Birmingham New Street

[sebulba]

Hi Members.

Watching a UTube vid the other day of a tour approaching New Street from the Saltley direction. Out of curiousity does anyone know what the downhill gradient is there approaching the station (Missed the signal number to aid identification sorry...)

Thanks

 

[Old Timer]

Discussed in another thread on here, but from Proof House Jct into New St it is variously between 1 in 50 and 1 in 37.

 

[Darandio]

Indeed, it did feel very steep to be honest, was there for the first time today while attending the Warley show.

 

[Old Timer]

It does rather have the feeling of decending into the bowels of the earth I must say, although not quite Dante's Inferno.

Leeds St bank on the Northern Lines on Merseyrail is similar, where the lines drop down into the tunnel to Moorfields.

 

[moonrakerz]

the bowels of the earth I must say, although not quite Dante's Inferno.

.........a good description of New Street !

 

[Mojo]

I live between where the tunnels reach the surface and Proof House Junction, you can see on one of my videos taken from my bedroom window how the line rises to the surface: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jumunJaaoh8

 

[brompton rail]

Was it not Jasper Carrot who said:
"If the world had piles it would be Birmingham" (he could have added New Street!

 

[sebulba]

Was it not Jasper Carrot who said:
"If the world had piles it would be Birmingham" (he could have added New Street!

I couldn't possibly comment.........

 

[Old Timer]

Things have moved on since then and Birmingham has changed dramatically, even the tower blocks are fast disappearing !

Its a strange thing really, but 40 years ago only the poorsest went into tower blocks.

Now Birmingham is demolishing those and building brand new ones, called apartment blocks this time around, with price brackets around £250,000 for a one bedded flat in the right place and with the right view !

 

[Oswyntail]

It does rather have the feeling of decending into the bowels of the earth I must say, although not quite Dante's Inferno.
.....

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"? Exact, IMHO

 

[SWT Driver]

You can't possibly call New Street Dante's Inferno!

New Street, is cold, dark, dank and generally miserable. Dante's karzie maybe.

 

[Geezertronic]

New Street, is cold, dark, dank and generally miserable. Dante's karzie maybe.

Which is why they are rebuilding it. I only hope it looks half as good as the artists impression

 

[djw1981]

It may look good, but whether t has endurance and functionality will be more important.

 

[Old Timer]

The present one has excellent functionality, generally you could put most things most places although you were slightly constrained after Proof House Jct on the Derbys and on the incoming Gloucesters.

I presume New St will retain its zero yard overlaps ?

 

[SWT Driver]

Nah for two reasons.

1. That's much too sensible.

2. It's much too dangerous, they wanted it when Guildford was resignalled on a couple of platforms, but they were refused permission to do it.

 

[Old Timer]

Then I fear New St will not work.

 

[AlexS]

Far as I am aware New Street resignalling is suspended indefinately and may well never be done because they can't physically do it without the lack of overlaps.

 

[SWT Driver]

So when it becomes completely life expired & totally irreparable, what are they going to do block up the tunnels & build a new station down the road?

They'll have to do something, New Street is a major interchange/hub so closing it isn't an option.

 

[Old Timer]

What we are down to here is bloody stupid management by the H&S Taliban, and gutless senior management who will not put a stop to this.

New St ranks as one of the lowest Spad stations on the system despite its complexity and the positioning of the various platform end signals.

On the basis of how spads are rated and ranked, we shoud have absolute mayhem at New St with regular bloodbaths and fatalities.

Naturally of course it doesn't happen, so you have to ask why is it that a station without overlaps is actually safer than most complex stations with overlaps ?

 

[The Planner]

Last I heard was that they would need some big dispensations to allow it. As OT says, it wont work without them as capacity would be decimated. Im not convinced that all the ironwork is needed, yes, it provides flexibility but most services now are kept to specific parts of the station so dont need to cross the entire job.