The Shortest Branch Line in the UK - Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town.

Подписаться 30 тыс.

Просмотров 3,2 тыс.

50% 1

Hello everyone. It's great to be back and getting out and about (locally of course and in a safe way!).
Here's a trip I've been wanting to do for some time and I'm not even sure why! I guess it's just because it's there - the shortest branch line in the UK - Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town on the Class 139 Parry People Mover. It's a distance of around 0.8 miles and takes approximately 3 minutes each way. It has an interesting history I'll tell you about in the video plus a little bit about Stourbridge Junction and how much it costs. Needless to say, it's not expensive and you may question why it's there in the first place. Why not have a bus? Also, what exactly do you call it? A train? A tram? Maybe it really is a 'people mover' - that's what the company that built the current vehicles call it!
Anyway, please enjoy the video and if you like it, I would really appreciate it if you could give me a thumbs up and a comment - maybe even subscribe! That would be great. I've got lots of stuff coming up that I'm really looking forward to so, thanks for watching and cheers for now!
Mark.
/ mark.swain.733450
/ markswaintransport
/ lets_makeatrip

Опубликовано:

1 окт 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 42

@premetro 3 года назад

Hi Mark, Operators of the Shuttle here, your history of the track is spot on. The recent track work is also the first total renewal of the Branch since 1902! Some of the old wooden sleepers dated back to that point as well! To answer some questions, the Shuttle is a railcar as it operates on the railway, but if you were to put it on a road, it could also become a tram due to it's hybrid flywheel technology - this makes definitions quite complicated! Thank you for showcasing our unique operation, and hopefully we'll see you again in the future!

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Hi guys, it’s good to know I’ve got most of it right! Much appreciate the railcar explanation as it had caused some debate in the comments here and on Twitter but it’s quite logical when you put it like that. I guess the crucial word is ‘hybrid’ as it can be quite a flexible mode of transport. Are there any other examples I suppose is the question and if not, why not? I really enjoyed the trip, had been meaning to do it for years and it was a pleasure to put the footage together and get it out there on social media. I only wish I had a few more subscribers to share it with at this point but I’ll get there eventually 😊 All the best, Mark

@tomedy_official 6 месяцев назад

A long time ago they used to be direct services from Worcestershire to the town. After close in the line a lot of the original track was taken away. In the 70s when they reopened it they thought less about restoring the old conection to the main line westbound. And converted it into a Bay platform with a small shuttle service.

@robertcammack902 Год назад

I used to travel on this as a boy in the '40s. It was steam at that time and , if I remember rightly, there was a loco at the front and a driving cab at the rear. There was no turntable so the train had to run backwards on one of its trips. The driver could drive the train from the cab at the rear (which became the front) by some system of levers linking the loco and the cab. Some time ago I read that the new train was driven by a 'super flywheel' which was energized at the end of each trip. Is this true?

@LetsMakeaTrip Год назад

No idea about the flywheel Robert but hey have their own website believe it or not at stourbridgeshuttle.com might be worth a look?

@juliaperry2812 6 месяцев назад

if you had asked they would have shown you the workings of the shuttle people filming the ride are often allowed in the drivers cab to film. may be different during covid restrictions, at the junction should have gone down to the ticket office to meet george, stourbridge station cat. the shuttle was made in cradley by john parry of the parry people moving company, how it works there is a web page and you tube film showing you how it gets from a to b and back it is the most eco friendly train/shuttle in the uk

@georgemaund4964 2 года назад

Visited this fascinating little line in 2012. At that time both crew members were qualified drivers and shared driving and guard/conductor duties. The innovative Party Mover vehicle was great for this run and enabled the rare experience these days of sitting behind the driver as the vehicle is open plan like a bus. The passengers and crew knew each other with friendly banter all round. For a varied train trip. give it a go!

@LetsMakeaTrip 2 года назад

Hi George, thanks for the comment. Yes I’m pretty sure both crew members had a go at driving when I was there and I agree, they were a friendly bunch which made for a pleasurable experience. Quirky isn’t it!

@michaelbolton7790 2 месяца назад

Fond memories of this!! As a group of lads in the 1950's, when the 'old steam' trains operated on this service, we used to jump on the train at Stourbridge Town, having paid our fare which was 1&1/2d travel up to the Junction. We did this repetitive journey time & again at no extra cost. Great times!!

@LetsMakeaTrip 2 месяца назад

I was going to say I bet the train was a bit different in those days. Thanks for the comment 😊

@marcinklimas2670 Год назад

Try Pleszew Wąskotorowy- Pleszew Miasto in Poland. Like this, but tkack in jointed 750/1435mm guage.

