Camp Hill Station

LMS Route: Evesham to Birmingham

Camp Hill was the site of a temporary terminus of the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway. According to Colin Maggs in his book 'The History of the Birmingham Gloucester Railway (Amberley Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4456-0699-6) The temporary station opened on 17th December 1840 despite Sir Frederick Smith, who inspected the line between Cofton Farm and Camp Hill on behalf of the Board of Trade, recommending that the opening of the line be delayed because of serious concerns concerning the instability of the cuttings at Longbridge and Groveley. He recommended that should the opening proceed then a speed reduction of 10 mph be imposed. The directors, knowing that they were not legally bound to adhere to the inspector's report, proceeded with the opening of the line albeit having initiated some remedial work. At the time of opening the temporary station still lacked some rails and no signals. On 14th August 1841, Sir Frederick Smith inspected the extension from Camp Hill to the London & Birmingham's new Curzon Street station. He expressed concern regarding the safety of the junction and recommended that trains stop before they proceed over the junction. The line opened on 17th August 1841 which resulted in the temporary terminus at Camp Hill being relegated to goods use from this date. Camp Hill partially reopened to passengers on 15th November 1841 as the 3:30pm departure and the 1:40pm and 7:10pm arrivals were goods trains that also carried passengers.

The opening of New Street station required through trains from Derby and Bristol to reverse at New Street. To counter this, a direct link was made in 1864 between the former B&DJR line at Landor Street Junction to the former B&GR at St Andrew's Junction. Portions of trains running to and from New Street were therefore marshalled at Camp Hill or Saltley to be attached to the through trains. The opening on 3rd April 1876 of the West Suburban Railway by the MR, which ran from Kings Norton to New Street, negated the need to reverse trains at New Street and consequently Camp Hill station's marshalling role was no longer required. The opening of the Lifford Curve on 1st July 1892 saw the start of the circle passenger service from New Street to New Street via Camp Hill and the West Suburban lines. Trains ran mainly during peak hours but due to wartime economy measures the service was withdrawn on 27th January 1941. The southbound Manchester to Bournemouth service, which ran via LNWR metals on the Stour Valley line ran through Camp Hill in order not to be reversed in order to take the West Suburban route, commenced on 1st October 1910 but it wasn't until 1927 that it received the name 'The Pines Express'.

The second and permanent Camp Hill station opened in 1867 by the Midland Railway and was renamed as 'Camp Hill & Balsall Heath' in December 1887. The station reverted to Camp Hill on 1st April 1904 and was closed temporarily as a wartime economy measure, as were several other city centre stations, on 27th July 1941 being closed officially on 27th November 1946 having never reopened. The goods yard and shed, which opened on 17th December 1840, was finally closed on 7th February 1966.

Ref: mrch359 B Geens An Edwardian view of Camp Hill Station looking towards Brighton Road with the down platform on the left

Ref: mrch359a B Geens Close up showing a typical Midland Railway double-faced oblique angled 'running in' or station name board

Ref: mrch359b B Geens Close up showing the timber framed and clad passenger building located on Camp Hill station's down platform

Ref: mrch359c B Geens Close up of Camp Hill station's up platform with the main brick built passenger building on the right

Ref: mrch359e B Geens Close up of the entrance to the main station building and the luggage weighing machine located on the platform

Ref: mrch1425 B Geens View of the front elevation of Camp Hill station's main passenger facilities located on the up platform

Ref: mrch1425a B Geens Close up showing two cast-iron mechanical vending machines and a luggage weighing machine

Ref: mrch1425b B Geens Close up showing the ornate screen to the concourse booking hall and general waiting room

Ref: mrch1425c B Geens Close up of the First Class Gentlemen's Room and a MR bench seat with the station's name on the back support

Ref: mrch855 RS Carpenter Looking towards Birmingham showing the two water cranes located on either side of the bridge over Highgate Road

Ref: mrch856 RS Carpenter Looking towards Birmingham from the Brighton Road end of Camp Hill station's down platform

Ref: mrch856a RS Carpenter Close up of the extra timber framed and clad waiting room situated on Camp Hill station's up platform

Ref: mrch394 Postcard Looking towards Birmingham with Highgate Road bridge providing support for the up platform

