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Tag Archives: Si Swain
A feast of wire
Local rail buff Simon Swain has been busy of late covering the momentous and important Chase Line Electrification Project, which is seeing the rail line between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley electrified for hopefully faster and more reliable services.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills railways, Derelict, Disused Railways, Facebook, John Whitehouse, Junction, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Old maps, Pelsall, Ryecroft, Si Swain, Simon Swain, Staffordshire, Station, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Wood
3 Comments
Living next door to the Grove – what do you know?
Last year I featured a very popular set of images from a place I genuinely didn’t realise still existed: The Grove Colliery, the remnants of which – the house and offices situated just off Lime Lane, between Pelsall, Brownhills, Norton and Great Wyrley – were documented by old pal of the blog Simon Swain and drone wizard Steve Martin also captured the site from the air.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged archive, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Canal, Canal and River Trust, Cannock Extension Canal, colliery, Derelict, Disaster, Events, freight, Grove, Grove Colliery, House, images, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, mining, New Photos, Norton, photos, pit, pits, Redevelopment, Si Swain, Simon, Staffordshire, Things to do, tramway, viaduct, Wyrley common
1 Comment
Up the Ryecroft Junction
Local rail buff Simon Swain has once again been busy with the camera and maps, tracing out the history of the South Staffordshire railway line that used to run from Wychnor near Alrewas to Dudley, but called at Lichfield, Brownhills and Walsall on the way.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills railways, Derelict, Disused Railways, Facebook, John Whitehouse, Junction, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Old maps, Pelsall, Ryecroft, Si Swain, Simon Swain, Staffordshire, Station, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Wood
5 Comments
The Grove Colliery – remembering a lost pit
Last year I featured a very popular set of images from a place I genuinely didn’t realise still existed: The Grove Colliery, the remnants of which – the house and offices situated just off Lime Lane, between Pelsall, Brownhills, Norton and Great Wyrley – were documented by old pal off the blog Simon Swain and posted here as a gallery I include below.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged archive, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Canal, Canal and River Trust, Cannock Extension Canal, colliery, Derelict, Disaster, Events, freight, Grove, Grove Colliery, House, images, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, mining, New Photos, Norton, photos, pit, pits, Redevelopment, Si Swain, Simon, Staffordshire, Things to do, tramway, viaduct, Wyrley common
16 Comments
The death throes of the local line
Local rail buff Simon Swain last week sent in the above image of one of the last freight workings on the South Staffordshire Line through central Brownhills – and there was a large amount of interest in this remarkably evocative photo.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills railways, Derelict, Disused Railways, Facebook, John Whitehouse, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Old maps, Pelsall, Si Swain, Simon Swain, Staffordshire, Station, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Wood
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One of the final few
Local rail buff Simon Swain has been in touch with a remarkable image of Brownhills recording the very last days of the railway here – just before construction of the Miner Island in 1984.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills railways, Derelict, Disused Railways, Facebook, John Whitehouse, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Old maps, Pelsall, Si Swain, Simon Swain, Staffordshire, Station, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Wood
3 Comments
Looking for traces
The wonderful Simon Swain has been in touch with an interesting article Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills railways, Derelict, Disused Railways, Facebook, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Old maps, Pelsall, Si Swain, Simon Swain, Staffordshire, Station, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Wood
11 Comments
A Coppice, lots of timber and a little backtracking
The SLS rail tour that took place in 1959 has proven to be a rich seam of material, and has provoked much debate amongst blog readers about the locations of some photos, and just how and where the Diesel Multiple Unit pictured managed to reverse.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1959, Birmingham Central Goods Station, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, charter, Chasewater, Conduit Colliery, coombe, Coppice, Coppice Colliery, Derelict, DJ Norton, Events, Heath Hayes, House, Ian Pell, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, rail tour, Redevelopment, Reservoir, RS Carpenter, Si Swain, Simon, Staffordshire, Stephenson Locomotive Society, Walsall Wood
6 Comments
Up around the bend
More here today that goes to show the Venn diagram of history forever curiously overlaps – Ian pell has waded in once more on the subject of the notorious May 1959 rail tour up the Walsall Wood line to the Conduit Colliery – from which a few pictures have emerged over the years and was raised here again last week by Simon Swain with a great new picture.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1959, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, charter, Chasewater, Conduit Colliery, coombe, Coppice, Derelict, Events, House, Ian Pell, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, rail tour, Redevelopment, Reservoir, Si Swain, Simon, Staffordshire, Stephenson Locomotive Society, Walsall Wood
16 Comments
All that remains of the last one standing
Following my feature yesterday on perhaps the last passenger train to ever traverse the line from Aldridge to the Conduit Colliery in Norton Canes, Simon Swain has sent me a great gallery of images of the Grove Colliery site as it is today.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged archive, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Canal, Canal and River Trust, Cannock Extension Canal, colliery, Derelict, Disaster, Events, freight, Grove, Grove Colliery, House, images, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, mining, New Photos, Norton, photos, pit, pits, Redevelopment, Si Swain, Simon, Staffordshire, Things to do, tramway, viaduct, Wyrley common
25 Comments
It’s the rail thing
A great one for the train enthusiasts comes in from new Brownhills resident Simon Swain, who’s been doing some great railway history stuff in the South Staffordshire Railway group on Facebook – it seems that the notorious May 1959 rail tour up the Walsall Wood line to the Conduit Colliery – from which a few pictures have emerged over the years – continues to fascinate and unearth new images.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1959, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, charter, Chasewater, Conduit Colliery, coombe, Derelict, Events, House, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, rail tour, Redevelopment, Reservoir, Si Swain, Simon, Staffordshire, Stephenson Locomotive Society, Walsall Wood
4 Comments
Action stations
Thanks to Twitter cycling whizz and all round top guy @WolvesOnWheels who tipped me off last week, there’s a Facebook group that’s been featuring a lot of Brownhills, Walsall Wood and Pelsall railway photographs lately, posted by Si Swain.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills common, Brownhills local history, Brownhills railways, Brownhills West, brownhills West Station, Derelict, Disused Railways, DJ Norton, Facebook, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, Midland Railway, New Photos, Old maps, Pelsall, Si Swain, Staffordshire, Station, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Wood
2 Comments
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