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Moor Street Main Building & Platform 5 |
Moor Street Platforms 1 & 2 |
Moor Street Entrance |
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The rebuilt Bullring Birmingham shopping centre has given Birmingham's original Moor Street station a new lease of life. Here is a summary of the changing fortunes of Birmingham's only terminal station... which also features regular steam trains>> The original GWR Moor Street station (which was built by the GWR and opened in 1908) survived the closures of the 1960's and 1970's and was retained solely for the commuter service to Stratford-upon-Avon. Although that service and the station were both under threat of closure. They survived thanks to a very active and concerted campaign to prevent closure and both eventually went on to prosper. The commuter service along the "main line" to Solihull and Leamington Spa was transferred back from New Street as local rail travel saw a revival. The station at Snow Hill (which had been closed in the 1970's and demolished) was eventually rebuilt and reconnected to the national railway network in 1987. Trains once more travelled under the Birmingham City Centre through the famous Snow Hill Tunnel. However this meant that the original Moor Street terminal station was redundant and a new modern station was built alongside the original on the former non-stop lines (at the south end of the tunnel). On the final day of operation of the old Moor Street terminal station, Birmingham Railway Museum organised a number of Moor Street to Dorridge shuttles using GWR 4-6-0 7029 Clun Castle & LMS 2-6-0 46443 on alternate trains. The penultimate train hauled by 46443 continued on to Stratford running through Claverdon (the old route to Stratford) and returned along the North Warwickshire line (now known as the Shakespeare Line). The final train of the day (one-way) was hauled by Clun Castle and this was also the last train out of the old Moor Street before the gates were closed and the original Moor Street "dead end" platform lines were severed from the National Rail network. The running lines from the south were "slewed across" to connect up with the new through platform lines and the tunnel to Snow Hill which became the new northern terminus until the Jewelllery line was re-opened reinstating the through route to Stourbridge, Worcester and beyond. Fortunately for Moor Street, that wasn't the end of the story...... The original Moor Street station became derelict over the years, and commuters using the new through platforms could be forgiven for wondering why this growing eyesore was left as it was. However, it was a Grade II listed building and as part of the BulLRING Birmingham development there was an agreement to restore the original Edwardian Moor Street station to its former glory. As rail passengers can now see, it has being magnificently restored to its 1930's condition, incorporating a subtle blend of modern facilities (such as a coffee bar, a shop and other kiosks) housed wherever possible in the original buildings or where necessary, new buildings to a matching design. The refurbished part of the station will eventually be connected to the mainline network as part of the West Midlands resignalling project and provide a Birmingham terminal station for Chiltern Railways trains from London Marylebone that travel along the former GWR route. Tyseley Locomotive Works (the engineering subsidiary of the Birmingham Railway Museum Trust) has played a significant part in the return of the the old GWR station at Moor Street. The Museum is donating the original entrance gates rescued from the old Snow Hill Station for use at the restored station. The refurbished station is being equipped with traditional watering facilities for use by steam locomotives. An original water crane, again provided by Tyseley Locomotive Works, has been returned near to its original position and a water tank has been built and erected with the assistance of Tyseley Locomotive Works. Locomotive run-round facilities will be provided so it is intended that the Shakespeare Express will eventually use this station as its northern terminus, so returning Moor Street to its original reason for being i.e. to be a start point for steam trains that run to Stratford along the North Warwickshire line. This is seen as a key attraction in the promotion of BulLRING Birmingham and Birmingham City Centre, encouraging visitors from the south to take a nostalgic express steam train to Birmingham for shopping, site-seeing or visiting other city attractions. The original entrance gates from the old Snow Hill Station will be used in the station and the restored wrought iron Booking Hall entranceway from Snow Hill will form a focal point for the station entrance. Platform signs and seating are replicas of the originals, and the station lighting is provided by reproduction GWR lamps. Tyseley Locomotive Works has also provided refurbished traditional buffers and railings. The existing through lines platforms built in 1987 have also been incorporated within the refurbishment and the 1980's platform buildings and canopies have made way for replacements in the same style as those of the original station. A new GWR style footbridge incorporating lifts has been built between Platforms 1 & 2. Although the restored original station buildings will be used from July 2003, unfortunately it will not be possible to relay the track, connect it to the National Rail network and provide signalling until later. In the meantime, at least one of the original platforms will see some use! A GWR 2-8-0 freight engine number 2885 has been cosmetically restored by Tyseley Locomotive Works and has been taken to Moor Street as a static exhibit to be a foretaste of the steam trains to come. Meanwhile, Tyseley's steam hauled Shakespeare Express will call at the station on summer Sundays and so will other Vintage Trains steam excursions. In 2009, Vintage Trains will be running the Shakespeare Express every Sunday from 5 July to 13 September. All trains will stop at Moor Street to pick up or set down passengers. See details>> |
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Moor Street Platforms 1 & 2 |
Moor Street Platforms 3 & 4
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Moor Street Concourse |
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