Bearley / Claverdon Request Stops
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The stations of Bearley and Claverdon in Warwickshire are managed by West Midlands Railway, and yet it is Chiltern Trains that provide the regular service at these stations, and not on request.
Except once a day there is just ONE early morning West Midlands Railway train that does stop ... and for that one service, the stations then become request stops.
Download my Request Stop Map here: geofftech.co.u...
That's my station!
1) It is indeed Beerley not Barely
2) Those are new signs
3) That help point was put in after I had to get the direct phone number for the control room because there was no information at all and trains scheduled to stop would rush past to catch up time leaving us stranded before school.
I'm guessing the telephone, help-point and passenger display all went in at the same time and use the same phone cable.
I also live in Bearley! It's a great little station and my partner and I have used it many times, especially on our interailling trip where we started on the one direct service to Marylebone 😂.
I wonder though if passenger numbers would increase if ALL WM trains could be requested (as so many go through)? Would be handy to get into Brum direct. If it was turned into a Park&Ride for Stratford and Leam it would make a lot of sense being next to the A3400...
Hey ho, pipe dreams I suppose!
You missed a little gem, just a couple of minutes cycle ride from Bearley station is the Edstone aqueduct , the longest cast iron aqueduct in England - it also crosses the railway and there's a pipe that the steam trains used to use to take water from the canal to fill up their boilers
Martin Bissell Yep! That Geoff doesn’t always do his homework..... 😂😂😂
George Pearson - the Edstone Aqueduct sits in a pound that’s almost 3 miles between locks so there’s an awful lot of water available. I’d imagine that the volume of water taken by a steam train would be far less than a single lock change so its impact would be minimal. The aqueduct was designed with this feature built in as presumably it provided a mutual benefit to both the canal owner and the railway as I guess they didn’t get the water for nothing.
George Pearson yep 👍
Its just after the Navigation pub on the A34 Stratford road isnt it? Where the cut goes over the road
I drive trains on this line... Not many get on at Bearley but it’s a cracking line, out of the way
David B.
I've recently moved to Southport from the SW London/Surrey boarders.
I think it must be the same for the Northern drivers on the trains to Blackburn or Leeds. Not long after leaving Southport you are in some stunning scenery between Southport and Wigan. Further along the route there are beautiful places like Todmorden or Hebden Bridge. Countryside, old mill and industrial towns with gorgeous stone buildings. Must be so different to driving a train into cities like Birmingham or London. Must be a joy to go to work.
Nice one! Please can you tell your colleagues to arrive on timr for 0716 at Cradley please ;) i’m joking as I kmow you have zero control over that 🙃
I used to be a guard on this line, and we used to stop in the morning with the empty stock from Leamington to Stratford at Bearley signal box and drop off drinking water in large plastic containers....
Chiltern or WMT? My dad's a driver on this line for WMT, been on it since the Central days.
@@IDeltic Not sure if your question was aimed at me Deltic, but if it was, I was there when it was BR....happy days...
FIRST! Geoff, i live in Northern Ireland and you recently inspired me to do all the stations here. I am only 12 but i love trains and your videos. ❤❤ xx
Well done keep train hunting 😊
My local (when I'm visiting my parents) station! Bearley used to be an actual stop that was serviced several times a day, but I only ever used it say, 3 or 4 times growing up. Best memory from the area though was when the Flying Scotsman did it's run to Stratford about 16 years ago or so, and my Grandad and Uncle speaking to the farmer to get us into his field looking onto the line where the Marylebone/Birmingham lines split, and getting to watch it steam through.
It's amazing to see pictures of what Bearley was like in it's heyday with sidings and all sorts going on, very hard to imagine why it even had it in the first place with just how empty the area really is now, there's barely anything business-wise, apart from 2 pubs and a storage yard with a window seller adjacent to it.
I used to catch the train daily from Claverdon in the 1960s to Birmingham. There were 2 direct trains in the morning and the ticket office was open. About 1970 the route was singled and the service suffered so i started to use nearby Hatton instead.
I came back from London via Leamingtona to Stratford a couple of weeks ago and three people got off at Claverdon. Rush Hour!
Bearley used to manned and used to receive parcels. I used to live in Snitterfield late 1950s and had some day old chickens delivered to Bearley and because we didn't have any transport ourvicar collected them for us
My dad was station Master at Wilmcote and we lived in the Station House ( not as grand as it is now). I used to ride my bike down that path coming home from school !!
