Links

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Below are some links to sites that I consider to be among the best or most interesting in the field of the region's Railways and history. Some of the sites are not concerned with the Birmingham area but I feel that they will be of interest to Rail Around Birmingham visitors as they follow a similar theme and, although I myself am not familiar with the regions they cover, was impressed by the depth of study and their presentation (not to mention all the work I know they must have put into researching, photographing and web designing!).

Of interest to anyone who has enjoyed this website should be the Railway Ramblers club whose aims encompass: "To discover, explore and document disused railway lines" and "To encourage interest in the walking and conservation of disused railway lines". The website contains a wealth of details about national railway walks, campaigns and events and is a must for all those with an interest in the railway history of the UK.

Mark Norton contacted me with reference to a site he was putting together to show 'some' photos taken by his late father around Birmingham during the 1950s-1960s. I went to the site and was totally blown away! Not only was Mark's father Dennis a keen photographer of Birmingham, but was a rail enthusiast too! This site is a must to visit and has some photos of railway sites for which I have never seen images: Soho Road station is worth visiting the site for alone.

A fascinating resource from Mike Musson covering all the stations/routes that have historically existed within the county of Warwickshire. Over 2000 old photographs from the authors collection and beyond - many of which I've never seen previously. Although still being developed, this site is definitely worth a couple of hours browsing time! Covers many stations in the area covered by Rail Around Birmingham from a purely historical perspective.

One of my favourite sites. Railways In Worcestershire covers all the past and present stations in the region with a historical interpretation of the county boundary which, of course, means taking in many of the south-westerly regions covered in Rail Around Birmingham. Very informative site from Andrew Smith of the Malvern Industrial Archaeology Circle (M.I.A.C.).

An extensively researched website from Mac Joseph covering the Birmingham area of Ladywood from a historical perspective, including a wealth of photographs, memoirs, maps and ephemara bringing to life the past of the region.

Akin to the Ladywood Past & Present, this site from Ted Rudge, sets out to document the Winson Green area of Birmingham with personal recollections, ephemera etc.

Great site by Paul Walker taking a largely transport related tour of the West Midlands region in photographs. Good to see it back on the web and well-worth checking out: updated regularly too!

Website of popular Birmingham local historian and prolific author Alton Douglas. Whilst not pertaining specifically to railways, Alton's many historical Birmingham books provide a wealth of photographs, many never-before published, and information on Birmingham and its environs.

Back within the RAB region, Brownhills Past covers the history of the town with a large section on the railways that once served the area, including mineral railways, with some interesting photos and a good amount of information. Some old photographs that I have not come across elsewhere are also used!

As the name suggests, this site from Andy Thompson covers the EWJR/SMJR (later LMS) lines through Towcester taking a look at sites past and present with an excellent array of memorabilia and photographs providing a fascinating insight into the railway history of the region.

An interesting site from Brian Basterfield who describes it as a "[r]ailway enthusiasts site dealing with Train Timing and Locomotive Performance during the period 1954 to 2002". It has some very interesting accounts of trips along routes within the Rail Around Birmingham region and a wealth of information.

This site covers both disused and operational stations and, although not primarily concerned with the Birmingham area, has some interesting photographs of Moor Street and Snow Hill and is well-worth visiting.

An interesting site by Peter Courtenay covering light rail including the Midland Metro featuring an interesting page on the Metro depot at Wednesbury

Excellent site by John Turner of good quality railway photographs, predominantly diesel and electric but some steam too, conveniently broken down into themes (industrial, rolling stock etc ...) and years - extensive content, good layout and well worth a look.

This may seem an odd link, however the site covers disused railways around Manchester from a cyclists perspective but there is a keen enthusiasm for the railways themselves and each disused line is covered in detail with extensive photographs of their remains.

This is a fascinating site from Nigel Tout covering "[p]hotographs along the route of the old Great Central Railway through Leicester showing its present state and the considerable remains". There are a large number of photographs from various eras accompanied by excellent supporting information. Although it is out of the area covered by RAB, I had to recommend it!

Useful site if you want details of current railway stations in the region: particularly useful if you are planning a visit. Full facilities and access details are given along with maps of each station layout.

This is the website of Warley Model Railway Club and is a must for any of the region's railway modelling enthusiasts. The Club has a flourishing events schedule and social calendar plus, of specific interest to RAB, there are some photographs of a scale model of Halesowen station owned by the Club.

To make-up for the lack of photos for loco enthusiasts I've added this site from Tony McCormack which displays a great selection of his high-quality train photographs from the 1980s to the present. Well-worth a browse!

In the words of Paul Whydall and Rob Lester, this is "A website devoted to walks along old disused railway track beds across the East Midlands". An interesting and expanding site giving detailed reports on some of the railway walks available in the area covered. Well-worth a visit!

An extremely ambitious site from Nick Catford, who is also involved with the equally enjoyable Subterranea Britannica website, providing national coverage of all disused station sites. Whilst still in its embryonic stages, I'd strongly recommend a browse and repeated visits as the quality of presentation and information is excellent and several hundred stations have already been covered.

Interesting site from Roger Marks that "aims to provide pictures of various disused stations, formations, structures and routes from all over the UK". Some great shots of Wolverhampton Low Level and a mid-1980s shot of Curzon Street are well-worth seeing as is the whole site, albeit the majority of it is not concerned with the Midlands region.

An interesting forum for discussion of all-things Birmingham. Many topics relating to historical issues are discussed and I'd like to invite readers of this site to pop along and raise a few railway-related topics too!

Out of the region covered by this site (well out!), however there is a page of 'past and present' photographs of Moore Street station and the rest of the site takes a Rail Around Birmingham-style photo tour of the lost line of Lincs and East Yorks that I found compelling browsing.

I've setup several photo galleries at this website that may be of interest. There are currently collections covering disused railways, preserved railways and Midland's industrial heritage. In addition, there are some great photographs from other members that are well-worth a look including some fantastic 1960s/70s shots of Snow Hill station: you can search all the photo archives and I was pleasantly surprised at the results!

Promoted as "the rapidly growing online archive of photographs and colour slides, specialising in British train and railway photos, but also many other subjects", Southern Images is well-worth a visit for those of you intent on collecting high-quality railway images. A refreshing approach to their delivery and reproduction also makes this organisation worthy of encouragement!

Website for the Pelsall History Centre, Church Road, Pelsall, this website is a wealth of information on the area - including the long-gone South Staffordshire Railway's Line from Walsall to Lichfield including Pelsall station.