• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

History of the Chase Line

Status
Not open for further replies.

Batman

Member
Joined
27 Jun 2011
Messages
497
Location
North Birmingham
I've been a regular user of the Chase Line since the mid 1990's and I've watched this former mineral railway develop over the years with new rolling stock, timetable changes, and I've been proven wrong on a prediction I made in 2000 that the line would be electrified by 2010.

I was wondering if anyone has any information regarding the events and circumstances leading up to the lines initial re-opening in 1989 and what the line was like in its early years (what rolling stock was used, what the timetables were like etc....)

Thanks :)
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

gswindale

Member
Joined
1 Jun 2010
Messages
788
Hi,

Wikipedia has an small article on it; however the link to an external site appears to be quite dead.

Looking back at my 1989/90 timetable; it looks as if initially the service was pretty much hourly between Walsall & Hednesford with a couple of additional peak services including a through service from Hednesford to Birmingham in the morning & a return in the evening. No Sunday service at all in the early days.

Although not part of what I would call the Chase Line; there were some slightly bizarre services run in the early days such as the weekday 06:54 from Walsall to Milton Keynes which I cannot see had a corresponding return journey!
 

D1009

Established Member
Joined
22 Feb 2012
Messages
3,166
Location
Stoke Gifford
Hi,

Although not part of what I would call the Chase Line; there were some slightly bizarre services run in the early days such as the weekday 06:54 from Walsall to Milton Keynes which I cannot see had a corresponding return journey!

Was that the "parliamentary" service over the Aston-Stechford line ?
 

thewolf

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2006
Messages
141
Although not part of what I would call the Chase Line; there were some slightly bizarre services run in the early days such as the weekday 06:54 from Walsall to Milton Keynes which I cannot see had a corresponding return journey!

Still a handful of peculiar services these days. Two early morning Northampton to Walsall services (using Desiros), one of which then forms a Walsall to Liverpool service at 0730
 

the sniper

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2007
Messages
3,500
Was that the "parliamentary" service over the Aston-Stechford line ?

Sorry to go a bit OT, but you raise an interesting point. Are there any timetabled passenger services that traverse that bit of line nowadays? I can only imagine it'd be an odd early morning 350 off Walsall, if there's anything...
 

thewolf

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2006
Messages
141
Sorry to go a bit OT, but you raise an interesting point. Are there any timetabled passenger services that traverse that bit of line nowadays? I can only imagine it'd be an odd early morning 350 off Walsall, if there's anything...

I think (one of) the last Reading to Birminghams each day goes 'round the houses' from Stetchford to New Street via Aston, Perry Barr and Soho...
 

The Planner

Veteran Member
Joined
15 Apr 2008
Messages
15,838
1M79 does it, also does a wacky reverse at Foxhall, whether it does or not on the day is a different question.
 

Batman

Member
Joined
27 Jun 2011
Messages
497
Location
North Birmingham
Hi,

Wikipedia has an small article on it; however the link to an external site appears to be quite dead.

Looking back at my 1989/90 timetable; it looks as if initially the service was pretty much hourly between Walsall & Hednesford with a couple of additional peak services including a through service from Hednesford to Birmingham in the morning & a return in the evening. No Sunday service at all in the early days.

Although not part of what I would call the Chase Line; there were some slightly bizarre services run in the early days such as the weekday 06:54 from Walsall to Milton Keynes which I cannot see had a corresponding return journey!

Would it be possible for you to upload a copy of that timetable?

The oldest one I've got is a 95/96 timetable that shows an hourly Hednesford - Birmingham train tied in with the stopping services between Walsall and Birmingham. Some of the trains ran non-stop between Birmingham and Tame Bridge whilst other stopped at all stations. There was also an hourly all station evening service from Brum to Hednesford, but no Sunday service.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Still a handful of peculiar services these days. Two early morning Northampton to Walsall services (using Desiros), one of which then forms a Walsall to Liverpool service at 0730

Isn't the 0639 New Street to Rugeley train on weekdays formed from an ex-Shrewsbury service, and doesn't the 1846 Rugeley to New Street then form the 1949 to Worcester Shrub Hill?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
And my 95/96 timetable shows some very long turnaround times at New Street, typically over 40 minutes. So I can only assume that the line shared diagrams with the Worcester or Snow Hill lines, back in the days when some trains on todays Snow Hill lines used to start and terminate at New Street.
 

Eagle

Established Member
Joined
20 Feb 2011
Messages
7,106
Location
Leamingrad / Blanfrancisco
Sorry to go a bit OT, but you raise an interesting point. Are there any timetabled passenger services that traverse that bit of line nowadays? I can only imagine it'd be an odd early morning 350 off Walsall, if there's anything...

As well as the abovementioned XC service, the Lowland Caley (both directions) takes this route on Monday mornings.
 

Crossover

Established Member
Joined
4 Jun 2009
Messages
9,247
Location
Yorkshire
I've been a regular user of the Chase Line since the mid 1990's and I've watched this former mineral railway develop over the years with new rolling stock, timetable changes, and I've been proven wrong on a prediction I made in 2000 that the line would be electrified by 2010.

To be honest, the Chase Line should be a prime candidate for electrification, given how little there is to do of it, to link up between two places (Rugeley TV and Walsall) that are electrfied. It really is a diesel island at the moment
 

Eagle

Established Member
Joined
20 Feb 2011
Messages
7,106
Location
Leamingrad / Blanfrancisco
To be honest, the Chase Line should be a prime candidate for electrification, given how little there is to do of it, to link up between two places (Rugeley TV and Walsall) that are electrfied. It really is a diesel island at the moment

Plus loads of extra freight/diversionary route possibilities for electric trains.
 

thewolf

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2006
Messages
141
Isn't the 0639 New Street to Rugeley train on weekdays formed from an ex-Shrewsbury service, and doesn't the 1846 Rugeley to New Street then form the 1949 to Worcester Shrub Hill?

The latter is certainly true, although it's two separate services, whereas the early morning from Northampton and to Lime Street are a single service.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top