Keith Mayhew amazing!! when was that how long ago?
@@geofftech2 Back in the late1960s. We also lived in the station house in Bearley for 2 months waiting for the house in Wilmcote to become vacant. Memories !!
oh my, wonderful! proper memory lane for you then .. yes! Wilmcote station was delightful and charming.
@@geofftech2 Indeed, keep up the good work I really enjoy following you both on your adventures.
All those cameras you keep leaving around the places you go to... Some people must be really grateful! ;)
Cannot believe that it is so light-filled at 630am there!
That was Geoff Marshall with "All the Bikes" ... hahaha
Surely doesn't look like the station I new growing up there in early 60s. Thanks for creating this and Martin is right the canal aqueducts are worth a look. As I remember the Edistone one was very high with the tow path that between Stratford upon Avon and Birmingham if memory. Serves me correctly. And the road.below was the A-34.
I’ve only ever stopped at Bearley once and that was due to my Step-Dad planning to pick me up at Claverdon but when I rang him, he was closer to Bearley at the time so it was a win win for us both!
You were right, us locals call it "Beer Lee". BTW we think the pipe from the canal down to the "All Sta " branch was the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine's fish in the tank story.
Great video! I should think a Claverdon to Bearley single ticket is quite rare!
Welcome to the world of quaint one-platform stations! Nice to see Geoff in shorts
/r/SuddenlyGay/
The main road is the old A34 from Birmingham-Stratford, which is why it's so busy at that time of the morning!
Great video.
The original Claverdon station was on the far side of the road bridge. When the line was doubled the new station was constructed on the south side of the bridge.
Bearley used to have a triangular junction that allowed trains to travel between Birmingham and Leamington/London. There was also a bay platform behind the platform that's currently in use.
The Warwickshire Railways web site is well worth a look to see pictures of the stations in their full glory (no connection other than as a satisfied customer). Although you have to wonder how such tiny places could ever justify such large stations.
Geoff - the road outside Bearley is tha A3400. Prior to the opening of the M40 it was the A34 midlands to Dorset road. The road number changes where the M40 is crossed and the A34 is swallowed up by the M40 until just outside Oxford when it suddenly reapears.
bearley was a triangular junction, only two sides remain. Tthird side was filled in with household rubbbishh and momentarily joined the current line via Henley before branching off Via Great Alne and Broom J unction If you follow the Archers Broom junction was Borchester junction and the soap followed the closing in fiction as in real life. Borchester is modelled on Alcester
I used to drive through Claverdon on my way to work. (Leamington to Henley - sadly no direct trains between those two stations)
I Bearley know what I'm doing!
🤣
Looks a very picturesque line, especially on a quiet summer's morning.
You can't blame Beeching for everything! The Alcester-Hatton branch closed in 1951. The road past Bearley was originally part of the A34 from Winchester to Manchester. When the M40 was built they incorporated the A34 into the M40/M42 route between Oxford/Bicester and Solihull and renumbered the old road as the A3400. I assume it was then effectively 'declassified' as a main 'A' road.
So Ernie Marples is the guilty party then.
@@Peasmouldia Only partly - he wasn't Minister of Transport until 1959. Many of the Beeching cuts actually happened after he left BR under the Wilson government.
@@silenthunteruk Granted. I guess I was thinking more about his road building enterprise, Marples construction.
You should go to Brampton a request stop on the Ipswich to Lowestoft line, lovely little station and lovely rural line
Must admit, found the explanation of trains to and from confusing but wonderful stations. Probably bit late to start now but a US rail site I follow enters the map location for viewers to check out.
Congratulations of that timing at the beginning!!!! Interesting vid as well
@Geoff Marshall There is Elizabeth line branding at morgate station on the hammersmith and city east bound platform! Not a roundal but the line direction signs and some random purple bars :D
Oh the intro, well done that man
Watching a new Geoff video is like taking a good dump. When the alert arrives in the inbox, it takes you by surprise but you know it will be good stuff. It is also best to be savoured and not rushed so every moment is enjoyed. You breathe a sigh of joy when it is finished and can't wait till another one arrives for your viewing pleasure. Keep up the good work.