Ref: mrch358 DJ Norton View of the now long abandoned Camp Hill station taken from the bridge which crossed Highgate Road

Ref: mrch499 DJ Norton Looking towards Birmingham with Camp Hill's twin peak roof warehouse towering in the distance

Ref: mrch1428 B Brooksbank View looking west along Highgate Road with the site of Camp Hill station being on the left

Camp Hill Goods Station and Yard

The warehouse was three storey high and used for storing both goods and grain. Each storey is of a different height reflecting the type and weight of the goods stored. The ground floor is substantially higher because it will have accommodated internally seta of sidings with platforms to enable goods to be off-loaded direct from the wagon. Internal hoists would then have been used to transfer goods to floors on a higher level with the top floor being used for compact but heavy goods such as sacks of grain. Camp Hill's goods yard was typical of the more spacious coal depots where there are lengthy sidings with sufficient access for road vehicles to back up to or draw up alongside without blocking other traffic. It also appears to have been built without wagons turntables, which are numerous in many goods depots where space is at a premium. A typical example of such a layout was the Midland coal depot in Humberstone road, Leicester, where there were many wagon turntables, each serving one or two short stub sidings which held four wagons each. Camp Hill had a permanent shunting engine supplied by Saltley shed. In 1956 this was an 0-6-0 Diesel shunter, Target 1, which worked from 10pm on a Sunday to 6a.m. the following Sunday.

Keith Turton

Ref: mrch864 DJ Norton View of Camp Hill Goods & Grain Warehouse on the left and the main sidings to the centre

Ref: mrch864a DJ Norton Close up showing Camp Hill Goods and Grain Warehouse and the main sidings in the yard on 22nd August 1954

Ref: mrch498 RS Carpenter View of Camp Hill Goods and Grain Warehouse and goods depot as seen in the early 1930s

Ref: mrch498a RS Carpenter Close up showing the variety of open and covered wagons using Camp Hill goods yard in the early 1930s

Ref: mrch498b RS Carpenter Close up showing open wagons inthe foreground and covered wagons adjacent to the warehouse

Ref: kt347 Gloucester RC&WCo Alfred Jukes of Camp Hill Wharf Wahon No 29 built by Gloucester RC&WCo

Ref: kt349 Gloucester RC&WCo WJ Busby & Son of Camp Hill Wagon No 7 built by Gloucester RC&W Company

Locomotives and trains at or near Camp Hill

Ref: mrch854 FA Wycherley Ex-MR 0-4-4T 1P No 1348 is seen at the head of a suburban service during the afternoon on 2nd March 1936

Ref: mrch863 DJ Norton Ex-LMS 0-6-0 4F No 44516 is seen at the head of a train combining two sets of locomotives and wagons

Ref: mrch862 DJ Norton An unidentified ex-MR 0-6-0 3F locomotive is seen coupled to the rear of another goods train whilst heading another

Ref: mrch865 DJ Norton Ex-MR 0-6-0 3F No 43464 is seen passing Camp Hill signal box on a Class H through freight train in 1953

Ref: mrch861 DJ Norton Ex-LMS 2-6-4T 4P No 42337 is seen approaching Camp Hill with a local passenger service on 8th May 1955

Ref: mrch500 DJ Norton View of ex-MR 0-6-0 4F No 43926 at the head of a down goods train approaching Camp Hill Signal Box

Miscellaneous

Ref: mrch359d B Geens Close up of the earlier Midland Railway style of gas lamp with its wider base found at Camp Hill station

Ref: mrch1425d B Geens Close up showing the two cast-iron mechanical vending machines and the luggage weighing machine

Ref: mrch860 DJ Norton View of Camp Hill's up outer home signal which comprises the original MR post with a LMS upper quadrant arm

Ref: mrch1429 Anon A 1934 timetable showing some of the stations served by the 'round robin' service starting at New Street station

Maps and Diagrams

Ref: mr_generic1430b Midland Railway Part of MR Distance Diagram dated 1913 showing the two routes south from New Street to Kings Norton

Ref: camp_hill_map Andy Doherty Map showing the location of Camp Hill Station and its juxtaposition with Highgate Road and Montpellier Street