In 1880 The Midland Railway applied for and was granted permission to build the Walsall Wood Extension Railway, which would connect their line fro Aldridge to the Cannock Chase and Wolverhampton Railway near Chasewater. This object of this line was to give them a foothold into the Cannock Chase Coalfield.
The railway was no easy build as it had to cross Canals, roads, and other railways, and local bye- laws controlled the height and span of bridges and the width of roadways. In order to comply with these bye-laws, and to save the cost of building large embankments, the Chester Road and Pelsall Road were lowered where the line crossed them.
The railway opened in April 1882, and for the first two years carried only coal from the pits. In 1884 the line was opened to passenger traffic as far as the Chester Road where a station was built on Brownhills Common. The Railway was not a good profit making business as far as carrying passengers was concerned as the Station was half a mile outside the Town with the South Staffordshire Railway Station being directly at the top of the High Street. This lead to the trains mainly carrying miners to and from the pits. The Loss making line was eventually closed to passenger traffic in 1930. It continued with limited use until 1960 carrying minerals when it closed to all traffic. The track from Chasewater to Walsall Wood was removed and the Bridges also were demolished.
Some of the bridge parapets remain and are worth a look for the excellent civil engineering involved.
|