Love that part of the world, great video. I think the Bearley to Alcester line closed before the Beeching cuts in the 60's. My grandad was a fireman with GWR then became a signal box man and bought 'Station House' at Great Alne & turned it into an incredible family home. I think that line closed early 50's
At first I was a bit confused when he said he was going to cycle back to Stratford. I thought: "Well, isn't this like 150 miles away or something?" Than I realised he meant Stratford-upon-Avon, which is 5 miles away....
Which Stratford were you thinking of?
@@thomasmann9216 The district in the East End of London.
What a lovely little station
Now you've just declared the phones at both stations to be working watch them get vandalised lol
I'm with Martin. Great views of the track from the aqueduct. Best from a boat. Enjoyed it muchly! Thanks Geoff.
Hi, I'd really recommend you go to Dovey Junction in Machynlleth, it's in a really unique place, and the line up to Pwllheli has an awful lot of request stops!
here: ruclips.net/video/hE9EDZuRdUs/видео.html
Although we love to moan and complain about our rail service in the UK, we can't forget how lucky we are to actually be so well connected. Although there's always room for improvement, we are so lucky to have so many rail stations and so many lines webbed across our countryside and cities alike. There are few countries as well connected as ours are, especially when considering our size. I'd be very interested to see what the international 'Rail Stations per capita' rankings are! Thanks for sharing! :)
The UK has it so much better train wise compared to Australia. Although your ticket prices are astronomical when compared to Australia also UK train concessions are less generous than in Australia. An example of the price difference was London to Preston one way in 1st class was AUD$ 400. vrs Melbourne to Brisbane one way of about $300 with a huge difference in traveling time of 3 hours vrs 28 hours!
I actually worked the signal box at Bearley until it sadly closed in 2010.
Another reason it probably has such low passenger numbers is any sane person in the Stratford area (town or just outside) will drive to Warwick Parkway, Leamington or Banbury and pick up the train there.
On my side of Stratford (wrong side of river) I can be at Banbury station in the time it takes to get to Stratford station if the traffic is horrendous!
I subbed and then my friend found your channel and subbed too! I've been watching since 2013 when I was 6 but I subbed in 2015 when I found out you could.
Wait, you literally have to flag down the train like a bus?! So the train has to run at a severely reduced speed to be able to stop for you...yikes. I assumed there was some sort of electronic request system to alert the driver.
Which is why request stops only happen where the trains' speed is limited and the driver has a clear view as to whether anyone is hailing it. Not sure why it's a request stop for WM only - could it be because they have guards and Chiltern don't (so you can't ask him to stop)
@@norbitonflyer5625 Chiltern Railways do have guards north of Banbury.
5:08 those London Overground trains look so good with a proper livery
Stumbling across this video was so strange - for 7 years when growing up I used to live literally just across the road from Claverdon station. It's so underused that I can only remember getting the train once at that station. Two of my oldest childhood memories:
1) Getting the train down to Stratford-upon-Avon to go shopping on my 7th birthday.
2) We lived right next to the train line; every Sunday afternoon in the summer, a steam train would come along, and we'd always try and peek over the fence to get a look - always a highlight.
Also two pronunciation notes (others have mentioned): Alcester is pronounced (Al-ster), and Bearley is (Beer-ly).
Not to far from Bearley is Edstone Aquaduct on the Stratford on Avon Canal. Longest in England and crosses the mainline from Stratford to Birmimgham. Well worth a look.
I love how you edit your videos
Great video!
I cycle round there a lot.
It’s like bandit country round there.
Interesting, in what way is it like bandit country?
I feel a new series coming on - Least used request stops!!!
Great vid... Close to me in Stratford. I'm surprised a least used isn't Danzey, which, i think, is also a request stop
Geoff knows how to pronounce Marylebone correctly! I also know but I still say Marry-le-bun. I don't know why.
As a few comments have pointed out. The main road is the A3400 formally A34 but know as the Stratford Road, Obviously going from Birmingham to Stratford.About 1/2 way along is Hockley Heath which has, or at least had, the highest House number in Britain 2679. The area is sparsely populated. Although it is close to a main road, there are a lot of other stations better placed for Park and Ride. I guess you will be doing Wooton Wawen on request stops. It will be worth doing Edstone Aqueduct then.
Could you please do a video about the purple line and what’s happening with it?
I mean nothing's happening with it... It's still just.... Going along... Too late to stop or change it so it'll run its course late as ever...
@Mitchell Johnson Are you thinking of HS2? Pretty sure Crossrail is definiteley "going ahead".
