Digbeth's abandoned station and never used railway viaduct to nowhere

[@Samuel_J1]

I've always wanted something useful to happen with that viaduct. Whether a park, a cycle path or done other thing. Digbeth and the Lower Trinity St area is pretty decent for a night out but it does feel pretty grim when it quietens down.

[@ncooper8438]

The old viaduct is an eyesore and should be knocked down. Should have been done decades ago, what's the point in having a useless eyesore like that?

[@lewis72]

Interesting video. Music's a bit loud though; I blame those new media types.

[@martinalooksatthings]

There's nothing worse

[@ianhart3048]

Thanks Martina. Having lived in Birmingham in the 1980s and 1990s I'm always interested to see what's going on in my old stomping ground! That area has so much potential being so close to the city centre and it's crazy to think that actually not much has changed there since the 1980s. Good that the tram is getting down to Bordesley/Deritend/whatever it's called - maybe that will be the thing that finally kickstarts some widespread generation in that area.

[@mouf725]

You'ee right, I hope so too. Plus the Curzon Street station development as well - I really hope that it kickstarts some urban regeneration in the Eastside area (which if you ask me is crying out for it)

[@markwarner9676]

Yet another interesting and informative video 😊 keep up the good work Martina

[@martinalooksatthings]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LesD9]

Amazing how ineptly the Eastside development has happened/is happening compared with the way the Westside development took off. Mind you with the Council now having to find another £600-700m for their equal pay fiasco, I doubt much early progress will be made on the plans.

[@leswilliams5105]

As a kid in the early 60s I would trainspot on Bordesley Station. Local sevices to Leamington be they diesel or panier tank pulled steam used to stop there. The highlight was the 6pm weekday '6 o' Clock King' out of Snow Hill bound for Paddington. Always King class hauled it made a terrific noise as it plundered through the station.

[@buffi944]

Used to look at that viaduct going to school and wondered as to why it was never finished

[@Shaun30-3]

Great video Martina That viaduct looks sad and lonely

[@chairmakerPete]

The Luftwaffe should be invited back to re-landscape the area so Birmingham can have another go.

[@empirestate8791]

Seems like a good idea would be to build a rail trail on this viaduct and build lots of apartments in the surrounding areas to make them nicer. There seem to be a lot of older, dilapidated buildings that can be replaced with something nicer.

[@simpleNomadUK]

when you are THAT early to a video it plays in 360p as the 4k version hasn't fully uploaded!

[@Whiskey2shots]

With HS2 being built you could possibly build the station to increase traffic, but the tram might wnd that entirely

[@Beri1984]

Great and informative video's you do make! Great stuff and keep it going. Just one little request; in the next video's could you make sure the music is not overwhelming like in this video? I find it very distracting from the actual story. And at times due to the music it is, for me as a non native English speaker, difficult to make out what you just said without subtitles.

[@ianhalsall-fox]

Sky Parks are the best way of using abandoned elevated railways. New York being the most famous but Manchester and Leeds have established them. Sadly Bristol destroyed much of it''s former railway infrastructure which is also why the city struggles to secure any substantial rapid transit system apart from the MetroBus.

[@olivercooper1512]

I really enjoy your videos but the music in this one is distracting. Could it be turned down or, better still, off completely in future? Cheers!

[@fandangololo1855]

Great video. Could you turn the gain up a bit on your mic.

[@peddersmeister]

Love the addition of Transport Tycoon ! :D:D As others have said i understand it is used when Birmingham City Football Club play at home, so maybe "parliamentary plus" ;)

[@u1zha]

Nice idea with a sky park, could be attractive flats

[@MyKharli]

These days building a new railway is stupid expensive and slow , progress eh .

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

This Viduct goes back to the early day's of the Railway Mania when nthe Oxford and Wolverhampton Railway/ Great Western Railway did not hve their own station in Birmingham and were trying to get permision off the London & Birmingham Railway ? LNWR to see if the GWR could run their trains over this viaduct and into the new Birmingham New Street but this fell through and the GWR built Birmingham Snow Hill Station for their trains and this vderelict viaduct has stood ever since never ever having had a train run over it and there has never been a station at Digbeth unless you mean the Midland Red Coach Station

[@krashd]

What's the game at 1:24? Looks like Theo Town.

[@martinalooksatthings]

Oh that's OpenTTD; the open source version of Transport Tycoon

[@jascollinscork]

Wow interesting stuff so the derelict line was built before it got permission to join 🤔

[@et3ch851]

Interesting explanations, nice drone footages, and... nice soundtrack! (who did you pick it from?)

[@martinalooksatthings]

Thanks! It was from the KZbin audio library; Everet Almond - The Fallout, and half.cool - Virtual Roaming Charges

[@captainboing]

There IS nothing worse than NM types

[@martinalooksatthings]

So true

[@angelsone-five7912]

I often wondered why that viaduct just stopped seemingly going nowhere. Why anyone would want to go to Birmingham I can`t imagine, I only do cos I work there............

[@buffi944]

Most of the investors and inventers that built the old birmingham custard and all are no longer part of the town, that includes there generation's that was to follow. So in other words make more slums as that is all I see.

[@metatron007]

What a mess...

[@scottperry-e3o]

lopoca has been there

[@dinmorejunctionmodelrailway]

Another excellent video is spoilt by the load music drowning your voice and the information you're trying to convey. The visuals were great.

[@almostanengineer]

Could they have not made it a request stop, as opposed to a parliamentary station 🤔

[@martinalooksatthings]

It seems like such a waste as it is, I wonder how much demand there'd be if trains stopped there?

[@richardshaw2484]

​@@martinalooksatthings it used to occasionally be opened when Birmingham City play at home, though I'm not sure when that last happened (the opening not the football!)

[@faithlesshound5621]

Holding your arm out MAY make the bus stop, if the driver remembers, but I doubt that a train driver could.

[@grahamlane1313]

Its funny years ago there where trams and then someone thought they where too old so got rid of them .insteat just modernising them .but no it going to cost millions of pounds to put back all tram lines that where in first place

[@SaltleyLad]

Hi Martina I have a booklet dated February 2014 and it reports that in the Birmingham Post dated 27/2/2014 regarding turning the Duddeston Viaduct into a sky park with funding from HS2. I expect it to be another 9 years before it happens ( if it ever does)

[@martinalooksatthings]

They will do the sky park as soon as they've finished regenerating Birmingham

[@argr08]

The algorithms do well for me 👍

[@Steven.Cartwright]

Another good video

[@MePeterNicholls]

Music tooooo much. But good details

[@buffi944]

It's disgusting to see the way them arches are in neglect and the arti farts need to be moved on.

[@LawnmowerJoe]

Hate New Media types, simple as.

[@martinalooksatthings]

There's nothing worse

[@nickgower8681]

Bordesley station was once a good station. GWR

[@Domdeone1]

More graffiti than the Bronx, blame the media types hah

[@matthewchang6263]

Poop trains