Stourbridge and the South West Black Country

Foreword

I came to Stourbridge in 1974, looking for work. Travelling by rail, I arrived at Stourbridge Junction, and transferred to the Town 'Car', for the journey to Stourbridge Town. I lodged my portfolio of work by the seat, took off my raincoat, placed it on the luggage rack and settled to read a newspaper. After a short wait we were underway, I continued with the news. In a couple of paragraphs I was rushing to collect all my possessions and disembark!

I had made acquaintance with the unique Town Branch.

I was successful in gaining the job, and finding a flat in Wollaston, I often enjoyed a walk down the canal towpath to the town centre, passing numerous old and ramshakled industrial buildings. As the walk neared its end there was an oasis of manicured lawn and ordered flower beds, juxtaposed to this neglected industrial landscape. It invited curiosity!

I had discovered John Bradley & Co's Ironworks.

In the late 70s I worked on a couple of 'Shut Downs' at the Round Oak Steelworks, experiencing the staggering size of Number 1 Meltshop, the seismic awe of an Open Hearth Furnace startup, and the novelty of an industrial railway system.

I had seen Black Country Industry, and their railways.

Eventually 'Agenoria', 'Kingswinford Railway', 'Foster, Rastrick & Company', etc. impinged on my conscientiousness, and I also discovered that one of my work colleagues, Alf Lamb, had begun his working life on the Great Western Railway. His tales of the characters, and atmosphere of the Stourbridge Junction Sheds intrigued me.

I was hooked.

I tried to discover more, there was little. Almost every work about the GWR in the West Midlands, concentrated on Birmingham's Snow Hill Station, Wolverhampton's Low Level Station, or the mainline through Banbury to London; virtually no mention of Stourbridge. Furthermore, any reference to Foster, Rastrick & Company, other than that it manufactured the 'Agenoria', was, for the uniniated, difficult to find.

I had to do my own research.

After a number of years research into various aspects of Stourbridge and its railways, I have now a vast range of material at my finger tips.

I have to publish.

But how? I have so much that I find it difficult to contemplate the work required to summarise it. Also, what do I discard? I find every letter, memo, roster sheet, timetable and newspaper article fascinating. Who am I to decide what may prove interesting to others. This information age has provided me with a solution.

The World Wide Web

By using the WWW to publish this archive, I can create it at a pace akin to evolution, rather than revolution. No publishing deadline, after which everything is set in stone. I can add elements as I see fit, and even respond to the audience and fill in detail as required. Furthermore this audience, although specialised, can be both local, and the widest possible.

I hope you find it as interesting as I do.

Acknowledgements, Information, & References