Snow Hill lines in the early 2000’s

[AJS90]

Based on bits of information from different parts of this forum and my own hazy recollections of this time, I’ve tried to piece together what the service pattern on the Snow Hill lines was like before the big timetable change in December 2004.

At the eastern end I believe services were half hourly to Dorridge and Shirley with hourly extensions to Stratford and Leamington with the Chiltern service only being hourly back then and Virgin XC still having hourly calls at Solihull. I seem to remember a line on the old Centro map linking New Street to the line between Bordesley and Small Heath marked as limited service. Was this referring to the Sunday services that were routed into New Street when Snow Hill still closed on Sunday’s?

At the western end, I believe it was half hourly all stations Snow Hill to Stourbridge with 1tph extending to Kidderminster and there being an hourly semi-fast from New Street calling at Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge, Kidderminster, Droitwich, Worcester FS, Malvern Link, Great Malvern and two hourly extensions to Hereford. Am I also right in thinking what’s now the Cardiff - Nottingham service used to call at Bromsgrove and run via Worcester Shrub Hill with the only Great Western services to Worcester being on the Cotswold line?

I’m not sure which services were linked across Snow Hill and which terminated there.

I may be wrong in all or some of this so please feel free to correct me.

 

[JonathanH]

A bit too complicated to summarise the whole timetable but taking one hour

Weekday timetable from Summer 2000

Departures from Snow Hill in the eastbound direction between 1030 and 1130
1030 Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone (Solihull, Dorridge, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Banbury etc)
1035 Birmingham Snow Hill to Dorridge (all stations except Bordesley)
1045 Stourbridge Junction to Shirley (all stations except Bordesley)
1055 Stourbridge Junction to Dorridge (main stops from Stourbridge Junction to Moor Street, all stops from Acocks Green to Dorridge)
1105 Birmingham Snow Hill to Shirley (all stations except Bordesley)
1115 Worcester Shrub Hill to Leamington Spa (all stops from Worcester Shrub Hill to Moor Street except Hartlebury, all stops from Acocks Green to Leamington Spa)
1125 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon (main stops from Stourbridge Junction to Moor Street, all stops from Spring Road to Stratford-upon-Avon)

Departures from Snow Hill in the westbound direction between 1030 and 1130
1035 Shirley to Stourbridge Junction (all stops from Stratford-upon-Avon to SprinG Road, main stops from Moor Street to Stourbridge Junction)
1050 Dorridge to Stourbridge Junction (all stations except Bordesley)
1105 Leamington Spa to Worcester Foregate Street (all stations from Leamington Spa to Acocks Green, main stations from Moor Street to Worcester Foregate Street)
1120 Stratford-upon-Avon to Stourbridge Junction (all stations except Bordesley)

There was a 1043 from Birmingham New Street to Hereford via Kidderminster - fast to Stourbridge Junction, then Hagley, Blakedown, Kidderminster, Droitwich Spa, Worcester Shrub Hill and all stations to Hereford. During the peaks these trains called at Rowley Regis and Cradley Heath as you recall.

Virgin XC didn't have calls at Solihull until September 2002 until they were cut shortly after. Chiltern were 1tph.

The service via University to Hereford was peak time only.

At the western end, I believe it was half hourly all stations Snow Hill to Stourbridge with 1tph extending to Kidderminster and there being an hourly semi-fast from New Street calling at Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge, Kidderminster, Droitwich, Worcester FS, Malvern Link, Great Malvern and two hourly extensions to Hereford. Am I also right in thinking what’s now the Cardiff - Nottingham service used to call at Bromsgrove and run via Worcester Shrub Hill with the only Great Western services to Worcester being on the Cotswold line?

A bit more complicated than this as Central Trains needed to accommodate Great Western trains to Hereford. However, Hereford was broadly hourly in 2000.

