Wombourne Branch Line
Encyclopedia
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
. The line branched from the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line at Kingswinford Junction to the north of Brettell Lane railway station
Brettell Lane railway station
-Brettell Lane railway station:Brettell Lane railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line built to serve the communities between Brierley Hill and Stourbridge in England.-History:...
and joined track at the triangular Oxley Junction on the approach to Wolverhampton Low Level
Wolverhampton Low Level railway station
Wolverhampton Low Level was a railway station on Sun Street, in Springfield, Wolverhampton, England .It was built by the Great Western Railway, on their route from London to Birkenhead via Birmingham...
.
Unusually, the line was initially constructed for goods trains only. It was not until 1925 that passenger trains started using the line. A number of halts and stations were built at locations on the line including Wombourne
Wombourne
Wombourne is a very large village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, 4 miles south-west of Wolverhampton. Local affairs are run by a parish council. At the 2001 census it had a population of 13,691...
and Tettenhall
Tettenhall
Tettenhall is a historic part of the city of Wolverhampton, England. The name Tettenhall is probably derived from Teotta's Halh, Teotta being a person's name and Halh being a sheltered position...
. Passenger services were short lived and were discontinued in 1932 after just seven years.
The line between Kingswinford
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a suburban area in the West Midlands.Historically within Staffordshire, the area is mentioned in the Domesday Book its name relates to a ford for the King's swine - Latin Swinford Regis. The current significance is probably in tourism, education and housing...
and Tettenhall
Tettenhall railway station
Tettenhall railway station was a station on the Wombourne Branch Line. It was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1925 and closed in 1932. A significant number of station amenities were supplied but failed to improve patronage at the station, which ultimately led to its closure.The station site...
remained open to goods trains until 24 June 1965,though the branch which served Baggeridge Colliery
Baggeridge Colliery
Baggeridge Colliery was a colliery located in Sedgley, Staffordshire , England.- Black Country Pit :It was opened in 1899, adjacent to Gospel End Village more than a mile west of Sedgley village centre, and on its closure on 2 March 1968 was the last remaining pit in the Black Country, marking the...
remained open until that facility closed on 2 March 1968.
The remaining section of the line continued to serve various industrial units in the Pensnett area until 1994. The line is now singled and heavily overgrown with vegetation and even mature trees, but most of the it is still in place and there have been many recent suggestions that this final stub of the line will re-open to serve the Pensnett Trading Estate, which was developed during the 1980s.
The section north of Pensnett closed and is now utilised as -
- The South Staffordshire Railway WalkSouth Staffordshire Railway WalkThe South Staffordshire Railway Walk is located in Staffordshire, EnglandIt runs for five and a half miles [about 8.85km] from Castlecroft to Wall Heath.-History:...
. The former station buildings at Wombourn stationWombourn railway stationWombourn railway station was the main intermediate station on the Wombourne Branch Line, situated at the Bratch. It was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1925 and closed in 1932. It was a grandiose affair with a goods yard and many station amenities. This, however, didn't stop poor patronage...
are still in use as a tea-room. Other various relics of this line still exist. The railway walk was opened in 1974, just six years after the last trains used the line.http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60316741.html - The Wolverhampton Railway Walk, which continues the walk northwards and through the Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve.