Wood End Platform

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Wood End Platform was opened on 1st July 1908 when the line was first opened for passenger traffic and consisted of two platforms of 400 feet in length with shelters. The suffix Platform was removed on 7th July 1924 when it was simply described as Wood End. A staff of two were listed as being allocated to the station. They would have taken it in turn to work the early morning shift and the evening shift. The station was 8 miles 57 chains from Tyseley junction and located at the bottom of a cutting over 50 feet deep and immediately adjacent to Wood End Tunnel which was the only significant engineering structure on the North Warwickshire line. In official GWR documents the GWR recorded that the station had to be placed here in accordance with an agreement, but the site is somewhat inconvenient and station facilities cannot be provided on any large scale.

To gain access to the platforms required passengers to walk from Broad Lane along a pathway that ran parallel to the railway for several hundred feet and then down steps on the embankment to reach a passenger footbridge from which access could be gained to either platform. As with many other stations along the route, the up platform which was used by trains destined for Birmingham had the greater passenger facilities, in this instance two small buildings. The tunnel is 175 yards long: a commencement was made excavating for the south end on April 15th 1906, and the last brick was put into the arch on November 22nd 1906, the work advancing at the rate of six and a half yards per week.

To construct the tunnel one of the two cuttings had to be excavated before access could be had to the tunnel itself. Some 214,000 cubic yards of excavation lying to the north of the tunnel had to be conveyed to embankments south of it, and to avoid the costly and slow process of hauling over the summit of the hill an attempt was made to get the tunnel finished before starting the excavation at the north end. The cutting south of the tunnel contained 107,000 cubic yards. It was started on January 9th, 1906, and by April 12th 86,300 cubic yards had been dug out and the end of the tunnel could be got at.

Robert Ferris

Much of the information on this and other pages of Warwickshire Railways is derived from articles or books listed in our 'bibliography'.

Views of Wood End Platform

Ref: gwrwe2845 J Alsop Looking south towards Stratford upon Avon after the first decade of the line and platform being open

Ref: gwrwe2845a J Alsop Close up showing the simple structure providing the down platform's very basic waiting room

Ref: gwrwe2845b J Alsop Close up of the up platform's two structures, the larger one accommodated the booking office and waiting room

Ref: gwrwe1565 GWR Wood End Platform soon after opening showing the original timber footbridge and the prefabricated booking office

Ref: gwrwe519 HC Casserley Looking south along the full length of the platform which is now devoid of the lampposts seen in the 1917 view

Ref: gwrwe519a HC Casserley Close up showing the down platform's simple GWR standard corrugated asbestos passenger waiting room

Ref: gwrwe519b HC Casserley Close up of the buildings on the up platform and the footbridge continuing across to the embankment to steps

Ref: gwrwe1363 P Shoesmith Looking south from Wood End Lane road bridge showing the booking office on the top of the embankment

Ref: gwrwe2842 D Churchill A 1972 view of the down platform building now showing years of neglect by British Railways

Ref: gwrwe2853 D Churchill A 1972 view which shows all three structures standing on the up platform, also showing years of neglect by BR

Ref: gwrwe2858 J Moss A view looking south showing workmen working on relaying the down platform surface in front of the waiting room

Ref: gwrwe518 Lens of Sutton Looking north with the main buildings on the left and Wood End Lane road bridge in the distance

Ref: gwrwe1364 J Moss Looking towards Wood End Lane road bridge with the up platform buildings in the foreground

Ref: gwrwe2856 UK Stations Looking towards Birmingham along the up platform with the booking office and waiting rooms on the left

Ref: gwrwe520 Lens of Sutton Looking towards the 175 yards long tunnel and Broad Lane perimeter wall passing over the top

Ref: gwrwe1365 J Moss An elevated view of the tunnel from the footpath on the embankment showing the sharp curve of the tunnel bore

Locomotives seen at or near Wood End Platform

GWR Period Locomotives

Ref: gwrwe2843 J Alsop GWR 2-6-0 No 4310 2-6-0 Wood End tunnel is seen at the head of a down goods to the West of England

Ref: gwrwe1378 C Maggs GWR 0-6-0 No 1094 is seen at the head of an up freight approaching Wood End Tunnel in 1926

Ref: gwrwe2850 J Alsop GWR 2-6-0 26xx class No 2625, a member of the Aberdare class, on a goods train bound for Birmingham

Ref: gwrwe2841 LGRP GWR 4-4-0 No 3801 ‘County Carlow’ on a Penzance to Wolverhampton express near Wood End

Ref: gwrwe2844 J Alsop GWR 0-4-2T 517 class No 544 leaving Wood End Tunnel at the head of an up train to Bearley circa 1920

Ref: gwrwe2849 J Alsop GWR 2-8-0 28xx class No 2829 is seen approaching Wood End on a northbound goods train

Ref: gwrwe2848 J Alsop GWR 2-4-0 3201 class No 3516 leaves Wood End tunnel on a southbound Class B goods service

Ref: gwrwe2846 J Alsop GWR 2-6-0 43xx class No 6386 approaches Wood End tunnel on a northbound Class B goods service

Ref: gwrwe2847 J Alsop GWR 2-6-2T 3901 class No 3912 leaves Wood End tunnel on a Birmingham to Stratford local passenger service

Ref: gwrwe2851 J Alsop GWR 0-4-2T 517 class No 1425 leaves Wood End Tunnel with a local Stratford upon Avon passenger service

Ref: gwrwe2852 J Alsop GWR 0-6-0ST 645 class No 766 approaches Wood End Platform with a local service to Moor St Birmingham

Ref: gwrwe2859 RM Casserley GWR 0-6-0PT 655 class No 1774 approaches Wood End tunnel with a local passenger service to Birmingham

Ref: gwrwe2886 LGRP GWR 4-4-0 Atbara class No 4120 ‘Atbara’ emerging from Wood End tunnel on an express to South Wales

Ref: gwrwe2887 LGRP GWR 0-6-0 '388' class No 1203 leaves Wood End tunnel with a class K ordinary freight train circa 1924

British Railways Period Locomotives

Ref: gwrwe1373 M Mensing Ex-GWR 2-6-2T No 4170 nears Wood End tunnel whilst at the head of the 6:40pm to Stratford upon Avon

Ref: gwrwe2889 M Mensing BR built 4-6-0 '6959' class No 7915 'Mere Hall' on a local passenger service 25th August 1964

Maps of Wood End Platform

Ref: gwrwe2854 National Library of Scotland An Ordnance Survey map of Wood End Platform and Tunnel revised in 1914 but published in 1921

Ref: gwrwe2855 National Library of Scotland An Ordnance Survey map of Wood End Platform and Tunnel revised in 1914 but published in 1934

Ref: gwrwe2857 Ordnance Survey A 1938 Ordnance Survey map showing the footpath access and steps leading down to the footbridge

Ref: gwrwe2888 GWR Magazine Gradient profile of the new North Warwickshire Railway between Tyseley and Bearley North Junction