Bratch

Wombourn railway station (the correct spelling, as the final 'e' became common only later) was located at the Bratch, about 200 metres from the locks. It served the Wombourne Branch Line of the Great Western Railway, which was built between 1913 and 1925. The line was never heavily used by passengers, and ceased to function as a peacetime passenger line as early as 1932, although it proved important for the transport of strategic materials and troops during World War II. After 1945, its decline continued and it was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts. The line runs roughly parallel to the canal and to the Smestow Brook. The former railway land has become the South Staffordshire…