Bromley Halt was opened by the GWR on the Wombourne branch line in 1925
during a move by the GWR to extend a single-track colliery railway line and upgrade it to
passenger use. Unfortunately, their optimism regarding passenger demand was ill-placed and the
line closed to passenger services just seven years later in 1932. However, the line continued to
be used for goods services up until 1965. As can be seen from the above (photo: Paul Collins collection),
the facilities provided were of the bare minimum required and make todays much criticised (not least by
me) platform 'bus shelters' seem quite appealing.
Above-left we are on Bromley Lane looking across at where once would have been the
entrance to the Stourbridge platform of Bromley Halt: the bridge from which the above photograph was
taken can also clearly be seen. Above-right is a similar shot to the one at the top of the page: the most
noticeable difference here is that the Stourbridge Extension Canal has vanished, being drained and
filled-in to the height of the roadway and occupied by the back gardens of a recent housing development. The
Stourbridge line is till in situ and the remains of the Stourbridge platform can just be discerned to
its right.
Following a rather perilous route down from the road bridge along what was once the entrance pathway to
the Stourbridge platform, but now is a knife-edged ledge, we have arrived at track level. Above-left we are
standing with the Bromley Lane bridge to our rear looking at the end of the Stourbridge platform in the
direction of Wombourne. I was pleasantly surprised to find both platforms completely in tact albeit heavily
overgrown and strewn with rubbish dumped over the back garden fences of houses which now border the cutting on
both sides. Above-right we are looking to the left of the previous shot and can see the Wombourne platform still
in situ.
Above-left we are at the end of the platforms looking towards Brockmoor Halt through the
Bromley Lane road bridge. Above-right, to give some perspective we have moved to the 'Wombourne end' of the
platforms and are again looking back to the Bromley Lane road bridge. Although I had a good rummage around
in the undergrowth, there appears to be no remains of the platform shelters at the site today.
Above-left we are back on Bromley Lane bridge and looking out towards Brockmoor Halt in the direction
of Stourbridge. The canal shown in the top of the page would have been to the right and is marked here by
the line of trees. Above-right I am in the same spot as previously but looking down sharply to
track level so that the width of the bridge can be appreciated as it spanned both the railway (bottom-left) and
canal (to the top). This is a very interesting site and well-worth a visit but be prepared for a rather
hazardous scramble down the embankment to the site of the halt itself.
