Railways in Worcestershire

RAILWAYS IN WORCESTERSHIRE
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GREAT MALVERN STATION
Grid Reference: SO 783457
Great Malvern Station is without doubt the finest station in Worcestershire. It was designed by local architect, Edward Wallace Elmslie. Much of the original remains including many of the fine decorated pillars. Sadly as shown above the signs from London Midland presented a rather bland effort.
This photograph of Churchward-designed "4300 class" 2-6-0 mixed traffic steam locomotive No.7324 arriving at Great Malvern Station about 1958 is a particularly interesting one as on the right-hand side of the photograph the 'down' bay platforms can be seen. At this time they were used mostly for the "Pigeon Specials"  which arrived from the Black Country with homing pigeons which were then unloaded onto the platform and released by a porter. When it was built this locomotive carried No.9302 but had been renumbered shortly before Tim Farebrother took the photograph. Earlier locomotives of this class were built without side windows. The locomotive was allocated to Olk Oak Common Shed and so had presumably been borrowed for this local working.
This photograph of Worcester based ex-GWR Railcar No.W20W shows it leaving Great Malvern Station on a service to Worcester in about 1960. No.W20W was withdrawn from service soon therafter and dumped on Worcester Shed but was saved from the breakers torch. Note that there was a Home signal on the approach to the station on the 'down' line and this can be seen clearly in Tim Farebrother's photograph.
On a very cold 20th December 2010, First Great Western HST class 43 No.43188 pulls steadily away from Great Malvern with the very late running 10:22 service from London Paddington to Hereford.
Also on 20th December 2010 London Midland class 170 diesel multiple unit No.170632 faces up to blizzard conditions as it waits to depart from Great Malvern with the late running 13:41 Hereford to Birmingham New Street service. The train had been re-scheduled to terminate at Droitwich Spa due to snow problems at Bromsgrove. Photograph by Andrew Smith.

First Great Western class 165/1 two-car diesel multiple unit No.165111 (car No.58926 at this end) waits for right time before departing with the 14:34 service from Great Malvern to Paddington. The unit had arrived from Paddington a few minutes previously and had reversed direction at Malvern Wells. Photograph taken by Andrew Smith on 19th August 2010.
This hybrid class 158 three-car diesel multiple unit consisted of car No.52748 (from No.158748) and all of No.158768. This unit had arrived from Brighton and after reversal formed the 14:51 from Great Malvern to Weymouth. At the 'Down' platform is two-car London Midland livery diesel multiple unit No.170512 (No.50512 is leading) with the 13:49 from Birmingham New Street to Hereford. Photograph taken by Andrew Smith on 19th August 2010.
On Saturdays only the 12:23 First Great Western service from Southampton Central to Great Malvern operated, during 2010/11, with a hired South West Trains two-car class 158 diesel multiple unit as seen here at Great Malvern on Saturday 18th June 2011. The train returned from Great Malvern, at 16:51, to Westbury.
On Thursday 8th August 2013 the 18:50 First Great Western service (train code No.2T97) from Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads was made up of class 153 railcar No.153325, still painted London Midland livery, and hybrid three-car class 150/9 diesel multiple unit No.150927 consisting of both parts of class 150/0 No.150127 and car No.57209 from 150/2 set No.150209. All four cars had previously been used on Centro sponsored services in the West Midlands.
This interesting late night photograph was taken by Andrew Smith on 18th June 2016 and shows EWS livery class 66 diesel locomotive No.66128 with a ballast train from Bescot to Malvern in connection with the relaying of track at Malvern Wells.  The engineering possession started just beyond the 'up' platform and the photograph shows the staff being briefed before the train was allowed into the section.
Most people would overlook this most interesting sign from the British Transport Commission which can be found on the wall of the garden area opposite to the main entrance to the station. Photograph taken by Andrew Smith in February 2019.
Andrew Smith took the two pictures (above) on Thursday 26th Febraury 2021 during a rare period of bright sunshine. On the left is an exterior view of the station buildings whilst the one on the right shows the overgrown trackbed of the former "parcels" siding at the Malvern Wells end of the "up" platform.
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