Dudley Freightliner Terminal

Last updated

Dudley Freightliner Terminal
Dudley Signal-box (4).jpg
The former Dudley signal box's remnants in 2003
General information
Location Dudley, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
England
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Post-grouping British Rail, then Freightliner
Key dates
1967Opened
1989Closed

Dudley Freightliner Terminal was opened on the site of Dudley railway station in November 1967, [1] as one of Freightliner's first rail terminals. It was an instant financial success and by 1981 was one of the most profitable Freightliner terminals in Britain, but Freightliner announced plans to close it and transfer the staff to the less successful Birmingham terminal. These plans were shelved in 1983 but resurfaced in 1986, with the terminal finally closing in September 1989. [2] Trains continued to pass the site of the Freightliner terminal until the Wednesbury to Round Oak section of the South Staffordshire Line and Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton line closed in March 1993.

Contents

History

The station platform became the depot platform, but with no buildings save for the odd shed. A concrete strip was built over one of the Tipton Five Ways lines to act as a footing for a large gantry crane that had its other footing on the old platform. The old signal box was at the Blower's Green end of the station and was demolished in 1967 and replaced by a modernized one beside the main road embankment. The sidings near the Castle side embankment were replaced by the manager's office, a staff room and some sheds. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

The Freightliner equipment was removed within months of the terminal's closure, and most of the concrete surface was removed later in the 1990s. The adjacent signal box was closed on 5 June 1988 and damaged in an arson attack the following year, being dismantled in the early 1990s. [10]

Today's usage

Plans for a waste reception centre to be developed on the site were unveiled in 1997, but these were quickly shelved. There were later plans for housing and even a new football stadium to be built on the site, but none of these plans ever materialized and the site remained derelict for more than 20 years. In 2014, part of the land was developed for a road link between Dudley Zoo and the Black Country Museum, as well as parking facilities for visitors to these attractions.

West Midlands Metro

A 15-year-long regeneration project will see the station become part of the local tram network with the line reopening between Walsall, Dudley Port railway station, Dudley railway station and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre for trams. Goods trains would continue on past Brettell Lane railway station and on to the mainline at Stourbridge junction, although the trams would only reach Wednesbury to the north and Brierley Hill to the south. [11] The closed section of railway through Dudley is expected to re-open by 2023, [12] as a combined West Midlands Metro tram route, and the capacity for heavy rail line at a later date.

When the Midland Metro opens, the route will involve trams leaving the traditional line near the former terminal site and passing through Dudley town centre before rejoining the line at the southern mouth of the Dudley Railway Tunnel.

Part of the terminal site is already occupied by a new car park serving Dudley Zoo. The site was cleared of vegetation and the old track in 2017, along with other locations along the disused line, with full scale work beginning towards the end of 2019. Several bridges along the route are being completely rebuilt, while Parkhead Viaduct is undergoing renovation rather than reconstruction due to its listed status.

Historic imagery of the site

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Great Bridge North railway station
or
Terminus		  British Rail, then Freightliner
South Staffs Line (inc. Dudley-Stourbridge Junction to 1962) (1852-1964) 		  Stourbridge Junction railway station
or
Terminus

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Kilda light rail station</span> Tram stop in Victoria, Australia

St Kilda station is a current tram stop and former railway station, located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, Australia, and was the terminus of the St Kilda railway line in the Melbourne suburban rail system. It is one of the oldest surviving railway station buildings in Victoria. The building is currently used as retail premises, while the platform serves as stop 132 on tram route 96.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felixstowe branch line</span> Railway branch line in Suffolk, England

The Felixstowe branch line is a railway branch line in Suffolk, England, that connects the Great Eastern Main Line to Felixstowe and its port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich railway station</span> Railway station in Suffolk, England

Ipswich railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the town of Ipswich, Suffolk. It is 68 miles 59 chains (110.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and, on the main line, it is situated between Manningtree to the south and Needham Market to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wednesbury Great Western Street tram stop</span> West Midlands Metro tram stop

Wednesbury Great Western Street tram stop is a tram stop in Wednesbury, Sandwell, England. It was opened on 31 May 1999 and is situated on West Midlands Metro Line 1. The stop is next to the West Midlands Metro tram depot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stourbridge Junction railway station</span> Railway station in the West Midlands, England

Stourbridge Junction is one of two railway stations serving the town of Stourbridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It lies on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line and is the junction for the Stourbridge Town Branch Line, said to be the shortest operational branch line in Europe. The other station serving Stourbridge is Stourbridge Town at the end of the branch line.