@LetsMakeaTrip Год назад

Hi Marcin, cheers for the suggestion. Next time I’m over that way I’ll look out for it 😊👍

@davidjones8680 2 года назад

Wish i had a quid fir every time I've used this service. Back in the 80, and 90s i used the Stourbridge "scuttle" shuttle a lot as i was working locally. Back then they used a conventional train carraige. Nowadays its a modern bit of kit made by Parry Peolpe Movers Ltd. Go look them up on Wikipedia. I think they were based just a mile or two from Stourbridge in Cradley Heath. Many thanks. David in Devils Bridge.

@LetsMakeaTrip 2 года назад

Yes Parry’s People Movers. I think they have two: 001 and 002 (unsurprisingly).

@NonstopEurotrip 3 года назад

Haha great video mate. I love the semaphore clock and that 'tram' is so cool 😎😂🚋

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Cheers mate, yes I didn’t really notice the clock until some weird noise started coming from the car park and it turned out to be the clock! I really enjoyed the trip albeit short and the line itself isn’t that exciting in itself but it’s a great community asset imo and the guys staffing it seemed really friendly too. Wish there were more of them tbh.

@richardnei 3 года назад

Great Video mate! This is such a fabulous little train. I’ve never seen anything so short of the railways. It reminds me of a small minibus but on rails. Certainly a unique line and service!

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Cheers AFUK, just a little jaunt today. Do you reckon it’s a railcar? Sounds good to me that.

@richardnei 3 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip yea it could be a Rail Car. Very like a tram!

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

@@richardnei I bet if it was on a road everyone would be calling it a tram.

@richardnei 3 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip True!

@edmundcarew7235 2 года назад

I am hoping to do this line soon, as I journey from Melbourne c.17000km away. Patronage was impressive given at the time you may have had lockdowns/travel restrictions. Great video except for the music in the first sequence. Better to hear the noise of the trains.

@LetsMakeaTrip 2 года назад

Hi Edmund, thanks for the comment and I hope you make it down to Stourbridge once you get here. Good luck!

@edmundcarew7235 2 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip When this 'railcar' (or 'unit' as you call them now in UK) needs maintenance, what substitutes? Just a road coach (bus) or a larger railcar? Are there runround facilities at the terminus or is it merely a stub?

@LetsMakeaTrip 2 года назад

@@edmundcarew7235 I’m just trying to remember what the set up is there. I think the facilities are at the Stourbridge Junction end where there’s some maintenance buildings and I’m pretty-sure there’s another unit there too.

@edmundcarew7235 2 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip Latter would make sense. Thank you.

@grimreboot 3 года назад

The clock in the car park was built by a firm called Smith Of Derby (based in Derby, UK) and was manufactured in 1995. It chimes during the daytime every 15 minutes, and on the hour. Hope this helps! :)

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

It does, thanks! Actually, I was just hanging around on the platform when I heard a noise in the car park, went out to have a look and there was this weird clock thing! I really liked it, wonder if they made any others?

@phild3657 3 года назад

Nice little trip. Good to see you out and about again. Did this in 2019, then bus from Stourbridge -> Kingswinford for some family tree research at St Mary's Church. Chatty populace keen on discussing Wolverhampton FC!

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Cheers Phil. Yes just fancied doing something local really. Actually I should have mentioned the two guys on the 'shuttle'(?) were friendly, looked like they enjoyed their job. And yes plenty of Wolves fans there too I would imagine - bit like Telford!

@TravelSignal 3 года назад

Great video, nice little line. I remember visiting a few years ago one evening when in Brum with work, took photos but before my video days started!

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Would have been great in the old railcar days too looking at some of the old photos. What are your thoughts on this, is it a train, railcar, shuttle??

@TravelSignal 3 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip I guess all are correct - a train because it runs on tracks, a railcar because it's a single unit, and a shuttle because it goes back and forth along the same route ;)

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

@@TravelSignal haha yes I think you’re right. I’m going to ask West Midlands Railway what they reckon.

@alexn643 3 года назад

Great video. It is a funny little line. I've always thought of the train as a Railcar to be honest.

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

I’m going to go for railcar. Mainly because the classic GWR railcars used to run on it. It’s not quite the same obvs but railcar sounds better than people mover imo (which could be any mode of transport).

@alexn643 3 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip Yeah, I thought it must be for that reason

@Timstravels01 3 года назад

Good to see you on your travels again. Lovely video.

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Cheers Tim, hoping to see you out and about soon too. Any plans?

@Timstravels01 3 года назад

@@LetsMakeaTrip Plans yes. In Scotland the Stay At Home order becomes Stay Local on the 2nd April. 26th April(ish) is when the Stay Local order is stopped. I’ll go from there. Hopefully.

@LetsMakeaTrip 3 года назад

Nice one mate! I’m hoping to get up to Glasgow at the start of May. Just gotta cross fingers I think. Good luck!