On Wednesday 10th May 2023 I attended the show at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, together with one of my friends from Bath who travelled independently by train. We both alighted at Birmingham International station which is a short walk under cover from the Exhibition Centre.
Getting there from Bath
My friend had an interesting journey so I've added a few notes. Bath to Gloucester was by a GWR diesel multiple unit. According to the Railcam.UK 'app' (there's a brief introduction to this 'app' here), this was reporting number 2E53 from Warminster to Great Malvern, making 14 intermediate stops (including Bath), taking just under 2 hours for the whole journey. At Bristol Temple Meads, he was surprised to find 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' with its support coach standing on the siding adjacent to platform 3. Afterwards, we found out a little more about this steam working (see 'The Welsh Marches Express' below). On arrival at Gloucester he had a short wait before catching a Cross Country 'Voyager' - the 08:45 from Cardiff, reporting number 1M01, 09:49 Gloucester, due in Birmingham New Street at 10:45 before going forward to Nottingham (due 12:04). The final leg was another Cross Country 'Voyager' - the 09:25 from Manchester, reporting number 1O12 leaving Birmingham New Street at 11:05 and due at Birmingham International just seven minutes later.
Getting there from Wolverhampton
I took the bus from Brewood to Wolverhampton at 09:35 and walked to the railway station. I suppose I have given up expecting to see much progress on the tram extension to the railway station but it was notable that Railway Drive was not teeming with the usual orange-clad workers. In fact, railway drive had been cleared of construction debris and the flangeways of the track were clean. Near the station, the area had been paved over, making it much easier for pedestrians to reach the station buildings, and the double-track tramway now swept right before the lines converged on a headshunt provided with a rather basic platform with awning. A few workmen with plant were still present in the headshunt area. There was no evidence of any overhead electrification so I decided it would be premature to imagine that actual running trams were imminent.
My rail journey was simple as the 09:25 from Manchester was routed via Wolverhampton, due 10:39. Just before the train arrived, the platform was swopped from 2 to 3 (to allow a down train into platform 2) but since platforms 2 and 3 form an island, it was no great inconvenience to passengers. We had a signal stop in New Street North Tunnel for a couple of minutes, waiting for a platform. Passengers waiting to board, including my friend, found that the platform announced previously had suddeenly swopped but my friend and I met up for the short journey to Birminham International.
The Welsh Marches Express
I don't follow main line steam specials but a quick check with the Railcam.UK 'app' showed movement 5Z65 leaving Bishops Lydeard at 05:43 so I presumed the locomotive had been prepared on the West Somerset Railway and made its way with the Support Coach to Bristol.
60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' and Support Coach at Bristol Temple Meads on 10th May 2023 prior to 'Welsh Marches Express' (Photo: S. Morris): Bristol Area Rail.
My friend found the piece in the 'Shropshire Star' detailing the Paignton-Shrewsbury and return 'Welsh Marches Express'. As 1Z65, this had left Paignton at 05:45, diesel hauled, picking up passengers at various stations to Bristol. With the steam locomotive taking over, 1Z65 was due to leave at 09:14, head north through Filton then joining the Great Western Main Line west at Patchway, through the Severn Tunnel and continuing almost to Newport where the train was to take the eastern leg of the Maindee Triangle to reach the route to Abergavenny and Hereford. The schedule allowed two hours to Hereford, where the train was to pause for 50 minutes (a 'water stop' I assume). Another hour was allowed to reach Shrewsbury, due 13:05.
The 'Shropshire Star' had helpfully added a link to the detailed timings on the RTT 'app' (a similar 'app' to Railcam.UK, also using Open Rail data provided by Network Rail) so I was able to look at how the journey to Shrewsbury turned out. The diesel-hauled train arrived in Bristol just 5 minutes late but by the time 60007 was attached and joining passengers boarded, departure was 15 minutes late. Arrival at the Maindee Triangle was only 7 minutes late but, since the steam special had been booked to pause at Maindee North Junction whilst a conflicting movement cleared, the steam special was 'right time' setting off on the Welsh Marches Line. However, the train had lost 20 minutes by Abergavenny, with no improvement by Hereford. Further time was lost during the stop at Hereford and departure was 41 minutes 'down'. By Craven Arms, the arrears had increased to 50 minutes and arrival at Shrewsbury was at 14:01, 56 minutes late. And, later that day, the return journey would operate! Nobody should imagine running main line steam specials is easy.
