GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill Station: gwrbsh1747

View of the north end of Snow Hill station taken from the Birmingham North Signal Box. On the right is platform No 2. Next to this are the down side, bay platforms with the sector table at the far end. A local suburban train headed by a tank engine (orientated bunker first) is waiting to depart from bay platform No 3 (probably destined for Stourbridge Junction). These two bay platforms were aligned with the approach of the up and down relief lines, which allowed trains from the Stourbridge extension Railway to reach Snow Hill without travelling on the main line.

Another train is just visible on the line adjacent to the down platform (No 6), while a tender locomotive is standing tender first on the main down through line. There are no locomotives or trains are visible on the up tracks or up platform lines, but at least two short wheelbase coaches are standing in the New Yard sidings on the left. Although a range of power operated semaphore and dwarf signals, plus the Siemens point machines (protected by raised wooden boards) can be seen, noticeable by their absence are the conventional point rodding and signal wires.

Robert Ferris

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