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Page last updated 04/01/04

Steve Jones - Birmingham New Street

50013 'Agincourt' at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78

A major hot-spot for Midlands train watchers, Birmingham's gloomy New Street station would provide a steady procession of the larger passenger locomotive types. Class 45s, 46s, 47s, 86s and 87s were the most common with the Westerns (or the Class 50s in later years) providing welcome diversity on Western Region workings. I have no idea how many hours I spent lurking at the end of platform 11, but like many kindred subterranean spotters the prolonged absence of sunlight on my palid skin was counteracted only by the accumulated grime of this diesel-fume filled crypt. After many years away I returned for a brief period earlier this year (a naive attempt to use public transport for my journey to work that's worthy of a website in it's own right) to find that despite valiant cosmetic efforts the place is perhaps slightly more dark and depressing than before. Truly a source of nostalgia!

50013 'Agincourt' at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 50013 'Agincourt' at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 50013 'Agincourt' at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 86250 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 86209 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 45038 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 EMU 061 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 31258 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 45051 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 86032 & DMU at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 46013 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78 86250 & 46013 at Birmingham New Street 28/10/78

Although I have a good number of New Street photographs from the eighties, my seventies selection is somewhat limited. My first reasonable set of shots date from late '78 and were taken on my first ever roll of black and white film. The quality of these home developed shots is not all that it could be but taken on a particularly overcast Saturday morning they certainly capture the feel of this station.

EMU 022, New Street approaches 28/10/78 EMU 008, New Street approaches 28/10/78 EMU 084, New Street approaches 28/10/78 86213, New Street approaches 28/10/78

Earlier the same morning I had attempted some shots of the eastern approaches to the station with the distinctive "Rotunda" in the background. At the time I'd never seen this viewpoint published, but have since realised that it is, in fact, well known and has been executed rather more adequately by better photographers than myself. In the background can be seen the canopies of Birmingham's other station at Moor Street and the bridge that once carried the Great Western main line to Snow Hill.