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LMS Route: Grand Junction Railway
LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Lichfield
LMS Route: Birmingham-Soho-Perry Barr-Birmingham

Aston Station: lnwra3633

A 1903 view showing the sidings in front of the Goods depot and the lines to the Wharf which lay at the rear of the yard

A 1903 view showing the sidings in front of the Goods depot and the lines to the Wharf which lay at the rear of the yard. Looking roughly north-west towards William Henry Street and Lichfield Road with plenty of industrial haze. The first six lines on the left are associated with the Windsor Street Wharf which lay at the rear of the Goods depot on the otherside of Avenue Road. The six lines include the two running lines, which are in the middle, and which are flanked either side by two passing loops (see the map featured in image 'lnwra3632'. The first of the fourteen sidings which lie directly in front of the Goods depot start, start on the left with the first wagon turntable (note the wheel stop placed on the left). Timber is one type of merchandise being carried in various forms (including some sheeted), as well as what look like bricks in the left foreground and sheeted loads in a variety of shapes.

The wagons seen are, from left to right: Track 1 — a sheeted wagon to LNWR D4 with tarpaulin lettered L&NW 4331; a LNWR van No 51074 (D32). Track 2 — a mixture of LNWR two-plank and four-plank wagons, showing some variation in lettering. Track 3 — part of a LNWR two plank loaded with timber; a round-ended wagon loaded with bricks; a wagon not identified; a Cambrian Railways three-plank wagon with slates; two LNWR D4 wagons with a load of round timber; six wagons loaded with granite with very unusual ends; a wagon not identified; a LNWR van (D4) with setts. Track 4 — a GWR van of c1880 origin; a MR eight-ton open wagon; a LNWR D4 tranship van (note step); four Private Owner wagons (second in line lettered 'BILLSON. fourth lettered CCC: LNWR (D2); LNWR (D4). Track 5 — LNWR open wagons (D1, 2, and D4), apparently loaded with pig iron. Track 6 — four Private Owner wagons loaded with various grades of coal: the first lettered 'No. 3/J.W. JOHNSON/WINDSOR ST STATION BIRMINGHAM; the second is illegible; the third appears to have 'MIDLAND' on the top plank; the fourth appears to be lettered 'COAL WAGON' on the middle plank but is not distinct. The rest of the wagons are LNWR opens loaded with sawn timber, interspersed with runner wagons.

We would like to express our thanks to Jim Watt for providing a copy of this and the other photograph (lnwra3633) which featured in an article on Page 52 to 54 in the HMRS' Journal Vol 11, No 2, April - June 1982. The article was written by CW Underhill with information on the wagons provided by Jim Richards and Geoffrey Platt. We welcome any other photographs of Windsor Street which are extremely rare.

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