Birmingham New Street Station: lnwrbns_str402d

Close up of image 'lnwrbns_str402' showing the buffer stops of the South Staffordshire bay and the Midland Railway coaches being used for a train to Bristol via the Camp Hill line. As can be seen by the two plates fixed to the passenger footbridge above each set of tracks, the bay platforms were designated 'B' on the left and 'A' on the right. Richard Foster notes, 'the four-compartment vehicle nearest the buffer stops is quite old and still has luggage rails on the roof'. The historical link between the building and operating of early railway coaches with the practices established in the building and operating of stage coaches is also demonstrated with this vehicle. As seen in image 'lnwrbns_str397' and to much better effect in image 'mrcm175a' showing the platform at Coleshill station on the Midland Railway's Hampton to Whitacre line, early platforms were built at close to top of rail level and passengers were compelled to climb up in to the compartment in the same manner as stagecoaches. In the view above there is a foot board just above rail level and an intermediate step off set to the one fixed to the sole plate. To its right is a Full Brake with ducket in the centre for the guard to look out to check the train and with a set of double doors nearest the camera as is evident by the width of the foot boards fixed to the sole plate.

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