Streetly Station

LMS Route: Water Orton to Walsall

As with the other four stations built by the Midland Railway on its Walsall to Water Orton Branch line, Streetly Station opened on 1st July 1879. Disappointingly for the Midland Railway it never fulfilled its potential and finally closed to passengers on 16th January 1965 when the line became a major goods-only concern. Access by road to Streetly Station was located at the corner of Foley Road and Thornhill Road, and like the stations at Penns and Aldridge had a standardised building on the 'up' platform to Birmingham. Styled like two large cottages, the building included the booking office and ladies' waiting room. A small brick shelter and a Signal Box stood on the 'down' platform. There was no goods shed or yard at Streetly. Initially built with three platforms, an island structure being found on the up line, it was reduced to two platforms sometime in the early part of the twentieth century. The high point of the twilight years of the Sutton Park line came in 1957, when in August Sutton Park hosted the Scout Movement's 'World Jubilee Jamboree', with special trains arriving from 29th July and the event itself taking place between 1st - 12th August. The Jamboree was also open to the public, and there was a special Sutton Park local steam-hauled service, with an hourly all-stations service between Birmingham New Street and Walsall, and an all stations Sutton Park - Walsall - Dudley service every two hours. Sadly, after the last scouts left on 14th August, the line entered a long period of neglect, and it was finally closed at the height of the Beeching era of railway cuts in January 1965. Streetly Station itself was later converted into a garage workshop and was about to be demolished in 1996 to make way for flats.