(grid reference SP 009775 and SP 011774) (Longbridge)
(grid reference SP 011764) (Cofton Hackett)
The Austin Motor Co Ltd had many owners in the last 50 years and eventually was called MG/Rover but is perhaps best remembered as the home of the humble Austin 7 motor car. There has been an internal railway system for many years and dozens of locomotives have been based here. A full list is printed in the Industrial Railway Society "West Midlands" Handbook and it is not proposed to repeat this here. The following is a selection of photographs of the private railway taken on the occasion of a Society visit on 20th April 1996.
Sadly, the successor company, MG Rover Group, collapsed in April 2005 and the receivers were called in to try to save the company. As no buyer could be found the receivers had no choice but to close the business and liquidate the assets. Most of the workforce was made redundant after production ceased on 15/4/2005.
This is 'Emma' (Hunslet 8902 of 1978) in the exchange sidings that are located on part of the former Halesowen Railway.
This old Sentinel type locomotive (Rolls Royce 10221 of 1965) has now been scrapped.
This Thomas Hill locomotive (283V of 1978) was called 'Frankley' and has now been scrapped.
All photographs taken by Andrew Smith on 20th April 1996.
The Longbridge operations were sold off by the receiver and for a long time it seemed as though car production would vanish for ever from the Longbridge site. However, on 13th October 2006 Nanjing Automotive of China, who had purchased the MG brand name, announced that production of a new sports car to be called the MG TF would resume at Longbridge by the middle of 2007. Whilst car production did resume in 2008 sadly the railway system had by this time been dismantled.
Following the decision to demolish the old West Works at Longbridge, track recovery took place west of the workmen's station at Longbridge on the stub of the former Halesowen Railway. The line which formerly served the exchange sidings (see photograph of 'Emma' above and the new West Works was cut back to just beyond the old station.
The contractors were Carillion, Trackwork Ltd and BCL Rail. The diesel locomotives formerly owned by the MG Rover Group appear not to have been utilised but were still believed to be in the loco shed. Some photographs of the on-track plant used on this contract can be found on this page.
In 2008 all that remained of the railway was a very short stub connecting to the Birmingham & Gloucester line. Railways it appears do not feature in the ambitious plans for the re-development at Longbridge .
Andrew Smith