Shirley (WMids) Line trains 1980/90s

[TheTallOne]

Does anyone know what class of trains would have been running between Shirley and Birmingham Moor Street during the regional railways era (1980ish to 1997)?

(Apologies if already somewhere on here, did a few searches but didn't spot anything relevant).

 

[IanXC]

1985 to 2019 almost exclusively Class 150 units I believe.

The 2 prototype 150 3 car units were used in the area, and a significant number of additional 3 car units were made up by splitting 150/2 units and inserting a vehicle into each 150/1.

 

[Sprinter107]

Class 116 dmus dominated the Shirley line in 1985. By 1987 theyd been joined by class 117s transferred from Bristol to Tyseley. Also class 114s transferred from Lincoln to Tyseley around the same times. Class 115 cars formed in 4 car hybrid sets worked to Shirley from about 1987. Class 101 dmus worked across there too. Class 150 were introduced from about 1987, first appearing only on Sundays. They gradually took over from about 1990. Class 165 sets from both Aylesbury and Reading depots worked to Shirley on Saturdays only during the summer of 1994. This was because Tyseley 150s were being used on Summer Saturday Skegness runs. During the Central Trains years class 150 sets dominated, but 153s, 156s, 158s and 170s could be seen. From 2007, with London Midland it was mainly 150s, until 2011 when the 172s took over, but 170s and 153s could also be seen, indeed before Covid during the West Midlands Trains era, a 170 + 153 combo was diagrammed for that line.
Hope that info helps.

 

[TheTallOne]

Cheers both

Looking at the photos on Google, the class 150s seem most familiar to me.

Probably too young to remember the 116/117/114s. They seem to have a very square shape to their fronts and I can't say I recall that design.

 

[JonathanH]

Class 165 sets from both Aylesbury and Reading depots worked to Shirley on Saturdays only during the summer of 1994.

How widespread was the use of Thames and Chiltern 165s in the West Midlands on Saturdays in 1994?

 

[Sprinter107]

How widespread was the use of Thames and Chiltern 165s in the West Midlands on Saturdays in 1994?

It was just 2 sets as I remember, but I'll stand corrected. It was a long time ago! Summer of 1998, a Reading 165 2 car set worked up from Worcester on a Saturday morning, through to Dorridge and then shuttled at XX.35 past each hour from Birmingham Snow Hill to Dorridge and back again at round about xx.09 past each hour from Dorridge until early evening when it worked from Dorridge back through to Worcester.

 

[nw1]

It was just 2 sets as I remember, but I'll stand corrected. It was a long time ago! Summer of 1998, a Reading 165 2 car set worked up from Worcester on a Saturday morning, through to Dorridge and then shuttled at XX.35 past each hour from Birmingham Snow Hill to Dorridge and back again at round about xx.09 past each hour from Dorridge until early evening when it worked from Dorridge back through to Worcester.

Interesting that this kind of BR-era flexibility was able to be maintained in the early days of privatisation.