7th January 2010
The overall plan for the West Midland Lines is continually (well, spoadically) changing and evolving. The underlying idea is to model a chunk of railway rather than just one station, and model a big enough chunk that trains go from somewhere to somewhere else.
This is a recent(ish) version of the track plan.
To the right is Birmingham Bull Street - a four platform terminus for London Midland local services and Chiltern Railways services to London. Alongside the main line there is a small London Midland multiple unit depot.
At the bottom the line runs into Sparkbrook where the main line from Birmingham New Street and points north west and east joins (OK, the fiddle yard).
Moving round there is a complex junction where the Bull Street and New Street lines merge, a branch drops down to Moor Lane Steel Terminal and another spur goes off to an intermodal yard before we pass Bentley Heath station.
Running along the top there is a hidden reversing spur for some London Midland services before we reach Hatton. This is the terminus for the London Midland services, although there is a branch shuttle to Stratford. Chiltern services carry on to London (what was to be the fiddle yard, but is now going to be another terminus) along with freight services, Cross Country Voyagers and Wrexham & Shropshire services.
