Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

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37431
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Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:00 am

Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby 37431 » Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:38 pm

I thought I would share some information about my layout by way of an occasional post on the S4 Forum. The layout has been inspired by the railway at the botton of my garden, where I grew up, at Tettenhall (formally in Staffordshire and now a suburb on the western side of Wolverhampton. The hisotry of the real line will be covered in more detail in a later post. But for now, here is a basic history of the line and my layout.

The Kingswinford Juncrion to Oxley Sidings Branch was concieved in two stages, sepeated by fifty years and traversed two distinctivkley contrasting environments. The orginal Kinswinford Branch opened in the 1850s and was a goods only line serving coalfields, brickworks and Ironworks on the western edge of the Black Country, whiclst the Wombourn branch was very much a Johney come lately railway and did not open until 1925, although plans had been authorised some 20 years before.

The ultimate "grand design for the Wombourn branch was a railway connecting Wolverhamptoon to Bridgnort in Shropshire. An Act of Parliament of 11th July 1905 (revised in 1908 and again in 1913) provided the Great Westerm with the neccessary authoririsation to build such a line from Oxley Sidings, on the Wolverhampton - Birkenhead route to Bridgnorth by way of Tettenhall and Wombourn to connect weith the Severn Valley line (Hartlebury to Shrewsbury) by means of a triangular junction just south of Bridgnorth. The plans also included a triangular junction at Oxley and a connection from Wombourn to the existing Kingswinford (goods only) branch at Baggeridge Jct, with the intention of provding a by-pass around the congested lines of the Black Contry for services running from Shrewsbury and Crewe to Worcester as well as a local passenger service.

Alas, the railways original strategy did not materialise although much of the paperwork did. The route to Bridgnorth was postponed indefinately and although construction of the Oxley - Baggeridge section commenced in 1913, completion was much delayed by the World War 1 and the new route did not open until 1925. By this tme the ecomonic circumstances hd changed considerably and the double line planned (and the infrastructure provided) from Oxley as far as Tettettenhall, as well as the passing loop at Himley was no longer needed. It was the last substatial GWR line to be constructed (apart from the cut off lines at Westbury and Frome) at its steam railmotor passenger service, which ran between 1925 and 1932 was one of the shortest. From 1932 until its closure as a thorugh route in 1965, the line was goods only.

Contruction of the layout started some years ago and has been interupted by job changes, house moves and a family growing up. The following photos show progress around 2 years ago and although the layout is in storage again after another house move, a property has just been acquired which will provde the layout with a permanant home.

Here are a couple of pictures of the prototype and will also upload some of the model under construction.

37431
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:00 am

Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby 37431 » Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:39 pm

Appologies, I seem to be having issues getting the photos uploaded, will be back shortly!

37431
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:00 am

Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby 37431 » Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:54 pm

The following views of the prototype from the cameras of the late Geoff Bannister and Micheal Hale. Model pictures to follow.
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37431
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:00 am

Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby 37431 » Sun Mar 11, 2018 10:00 pm

Here are some photos of the layout under construction with track laying progressing - I used P4 track company bases on a 1/8th cork underlay. Once the alignement was correct, pins were used to confirm location followed by fixing with evostick flooring adhesive, ballasting has still to be tackled.
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CDGFife
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Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby CDGFife » Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:04 pm

Great to see this Andrew.

I remember this line as a foot/cycle path when I grew up in Wolves. Our school Cross-country run took us onto the line just west of the girder bridge over the canal and then along towards Wombourne and back!!

Be very interested to see how you progress and do I see you're another exiled West Midlander in Scotland?

Cheers

Chris

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Le Corbusier
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Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby Le Corbusier » Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:08 pm

CDGFife wrote:.

exiled West Midlander


Yikes! ... what did you do that you needed to seek asylum :shock: Do you have to visit blighty under deep cover :D
Tim Lee

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Paul Willis
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Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby Paul Willis » Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:16 pm

Le Corbusier wrote:
CDGFife wrote:.

exiled West Midlander


Yikes! ... what did you do that you needed to seek asylum :shock: Do you have to visit blighty under deep cover :D


Coming from the Black Country is commonly regarded as offensive enough to require being exiled...

Cheers
Flymo
(ex-Rowley Regis, Tividale, Old Hill)
Beware of Trains - occasional modelling in progress!
www.5522models.co.uk

37431
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:00 am

Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby 37431 » Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:28 pm

CDGFife wrote:Great to see this Andrew.

I remember this line as a foot/cycle path when I grew up in Wolves. Our school Cross-country run took us onto the line just west of the girder bridge over the canal and then along towards Wombourne and back!!

Be very interested to see how you progress and do I see you're another exiled West Midlander in Scotland?

Cheers

Chris


Good that somebody knows the location Chrsi. Sadly there isn't enough room to include the girder bridge on the layout. And yes, I've been exiled to Aberdeenshire for my past sins. I have almost achieved residency rights.

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CDGFife
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Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby CDGFife » Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:00 am

Hi Andrew,

Came across this old photo posted by Dave Clare on the "Wolverhampton in old Photos" facebook group:

Tettenhall1.jpg


The group quite often has railway related pics posted from the area.

There was also a link to the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre. There are some internal and external photos of the extant Goods shed:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Tettenhall- ... e_internal

Might be of interest.

Cheers

Chris
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37431
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:00 am

Re: Tettenhall - A GWR Secondary Line in the West Midlands

Postby 37431 » Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:11 am

Hi Chris

Thanks for this - it has appeared in one or two other publcations. It has some very nice detail of the station just before the line opened.

I am already in touch with the Tettenhall Transport Museum folks

Not much progress on the layout lately but the planning application for a double garage (to be a permanan the layout's permenamant home) is being worked up and I expect construction to commence in the summer.

Meanwhile contruction of rolling stock continues...

Andrew


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