The Exhibition
'Railtex' and 'Infrarail' had resumed after the Covid-19 Panemic in 2022 and there's a brief post here on that event.
In 2023, security personnel were again positioned on the broad, covered overhead walkway connecting the railway station to the Exhibition Centre, checking bags and the indications from two metal detector portals. As both my friend and I were pre-registered, admission merely required do-it-yourself scanning of the pre-registration 'QR' code which immediately printed card visitor badge for attachment to a lanyard selected from an adjacent dump bin. A number of ladies in formal suits were on hand to provide assistance, if required.
'Railtex', bills itself as an 'international exhibition of railway equipment, systems and services' and the stands occupied around 3/4 of Hall 3 (which is around 121m x 90m). The term 'Infrarail' seems to have been discontinued. Stands covered the range of topics I expected although a number of familiar names were absent and there were many unfamiliar names, often from Europe. My friend and I spent a few hours touring the stands, taking in one of the presentations in the Conference Zone. As my friend had specific further meetings planned, we split-up and I returned home by train.
We both found the visit useful but there's not the air of excitement which once seemed to permeate these exhibitions (or am I just getting old?). One exhibitor commented that the previous day had been quiet but the day we attended, it was busy without being 'jammed'.
Getting back to Wolverhampton
From a rail and air point of view the National Exhibition Centre has an excellent location. A few minutes walk and you're at a main-line railway station. A few more minutes on the Air-Rail Link and you're at the International Airport. The Air-Rail Link is an automatic, cable-hauled people mover which replaced the original 'Maglev' system. There's a Wikipedia article on the Air-Rail Link here. The location is perhaps not quite so ideal from a road transport view, requiring large numbers of vehicles each with few passengers to have access to and from the location together with parking facilities.
When I got back to Birmingham Unternational station, information displays showed all sorts of trains (most with delays posted), but I couldn't discern a simple answer to the question "which is the best train to get me back to Wolverhampton?". There were lots of passengers around, but I couldn't see any staff. Without much confidence, I selected the 15:08 Holyhead service, off platform 5. I found a TfW class 158 (reporting number 1D15) standing at the platform and joined the few passengers aboard. As departure time neared, quite an influx of passengers boarded and we left, a few minutes late quite well-loaded.
At Birmingham New Street, we stood for a few minutes and, when a 'Pendolino' which had followed us ran in to an adjacent platform, I fully expected it to precede us to Wolverhampton before I realised it was terminating at New Street. I was surprised when a class 66 appeared from the Holliday Street tunnel with a long freight train and sedately made its way through the station and into New Street South Tunnel. Railcam.UK identified this working as 6E11 starting from Appleford at 11:07 routed via Didcot, Swindon, Gloucester, Birmingham and Derby ultimately reaching Milford Junction West, south of York. Further research later showed that Hanson Asphalt have a manufacturing site at Appleford which imports coarse aggregate by rail, so the train was probably 'empties' returning north.
We left Birmingham New Street with just one booked stop at Sandwell and Dudley before Wolverhampton but we were following the Walsall-Woverhampton 'all stations' reporting number 2W36 which slowed our progress, eventually bringing us to a brief standstill at Monmore Green. Once 2W36 had 'tucked himself' into bay platform 5, I expected us to move into the station, but we were held again at the final signal before the station (4271) whilst a 'Pendolino' running as Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) was crossed in front of us from platform 1 to the Up Main towards Birmingham. With platform 1 now available, my train was finally able to proceed into the station.
My local railway pictures
West Midland Railways.