Departures from Hereford to Worcester in Summer 2000
0555 London Paddington (Great Western via Evesham)
0648 Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove
0704 London Paddington (Great Western via Evesham)
0732 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
0837 Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove
0940 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1050 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1154 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1245 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1304 London Paddington (Great Western (but Turbo) via Evesham)
1418 London Paddington (Thames Trains via Evesham)
1455 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1543 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1623 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1729 Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove
1855 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
2000 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
2145 Leamington Spa via Birmingham Snow Hill
2240 Worcester Shrub Hill (Thames Trains)

Central Trains ran two hourly Cardiff Central to Nottingham via Worcester and Bromsgrove (non-stop Newport to Gloucester). On the other hours, Wales and West ran two hourly Cardiff Central to Birmingham New Street via the main line (but stopping between Newport and Gloucester) and Central Trains ran Worcester to Nottingham via Bromsgrove.

Great Western didn't run between Cheltenham Spa and Worcester.

 

[AJS90]

A bit too complicated to summarise the whole timetable but taking one hour

Weekday timetable from Summer 2000

Departures from Snow Hill in the eastbound direction between 1030 and 1130
1030 Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone (Solihull, Dorridge, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Banbury etc)
1035 Birmingham Snow Hill to Dorridge (all stations except Bordesley)
1045 Stourbridge Junction to Shirley (all stations except Bordesley)
1055 Stourbridge Junction to Dorridge (main stops from Stourbridge Junction to Moor Street, all stops from Acocks Green to Dorridge)
1105 Birmingham Snow Hill to Shirley (all stations except Bordesley)
1115 Worcester Shrub Hill to Leamington Spa (all stops from Worcester Shrub Hill to Moor Street except Hartlebury, all stops from Acocks Green to Leamington Spa)
1125 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon (main stops from Stourbridge Junction to Moor Street, all stops from Spring Road to Stratford-upon-Avon)

Departures from Snow Hill in the westbound direction between 1030 and 1130
1035 Shirley to Stourbridge Junction (all stops from Stratford-upon-Avon to SprinG Road, main stops from Moor Street to Stourbridge Junction)
1050 Dorridge to Stourbridge Junction (all stations except Bordesley)
1105 Leamington Spa to Worcester Foregate Street (all stations from Leamington Spa to Acocks Green, main stations from Moor Street to Worcester Foregate Street)
1120 Stratford-upon-Avon to Stourbridge Junction (all stations except Bordesley)

There was a 1043 from Birmingham New Street to Hereford via Kidderminster - fast to Stourbridge Junction, then Hagley, Blakedown, Kidderminster, Droitwich Spa, Worcester Shrub Hill and all stations to Hereford. During the peaks these trains called at Rowley Regis and Cradley Heath as you recall.

Virgin XC didn't have calls at Solihull until September 2002 until they were cut shortly after. Chiltern were 1tph.

The service via University to Hereford was peak time only.


A bit more complicated than this as Central Trains needed to accommodate Great Western trains to Hereford. However, Hereford was broadly hourly in 2000.

Departures from Hereford to Worcester in Summer 2000
0555 London Paddington (Great Western via Evesham)
0648 Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove
0704 London Paddington (Great Western via Evesham)
0732 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
0837 Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove
0940 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1050 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1154 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1245 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1304 London Paddington (Great Western (but Turbo) via Evesham)
1418 London Paddington (Thames Trains via Evesham)
1455 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1543 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1623 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
1729 Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove
1855 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
2000 Birmingham New Street via Kidderminster
2145 Leamington Spa via Birmingham Snow Hill
2240 Worcester Shrub Hill (Thames Trains)

Central Trains ran two hourly Cardiff Central to Nottingham via Worcester and Bromsgrove (non-stop Newport to Gloucester). On the other hours, Wales and West ran two hourly Cardiff Central to Birmingham New Street via the main line (but stopping between Newport and Gloucester) and Central Trains ran Worcester to Nottingham via Bromsgrove.

Great Western didn't run between Cheltenham Spa and Worcester.

Thank you, a very helpful insight.