West Midlands day ranger , two days enough?

[route101]

Heading to brum in a few weeks . Planning on having two full days to do the lines around Birmingham . Any highlights ?

 

[Kite159]

2 days should be plenty to do all the lines covered by the West Midlands Day Ranger.

Highlight will be some 68 haulage at some point, I recommend one of the evening services which is semi-fast from Snow Hill to Kidderminster (boarding at Leamington)

 

[xotGD]

2 days should be plenty to do all the lines covered by the West Midlands Day Ranger.

Highlight will be some 68 haulage at some point, I recommend one of the evening services which is semi-fast from Snow Hill to Kidderminster (boarding at Leamington)

Definitely prioritise the 68s. Personally I would not bother with anything else!

 

[route101]

2 days should be plenty to do all the lines covered by the West Midlands Day Ranger.

Highlight will be some 68 haulage at some point, I recommend one of the evening services which is semi-fast from Snow Hill to Kidderminster (boarding at Leamington)

Never thought of the class 68s will need to look at the times . Hope to d most lines ive not done

 

[route101]

Any rare workings i could do ?

 

[djpontrack]

Have a go on the class 139 from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town. It’s less than a mile but it’s the only place in the country that they run so worth doing if you’ve not done it before.

 

[route101]

Have a go on the class 139 from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town. It’s less than a mile but it’s the only place in the country that they run so worth doing if you’ve not done it before.

Doing that for sure .
Doing the two ways to Straford Upon Avon too .
Nuneaton to Leamington.

 

[Ianno87]

If you want to do some IETs remember they are in the coverage of the area between Worcester and Hereford.

 

[route101]

If you want to do some IETs remember they are in the coverage of the area between Worcester and Hereford.

Yep, will do the route to Hereford . Both Lichfield and Rugeley branches . Redditch .

 

[ac6000cw]

Any highlights ?

Semaphore signalling at Shrewsbury (including the largest mechanical signalbox in the country) and Worcester, the unique Stourbridge Town branch operation, Birmingham Moor Street (which still oozes original GWR atmosphere) and some of the other ex-GWR stations - and rural scenery - on the lines south of there, the Cross-City line between Five Ways and Kings Norton as it follows the Birmingham & Worcester Canal - and Birmingham New Street signalbox for its 1960's 'brutalist' architecture.

 

[Kite159]

Any rare workings i could do ?

If one of your days involves a Saturday and you are staying overnight in either Birmingham or Wolverhampton:

0610 Wolverhampton to Walsall (Goes the direct route)
0633 Walsall to Birmingham New Street (Same train)
07:13 Birmingham New Street to Stafford (avoids Wolverhampton)

That gets you both sides of the line from Bescot Stadium/Walsall towards Wolverhampton/Penkridge

 

[ac6000cw]

Any rare workings i could do ?

See this thread - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/west-midlands-trains-services-on-camp-hill-line.188299/ - for a couple of WMT Worcester - Birmingham trains via the Camp Hill line on Saturday.

 

[route101]

Semaphore signalling at Shrewsbury (including the largest mechanical signalbox in the country) and Worcester, the unique Stourbridge Town branch operation, Birmingham Moor Street (which still oozes original GWR atmosphere) and some of the other ex-GWR stations - and rural scenery - on the lines south of there, the Cross-City line between Five Ways and Kings Norton as it follows the Birmingham & Worcester Canal - and Birmingham New Street signalbox for its 1960's 'brutalist' architecture.

Thanks will look out for these .
Ive done the Shrewsbury to Wolves line so may not do that this trip .

 

[route101]

See this thread - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/west-midlands-trains-services-on-camp-hill-line.188299/ - for a couple of WMT Worcester - Birmingham trains via the Camp Hill line on Saturday.

I did see that . Im going tomorrow , back Friday . Do XC run this line regularly though?

 

[route101]

If one of your days involves a Saturday and you are staying overnight in either Birmingham or Wolverhampton:

0610 Wolverhampton to Walsall (Goes the direct route)
0633 Walsall to Birmingham New Street (Same train)
07:13 Birmingham New Street to Stafford (avoids Wolverhampton)

That gets you both sides of the line from Bescot Stadium/Walsall towards Wolverhampton/Penkridge

Afraid not , im off tomorrow . I waswondering if the Wolves to Walsall was all week .

 

[Chris Butler]

I did see that . Im going tomorrow , back Friday . Do XC run this line regularly though?

Yes, they run several times a day. Just check RTT for Lifford Jnc EAST (not West) to see tge traffic.

 

[Chris Butler]

Afraid not , im off tomorrow . I was wondering if the Wolves to Walsall was all week .

No, once a week. Parliamentary sevice.

A few other daily passenger trains use a lot of the same line ... a couple from Shrewsbury to Birmingham. Check Darlaston Jn on RTT for the full scope.

The three trains route101 gave you cover 100% of the 'rare' routes in the Wolverhampton/Walsall area in a very short period. Getting a train over Darlaston Jnc gives you most of it.

 

[Kite159]

Afraid not , im off tomorrow . I waswondering if the Wolves to Walsall was all week .

Saturday mornings only for the direct route [rather than going via New Street]

 

[Chris Butler]

07:13 Birmingham New Street to Stafford (avoids Wolverhampton)

New one on me. Thanks. Any other passenger services avoid Wolverhampton ?

 

[route101]

Well i had two busy days with two west Midland day rangers . Shame you cant buy them on TVMs . First one i bought was at the Virgin trains ticket office at New st , came as bog roll and the QR code didnt work on the barriers . The second was bought at Birmingham Moor St ,came as normal ticket stock but she asked for my name . This ticket never worked in any barriers , why i wonder ?

Done everything i wanted to do . Including an Evening run to Kidderminister on chiltern loco haul . The class 139. Made it out to Hereford on x2 153 and back via GWR and Worcester . Managed to get 3 sides to Worcester junction. Also did two routes to Straford . The only bits of track i have to do would be any PSUL and where XC go into and out of New St

 

[Chris Butler]

The ones we bought at Solihull and Euston both worked the barriers last week.

 

[route101]

The ones we bought at Solihull and Euston both worked the barriers last week.

Tried it a few times , didnt open the barriers , gateline assitant at New st thought it was a seat reservation coupon .