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Hamstead and Great Barr Station

LMS Route: Grand Junction Railway

Great Barr was opened on the original route of the Grand Junction Railway in 1862. For the website's convenience we have included the station as being on the Birmingham-Soho- Birmingham route as Perry Barr, Witton, Aston and Vauxhall & Duddeston were all sited along the route. The first station was opened by the Grand Junction Railway on 4th July 1837, and was named Hamstead and Great Barr; it was renamed Great Barr on 1st May 1875. The station was rebuilt to be fully on the opposite side of the Old Walsall Road bridge on 25th March 1899; this station, again known as Great Barr, was renamed Hamstead on 6th May 1974. The station also had sidings which served the adjacent Hamstead Colliery.

The goods yard was a simple affair and located adjacent to the up line with a turnout located next to the Signal Cabin. There were two sidings in the yard, one leading to a cattle dock and a weighbridge to cater for mineral goods traffic. The weighbridge is noted to exist as early as 1913 on the Ordnance Survey map. According to the seventh edition (1894) Railway Clearing House (RCH) 'Handbook of Stations, Junctions, Sidings and Collieries' Great Barr station only provided facilities for the transport of passengers and goods. The 1938 edition of the Handbook recorded the range of facilities on offer had been extended to that of: Passenger, Goods, Livestock, Horse Boxes and Prize Cattle Vans. No craneage facilities were available at Great Barr, if these were required then a portable rail mounted crane would need to be brought in by train.

Looking towards Perry Barr under the arch of the overbridge which carried the Old Walsall Road with the original down platform on the right
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Real Photos
Looking towards Perry Barr under the arch of the bridge with the original station's down platform on the right
Close up showing on the right the new down platform being built and on the left the original up platform
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Real Photos
Close up showing on the right the new down platform being built and on the left the original up platform
Close up showing the original Great Barr station's brick built building erected on the old down platform
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Real Photos
Close up showing the original Great Barr station's brick built building erected on the old down platform
Looking across the line towards Great Barr's main new station building erected on the down platform
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F Nightingale Postcard
Looking across the line towards Great Barr's main new station building erected on the down platform
Looking along the up platform towards Bescot with the overbridge carrying the Old Walsall Road at the end
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M Morant
Looking along the up platform towards Bescot with the overbridge carrying the Old Walsall Road at the end

An undated photograph of Great Barr's ex-LNWR signal cabin located on the up line at the station
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Anon
An undated photograph of Great Barr's ex-LNWR signal cabin located on the up line at the station
Great Barr Up Starting signals and Perry Barr Distant signals, Aston on the left and Soho Road on the right
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DJ Norton
Great Barr Up Starting signals and Perry Barr Distant signals, Aston on the left and Soho Road on the right
Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 G2 No 1012 is seen passing through Great Barr on an up goods service circa 1923
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J Alsop
Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 G2 No 1012 is seen passing through Great Barr on an up goods service circa 1923
Ex-LNWR 4-4-0 No 1915 Renown Class 'Implacable' passes through Great Barr on an up passenger service circa 1923
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J Alsop
Ex-LNWR 4-4-0 No 1915 Renown Class 'Implacable' passes through Great Barr on an up passenger service
Ex-LNWR 0-6-2T 'Coal Tank' No 1062 passes through Great Barr on a Walsall to New Street service circa 1923
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LNWR Society
Ex-LNWR 0-6-2T 'Coal Tank' No 1062 passes through Great Barr on a Walsall to New Street service circa 1923

An unidentified ex-LNWR 0-8-0 'G1' is seen working hard as it passes through the station with a coal train circa 1923
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LNWR Society
An unidentified ex-LNWR 0-8-0 'G1' is seen working hard as it passes through the station with a coal train circa 1923
View of Great Barr station's up starting signal and the Perry Barr North Junction distance signal on 5th August 1951
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DJ Norton
View of Great Barr station's up starting signal and the Perry Barr North Junction distance signal on 5th August 1951
Looking towards Bescot as LNWR 0-6-0 No 710 passes through the station on an up goods circa 1921
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Real Photos
Looking towards Bescot as LNWR 0-6-0 No 710 passes through the station on an up goods circa 1921
Close up showing Hamstead and Great Barr's new station building located on the up platform
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Real Photos
Close up showing Hamstead and Great Barr's new station building located on the up platform
Close up of LNWR 0-6-0 18 inch Goods' No 710 as its young fireman pauses from firing to pose for the camera
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Real Photos
Close up of LNWR 0-6-0 18 inch Goods' No 710 as its young fireman pauses from firing to pose for the camera

LNWR 0-6-0 No 473 a 'Cauliflower' class locomotive is seen standing at the station on a Winters day
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Real Photos
LNWR 0-6-0 No 473 a 'Cauliflower' class locomotive is seen standing at the station on a Winters day
Close up showing the different types of carriages making up the train and through the arch the signal box and sidings
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Real Photos
Close up showing the different types of carriages making up the train and through the arch the signal box and sidings
Close up of LNWR 0-6-0 No 473
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Real Photos
Close up showing LNWR 0-6-0 18 inch Goods No 473 standing at the station with a local passenger service
LNWR 0-6-2T 'Coal Tank' No 3715 trundles through Great Barr station whilst at the head of an up mixed freight from Bescot yard
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RS Carpenter
Ex-LNWR 0-6-2T 'Coal Tank' No 3715 at the head of an up mixed freight passes through Great Barr station
Close up showing the Coal Tank's fireman snatching a brief respite from firing to pose to the camera
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RS Carpenter
Close up showing the Coal Tank's fireman snatching a brief respite from firing to pose to the camera

Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 G2a No 49081 is seen passing through Great Barr station with an up freight from Bescot yard
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M Morant
Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 G2a No 49081 is standing at the up platform at Great Barr station with a freight from Bescot yard
Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 G2a No 49373 approached Old Walsall Road overbridge on a down freight to Bescot shed circa 1960
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M Morant
Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 G2a No 49373 approached Old Walsall Road overbridge on a down freight to Bescot shed circa 1960
Ex-LMS 4-6-0 'Black Five' No 45146 is seen passing through the station on a down passenger service to Stafford
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M Morant
Ex-LMS 4-6-0 'Black Five' No 45146 is seen passing through the station on a down passenger service to Stafford
An unidentified ex-LMS 4-6-0 5MT locomotive is seen passing through the station on a down service to Stafford
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M Morant
An unidentified ex-LMS 4-6-0 5MT locomotive is seen passing through the station on a down service to Stafford
Ex-LMS 2-8-0 8F No 48762 hauls a failed Gloucester DMU set through the station on its way to Ryecroft Walsall
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E Russell/Colour Rail
Ex-LMS 2-8-0 8F No 48762 hauls a failed Gloucester DMU set through the station on its way to Ryecroft Walsall

A 1913 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey Map showing Great Barr station and its two siding goods yard
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National Library of Scotland
A 1913 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey Map showing Great Barr station and its two siding goods yard
A 1913 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey Map showing Great Barr station and Hamstead Colliery sidings on the left
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National Library of Scotland
A 1913 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey Map showing Great Barr station and Hamstead Colliery
Map showing the location of Hamstead and Great Barr station and its location next to Old Walsall Road
Ref: great_barr map
Andy Doherty
Map showing the location of Hamstead and Great Barr station and its location next to Old Walsall Road