LMS Route: Evesham to Birmingham

Cofton Tunnel: mrcof1667

An unidentified ex-MR 0-6-0T is seen running bunker first through Cofton Cutting in the summer of 1929. The Midland wanted to put in extra running lines from Halesowen Junction to Barnt Green and demolish the narrow Cofton Hackett tunnel, a scheme which only came to fruition in LMS days. A section of line just over a mile long, from Halesowen Junction to the south end of Kings Norton station, had been quadrupled as long ago as 1892. Whilst to the North of Kings Norton there were two routes to New Street, via the West Suburban Railway or the original Camp Hill Line. According to historian CR Clinker, Cofton tunnel was demolished between 10:15pm on 26th January 1929 and 6:45am on 28th January 1929. The Austin Motor factory at Longbridge is in the background.

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