Hi Geoff, I live in Alcester and its actually pronounced 'Ul-ster' (like the one in Ireland) not 'Al-ces-ster'.... weird I know but its a common mistake people make. Great Video!
When I went to the Tyseley open day the other day I got on at Wilmcote! I planned to go to Stratford Parkway, but it wasn't in the car satnav... Of course my route diverged soon at Bearley junction.
Geoff there has been a timetable change today and now you can get one train ( i think its only one) from Bearley and Claverdon to Birmingam and on to Stourbridge Junction by West Midland Trains and one returning
Expected Geoff to come skidding in on his bike at the start
I hope you got a ticket for the whole journey from the conductor :) . Lovely rural vid though.
Some nice old pictures of Bearley station easily found on Google. The station house looks pretty much the same as it did in the 1910s. Pity the station itself is a shadow of its former glory.
I believe there are two evening/afternoon wmr request services now as well
The Hawthorns station in Birmingham has a working permit to travel machine.
A lot of stations in Birmingham have working permit to travel machines!
@@RBXTrains never knew that lol. Im from london so its very rare to see them
Northern have put in new platform ticket machines, even at stations that didn't previously have them. They are card only, no cash. If you have no card, the ticket machine can issue a 'promise to pay' ticket.
No ticket or promise to pay, and you could get a penalty fare instead. Which, prior to having ticket facilities at some stations, they couldn't do.
It’s in West Bromwich surely
"What's this place called?"
"It's Bearley. A train station."
"I can see that, but what.'s it called...?"
Bdum-tss.
You’ll get your coat...😊
Sadly, as a local I can confirm it's actually pronounced Beer-ly. The train announcer was wrong
Nice quiet station
I have British ancestry on my dad's side from West Midlands, cool to see and learn more about request stops there
Have you worked out the local railway stations for All The Ancestors?
Great video Geoff, thank you. In 1925 Bearley provided employment for 16 people, check out
www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/bearley.htm
for more info and photos, there’s a lot of history in those two stations.
Liked the way they sprayed in white paint, Mind the Gap.
Another fun vid. I think Alcester is pronounced more like all sta
It should be pronounced that way, (I've always pronounced it 'Allster', just like Leicester is 'Lester') but most people I know in the Birmingham area do actually pronounce it as written!
I was corrected Geoff as I listened, then realised I had headphone on! Looked like a loon
As a local I can confirm it is Al-ster. 🙂
@@clairebriggs4333 Thanks Claire for confirming that. I don't know why most of my brummy friends pronounce is 'Alsuster' but they do.
I live in Bartlesville Oklahoma where we have 2 trains a year! Special tourist runs. Always sold out. The train runs backwards to return!
Forgot to mention the two runs are on the same day.
Another two request stops, TICK ✅
I love seeing the English country side - it's so, well, English
Great video mate 😊
You are right; the PA was wrong. It's pronounced BEER-ley. You were also right in guessing that the building you saw there used to be the stationmaster's house. Bearley was a junction station for the Alcester branch, which closed in 1951 (well ahead of the Beeching cuts; it had also been closed during both world wars).
I’ve recently started watching your videos and really enjoy them. I was wondering if you’ve even visited Ilkeston station. It’s quite new and not much to see but still a big deal for a town that used to have three stations before having none. Also the viaduct is a stones throw. It’s an important landmark and there’s a lot of support for its renovation so that it can be part of an cycle route.
This is Bearley comprehendible.
I went to Littlehampton last week for a RNIB and Southern day. Shown how a blind or visually impaired person should flag down a train so that they can get assistance from the guard.
Need to get you two over the pond and ride the NEC trains.
National Exhibition Centre
New series name 'Geoff Marshall's Secret Stations'
With those pax figures it could well be one of the 4 local commuters retiring and after a year or so someone else decided to go to work by train.
Sorry to be pedantic, but the Claverdon branch leaves the Chiltern main line at Hatton, rather than Lapworth.
Do they count as Parliamentary request stops then?
Bearley / barely puns avoided... wait, I wrote that too soon.
Another interesting video. You emphasise making your intent clear on the platform to stop the train, but I don't recall you showing the conversation with the Guard/Conductor when on board to stop at a request stop. Is this perhaps due to "privacy" reasons and the Guard doesn't want to be on camera?
Something interesting to note about WMR and small stops: Polesworth has had updated signs and new paint for some reason. Hmm...
That drop in 300 passengers a year means one person NOT commuting from there?
