British Railways Class 94XX 0-6-0T Pannier tank 9466 and Class 57XX 0-6-0T Pannier tank 9600 top and tail the 09:45 1Z57 Tyseley Steam Trust to Stratford-upon-Avon "Pannier Rambler" with plenty of exhaust on show. Things were currently going to plan, but 9600 would suffer a hot box at Stratford and the train ended up leaving said station almost an hour late.
Hall Green Station was opened on 9th December 1908 and had extensive passenger and goods facilities. A covered foot bridge linked the two platforms and on the down side also provided access onto the adjacent road. The main platform building was located on the Birmingham (up) side, with a smaller waiting room and toilets on the other side. The main building was 106 foot long and housed respectively from south to north; the station master’s office, parcels office and cloakroom, booking office, booking hall, general waiting room, ladies waiting room with a ladies toilet and the gentlemen’s toilets. Access to the offices and waiting rooms was from the platform side only. Both buildings were red brick and their roofs were integral with the platform canopy.
Although there was no goods shed, a lock up and 3 ton crane were provided in the goods yard behind the Birmingham platform. In 1929 facilities were provided for general goods traffic, coal traffic, unloading horse boxes and prize cattle vans and a free cartage service was provided to Hall Green village. By 1956 the goods yard boasted facilities for unloading horse boxes, furniture vans, carriages, motor cars and other machinery. Ten years later, several of the sidings were removed, with all removed by 19th April 1969 and the area was subsequently converted into the station car park.
From the start a Signal Box was located close to the end of the down platform and in addition being a Block box this controlled access to the good yard and private sidings. In the 1930s the normal weekday/Saturday opening times were from 5:30am to 1:00am. The box was a Great Western Type 7d Signal Box, brick built with a hipped roof and internal staircase. It had 29 levers. Adjacent to the Signal box was a trailing point to a private siding belonging to E Farmer. By 1929 this siding belonged to Builders and General Traders (EJ. Smith & Co.), Metals Ltd and also served British & Saar Steel Co Ltd. This siding was removed 30th May 1965. A second private siding is recorded as belonging to William E Farrer Ltd and Standard Pavements Co Ltd, which according to Paul Townsend, whose father was between 1968 and 1981, was located next to the premises at the end of a short road called Welby Road.
In the 1930s the goods traffic to and from Hall Green was heavy enough to require a dedicated daily shunting and trip engine. This engine left Tyseley shed at 3:15pm every weekday to work an empty Parcels vans train to Shirley arriving at 3:30pm. Here it picked up a Goods Brake Van and proceeded back to Hall Green where it was required to carry out shunting duties. At 6:55pm it left Hall Green with a loaded ‘J’ headcode ‘Through Freight’ train for Tyseley arriving at 7:02pm. After performing a local duty at Tyseley, the engine and Brake Van travelled to Bordesley to haul the 9:00pm ‘run as required ‘J’ headcode ‘Through Freight’ train back to Hall Green arriving at 9:12pm. After the engine had returned to shed, the brake van was forwarded to Shirley on the 10:25am morning goods service.
