Stourbridge Railway
The Stourbridge Railway was a small independent railway company in England which existed between 1860, and 1870 when it was taken over by the Great Western Railway (GWR). The company built a line from the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OWWR) at Stourbridge Junction to Smethwick, where it joined the Stour Valley Line at Galton Junction.
History
Opening
The act incorporating the company was passed on 14 June 1860, allowing it to build a three and a half mile long line from Stourbridge Junction to Old Hill, another act was passed the following year to allow it to reach the Stour Valley Line at Smethwick. The route was open in full by 1 April 1867.
GWR link
The OWWR had come under the control of the GWR by this time, and so the GWR constructed a link from Smethwick to Handsworth, which was opened at the same time, to connect it to the GWR's Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line. The running of the line was also taken over by the GWR.
Merger with the GWR
The Stourbridge Railway was formally merged with the GWR in 1870 after it emerged that the company's director W. T. Adcock had fraudulently issued stock.
The route today
The line still functions today as part of the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line.