The South Staffordshire line is a partially mothballed and active former mainline that connects Burton-upon-Trent to Lichfield in Staffordshire and formerly then to the West Midlands towns of Walsall, Wednesbury, Dudley and Stourbridge. However, Dudley and Stourbridge were already joined to the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's (OW&WR) line just north of Dudley Station. It in essence, continued to Stourbridge along with Wednesbury and Walsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montague Street light rail station</span> Light rail station in Melbourne, Victoria

Montague Street is a light rail station and former railway station, on the former Port Melbourne railway line in the inner Melbourne suburb of South Melbourne, Australia. The station was located to the south of the Montague Street road underpass, between Woodgate Street and Gladstone Lane, with a large goods shed located on the Melbourne side of the station. The station buildings and platforms have been demolished, and there are now a pair of low-level platforms forming a tram stop on route 109.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benalla railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Benalla railway station is located on the North East line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Benalla, and it opened on 18 August 1873.

The Sheffield District Rail Rationalisation Plan was a series of linked railway civil engineering projects, station and line closures and train route changes that took place in and around Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The majority of these changes took place in the 1960s and early 1970s, however the plan, by now much modified in the face of rapidly dwindling freight traffic, was not fully realised until the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Dudley railway station was a railway station in Dudley, West Midlands, England, built where the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line and the South Staffordshire Line diverged to Wolverhampton and Walsall and Lichfield respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Oak Steel Terminal</span>

Round Oak Steel Terminal is a railway freight terminal dealing in steel from the Round Oak Steel Works until 1982 and from other sources thereafter, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England managed by Tata Steel Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brettell Lane railway station</span> Disused railway station in Dudley

Brettell Lane railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line which served the town of Brierley Hill in England.

Round Oak railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line serving the town of Brierley Hill in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blowers Green railway station</span> Disused railway station in Dudley, West Midlands

Blowers Green railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line in Dudley, West Midlands, England.

Great Bridge North railway station was a station on the South Staffordshire Line that served the village of Great Bridge and town of Tipton in Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wednesbury Town railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Wednesbury Town railway station was a station on the South Staffordshire Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galong railway station</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Galong is a heritage-listed closed railway station located on the Main South railway line in New South Wales, Australia. It served the village of Galong. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange railway station, New South Wales</span> Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Orange railway station is a heritage-listed former railway bridge and now railway station located on the Main Western line on Peisley Street, Orange in the City of Orange local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1877 to 1950. It is also known as Orange Railway Station and yard group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westmoreland Road goods yard</span>

Westmoreland Road goods yard was the main Great Western Railway goods station for the city of Bath in England, situated on the main line between the passenger stations of Oldfield Park and Bath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eskbank railway station, New South Wales</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Eskbank railway station is a heritage-listed former locomotive depot and railway station and now community group venue adjacent to the Main Western Line at Lithgow, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New South Wales Government Railways and the station building was built by Goodsell & Wright, as a contractor. It is also known as Eskbank Railway Station group and Lithgow Goods Station/ Lithgow Site S1. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. ↑ Birmingham Daily Post , November 1967
  2. ↑ The Railways of Dudley, Ned Williams, Uralia Press, 1994 - with photo of the last train in September 1989
  3. ↑ "Railphotoprints.co.uk".
  4. ↑ "Railways in Worcestershire".
  5. ↑ "Black Country History". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Black Country History". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  7. ↑ "Black Country History". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "Black Country History". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  9. ↑ "Black Country History". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Dudley Station".
  11. ↑ "Plans for £1.1 bn West Midlands Metro system unveiled - Transport News - News - Birmingham Post". Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Comments". Archived from the original on 13 December 2003.

52°31′01″N2°04′28″W / 52.517°N 2.0745°W / 52.517; -2.0745

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.