Birmingham New Street Station: lnwrbns_str404

An early view of Platform 4 looking East with the entrance off Queens Drive to the left and with a MR train for Kings Norton standing in the platform in 1885. All Midland Railway trains travelling to the South-West of the city had had to travel from New Street on the LNWR's line to Gloucester Junction and then via Camp Hill but this practice was made redundant with the opening of the Birmingham West Suburban Railway. The Birmingham West Suburban Railway entered New Street via a new tunnel at the opposite end of New Street station allowing for the first time the through running of expresses from Derby to Bristol without having to reverse out via Gloucester Junction. Local passenger services to all stations to King Norton however still needed to use Gloucester Junction. The 19th century practice of covering the sleepers with ballast is clearly evident in this view.

back