The station was on the line from Castle Bromwich to Walsall via Sutton Coldfield. In 1872 it was authorised for construction by the Wolverhampton, Walsall & Midland Junction Railway which was to be taken over by the Midland Railway in 1874. The line opened in 1879.
Aldridge and station - c1884
In 1882 the station became a junction when a line to Walsall Wood and Brownhills was opened, although this closed to passengers in 1930 and was lifted in the 1960s. Past Brownhills this line continued on to become what is now the Chasewater Light Railway.
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Aldridge Station – circa 1905
The goods shed is in the background |
Today – from a similar location
Not much left |
The line through Aldridge was closed to passengers in 1965 thanks to Beeching’s savage cuts, but continues to have a frequent service of goods trains avoiding the centre of Birmingham. The station buildings and goods shed have been demolished. There have been many proposals to reopen this line to passengers but it will not be possible to rebuild the station where it was as the 'planners' have allowed housing and Anchor Meadow Health Centre to be built on the site.
The cache is located by the track-bed of the branch line to Brownhills and is close to the site of the goods shed which was in a small set of goods sidings. The station was to the south-east of the cache site.
There is plenty of mostly free parking available around Aldridge.
The cache is a small clip-lock box (½ l) with some space for swaps.
Congratulations to:
FTF: Red Trolls
STF: The Mighty Shark & susannye
TTF: PazaUK