rails behind the initial buffer stop to prevent accidents such as those which occurred in 1989 and 1990. This runs parallel to the station pathway, and is surrounded by a wall and railings for safety reasons.
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated at the end of a short branch line
Stourbridge Town Branch Line
The Stourbridge Town Branch Line is a railway branch line, in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is claimed to be the shortest branch line in Europe, and many miniature railways are certainly longer....
linking the station with Stourbridge Junction
Stourbridge Junction railway station
Stourbridge Junction railway station is a railway station on the Birmingham, Worcester and Kidderminster Line in West Midlands, England. Stourbridge Town Branch Line runs from the station to Stourbridge town centre...
just 0.8 miles (1.3 km) away, where passengers can change for mainline train services. It is said to be the shortest operational branch railway line in the world.
History
Opened to passenger traffic on Wednesday 1 October 1879, Stourbridge Town was built because it was considered that the existing station at Stourbridge JunctionStourbridge Junction railway station
Stourbridge Junction railway station is a railway station on the Birmingham, Worcester and Kidderminster Line in West Midlands, England. Stourbridge Town Branch Line runs from the station to Stourbridge town centre...
was situated too far from Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
town centre. The original station, situated upon the site now occupied by Stourbridge bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
, was a surprisingly grand affair, with one 298 ft (91 m) platform and substantial brick buildings covered by a full-length awning. The station was closed as a wartime economy measure between 1 April 1915 and 28 February 1919, with passenger services being replaced by Midland Red
Midland Red
Midland Red was a bus company which operated in the English Midlands from 1905 to 1981. It was the trading name used by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company , which was renamed Midland Red Omnibus Company in 1974...
buses. During the General Strike
1926 United Kingdom general strike
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
in 1926, the bus service between Junction and Town stations was re-introduced from 7 May to 10 July to cover for the withdrawn train services.
The station and branch were listed for closure under the Beeching axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, but won a stay of execution in 1965, although the station became unstaffed from July 1967. The 1879 station survived mostly intact until February 1979 when it was demolished. Some of the material from the old station was saved and used for buildings at Tyseley Locomotive Works.
In 1979, the branch was cut back by 70 yards (64 m) towards Junction station, leaving room for a bus station. The new station was a low-cost portable building.
Despite threats and rumours of closure in the 1980s and 1990s, the station building was replaced in early 1994, with a new station opening to passengers on 25 April 1994. The current station is a small modern facility directly linked to the bus station
Stourbridge Interchange
Stourbridge Interchange is currently undergoing a redevelopment from the previous Stourbridge bus station. The reason that Network West Midlands has decided on a redevelopment is that the station serves over 700 buses a day, and could not cope with the demand. The name is changing to Stourbridge...
allowing easy interchange with bus services at this urban railhead
Railhead
The word railhead is a railway term with two distinct meanings, depending upon its context.Sometimes, particularly in the context of modern freight terminals, the word is used to denote a terminus of a railway line, especially if the line is not yet finished, or if the terminus interfaces with...
. It has a single 170 ft (52 m) platform which is more than long enough to hold a single car Class 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
railcar, which formerly shuttled passengers between the station and Stourbridge Junction; the line now uses two Class 139
British Rail Class 139
British Rail Class 139 is the TOPS classification for PPM60 model lightweight railcars built by Parry People Movers, for use on the British rail network...
people mover
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
-type cars. Due to the nature of the gradient, there is a short section of rails behind the initial buffer stop to prevent accidents such as those which occurred in 1989 and 1990. This runs parallel to the station pathway, and is surrounded by a wall and railings for safety reasons.