Class 168 trains from London Marylebone
Bearley village is not really that near the station which doesn't help patronage and if you do walk that far then you may as well catch the bus to Stratford instead as that runs hourly at the moment. In fact the buses along the A34 / A3400 have been far more frequent than the trains for decades. I lived on the outskirts of "Beer ley" for a time in the 80's as a kid and we would always catch the bus due to the better frequency.
2-in-one!
"Bearley" anyone gets off there!
That pun is so bad, I can ”Bearley” even handle it!
I think that pun will ‘polar’-ise opinion
@@buksi6342 It was 'Bearley' a pun!
Sadly, as a local I can confirm it's actually pronounced Beer-ly. The train announcer was wrong
Class 168 > Class 172. Change my mind.
Was that class 168 train going through to London Marylebone from Stratford upon Avon or was it the 2 hour shuttle service to Leamington spa?
1:22 shuttle
nice
Eh, I don't like the station signs with the tiny double-arrow logo. Should be a full white-on-red double arrow with the operator below it. Look at ScotRail stations for how to do it right.
K.o.R I agree with you on that one. There should be a single identity for all English TOC’s, as per Scotrail. Stop the wasting of huge amounts of money on rebrandings and refurbishments with operator logo’s all over the place. Shame the DfT can’t seem to get a grip on that.....
It's Bearley sparse (I'm here all week and I recommend the fish)
next Request stop Dilton marsh nice video geoff
I do find it funny, and not in the amusing way, that stations can be managed by one TOC, yet most or all the services are provided by a different TOC. The situation here reminds me of the route from Salisbury to Southampton. Stations managed by First GWR, yet, until the franchise changed, it was only Stagecoach SWT services that served all the stations , while GWR only served stops like Romsey.
Likewise on the West Coast, stations managed by Virgin, yet other TOCs actually provide far more of the services.
Much prefer routes such as Merseyrail, where they run and manage the entire system with their own staff running the stations. At least there's no conflict of interest and the stations are manned the way the operator wants and isn't reliant on another TOCs staff.
Just doesn't make sense, the whole franchise system is screwy.
It's "BARE-LY" (it always has been) and ALL-STER (almost "Ulster").
Marcomanseckisax it is indeed Bare-ly as there’s a Beoley near redditch.
Nope. It's Beerley. I grew up there.
@@david131092 what bugged me more though was Alcester - I come from Leicester and have traumatic memories of Americans mangling the name of my town.
Marcomanseckisax defo Allster.
I only call it Barely to distinguish between Beoley & Bearley. Because there two roads known to cyclists as bearley drag & Beoley drag. & it’s a pain when they get mixed up...
@@SallyLePage That is what Wikipedia says as well.
So is it a ghost station? Is it need to buy tickets before or during the trip?
I hope this doesn't sound stupid nor that someone has already asked but if Bearley is a request stop, how did the driver know to stop to let Geoff off?
He would ask the guard or conductor either when he got on the train (so at Claverdon) or when they came down the train to inspect tickets. The guard then informs the driver that they need to stop there.
Thank you. I didn't know how quickly the Conductor moves through the train given it was only a 4 minute journey... Apologies if I have got that wrong.
@@shavedphilNo worries. It is sometimes possible (but I don't think it occurs here due to the type of train I believe) that the guard gets off the train when it stops (they may operate the doors and ensure a safe departure) and then you would inform them then. If not, as there's only one person who has got on then the guard doesn't need to walk all the way through to check tickets as would occur with a larger station with more passengers getting on.
What camera do you use?
I’m wondering what other single-track stations have a track-lifted disused platform opposite? A local one near me, South Woodham Ferrers, has this
Several on the line between Salisbury and Exeter, which used to be the LSWR's main line. Another example is Chessington South, intended as a through station and built accordingly, but the extension was never built (construction suspended during WW2 and never resumed because of Green belt legislation) so only one platform was ever used.
Sorry for my ignorance but how do you request a stop while on the train?
& why in the 21st century is there not a more technological solution than holding one's arm out fir the train driver to see?
Are both those phones payphones? Can you have yourself at Bearley and call someone at Claverdon?
-Brad
South Coast Level Crossings the number for Bearley is 01789 730485
Both looked to have numbers on them 😃
@@fgwHST43009 If the phone rings at 3:18 am tomorrow - don't worry as it's probably me phoning from NZ...
Do all the stations for miniature railways
I was born in Warwick!