·  LMS  ·  GWR  ·  LNER  ·  Misc  ·  Stations  ·  What's New  ·  Video  ·  Guestbook  ·  About

Curzon Street Excursion Station

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Birmingham - Soho Road - Perry Barr - Birmingham
LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Lichfield

This facility was brought into use because of the difficulties of coping at New Street with heavy excursion traffic - particularly on Bank Holiday Mondays and for the annual Onion Fair (held at the end of each September). The first advertised excursion was on Good Friday 3rd April 1874 to Sutton Coldfield (advert in Birmingham Daily Post 28th March 1874, page 4). Albeit then referred to as “Curzon Street Goods Station” or “New Canal Street”, it was later dubbed “Curzon Street Excursion Station”. Subsequent use – particularly for traffic to Sutton Park on Bank Holiday Mondays – was both by L&NWR and Midland companies, to Sutton Coldfield and Sutton Park stations, respectively. The facility also came in useful in autumn 1884 for diversion of trains while the L&NWR tunnel into New Street was under engineer's occupation – presumably in connection with the expansion of New Street station the following year (this was some twelve years prior to opening the second pair of tracks into New Street from the south). The final identified use was on Easter Monday 3rd April 1893 when 4,000 (!) excursionists were carried from Curzon Street to Sutton Park according to Birmingham Daily Post, 4th April 1893, page 5. A news item in Birmingham Daily Post, 18th April 1893, page 5, warned of the forthcoming closure and an L&NWR advert in the same paper of 18th May 1893, page 1, stated that Curzon Street excursion station would not be used at Whitsun 1893. The same was emphasised in their advertising for August holiday Monday. Part of the excursion station had to be taken out of use to accommodate works for new layout of the Aston line, introduced 7th May 1893. Thereafter Vauxhall & Duddeston (L&NWR) and Saltley (Midland) were used for the Sutton Park excursions. It is possible that occasional subsequent use may have been made until the end of the century, although no mention has been found in the Birmingham press.

As an aside, Michael Quick's compilation RAILWAY PASSENGER STATIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN - A CHRONOLOGY (2019) states (page 74): "L&NWR Officers [minutes] 10205 and 10344 show that for Birmingham Onion Fair in 1873 L&NWR trains to/from south used it." However, all press advertising relating to excursions to the Birmingham Onion Fair (25th-27th Sep 1873) that I have found showed them to/from New Street, and the Birmingham Daily Post report (of 25th Sep 1874) about the 1874 Onion Fair does confirm that 1874 was the first year that excursions for the Fair used Curzon Street. I therefore assume the reading of those minutes (I have not had the opportunity of seeing them myself) is erroneous in suggesting that trains used the station in 1873 - although I have every reason to believe that the difficulties encountered in dealing at New Street with the excursions for the 1873 Fair led the L&NWR to convert part of the Curzon Street goods depot as an excursion facility in time for the 1874 season, but as this is surmise on my part, I do not mention the 1873 Onion Fair in my text above.

Richard Maund

If you are interested in knowing more about Curzon Street Excursion Station you can do no better than to read Richard Foster's series of books on Birmingham New Street - The Story of a Great Station including Curzon Street published by Wild Swan Publications Ltd of Didcot. I would like to take this opportunity of crediting Richard Foster as being the source for much of the rich information provided in the captions to the photographs.

London & Birmingham and Great Junction Railway Stations (20) Curzon Street Engine House (8)
Curzon Street Excursion Station (5) Curzon Street Goods Station (83)

View of the island platform previously used for excursion traffic and now used for the transportation of fish
Ref: lnwrcs2118
NRM
View of the island platform previously used for excursion traffic and now used for the transportation of fish
Looking along siding No 1 which continued on to the island platforms of the former excursion station
Ref: lnwrcs2135
LW Perkins
Looking along siding No 1 which continued on to the island platforms of the former excursion station
Close up showing siding No 3 on the right splitting into two roads which continue through the transit shed
Ref: lnwrcs2135a
LW Perkins
Close up showing siding No 3 on the right splitting into two roads which continue through the transit shed
Interior view of the former excursion station's island platform now being used for fish on 2nd February 1932
Ref: lnwrcs2104
NRM
Interior view of the former excursion station's island platform now being used for fish on 2nd February 1932
Part of an 1888 diagrammatic plan of Curzon Street Goods Station showing the sidings and warehouses
Ref: lnwrcs2162c
R Foster
Part of an 1888 diagrammatic plan of Curzon Street Goods Station showing the sidings and warehouses