Camp Hill railway station

Camp Hill railway station refers to a series of disused railway stations in Camp Hill, Birmingham.

Camp Hill
Camp Hill railway station, date unknown
General information
Location	Balsall Heath, City of Birmingham England
Coordinates	52.4620°N 1.8832°W / 52.4620; -1.8832
Grid reference	SP080849
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
17 December 1840 (1840-12-17)	Opened
17 August 1841	Closed
15 November 1841	Reopened
1 December 1867	Closed; reopened as Camp Hill and Balsall Heath
1 April 1904	Renamed Camp Hill
27 January 1941 (1941-01-27)	Closed[1][page needed]

History

It was opened by the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (B&GR) in 1840 and was its first terminus.

Subsequently, the line extended to join the London and Birmingham Railway to the latter's Curzon Street terminus. The former terminus was split into two: Camp Hill (passengers) and Camp Hill Goods, with the latter forming a spur.

In 1854 Birmingham New Street opened and began to usurp Curzon Street as the main Birmingham station. From 1867 to 1904, it was known as Camp Hill and Balsall Heath. The name of the station reverted back to Camp Hill in 1904.

Because of the necessity for a reversal at New Street, many trains on the Midland Railway line from Derby continued to use Camp Hill until New Street was extended in 1885 and connected to the Birmingham West Suburban Railway (BWSR).^{[2][page needed]} This also resulted in the stretch from Kings Norton to Camp Hill becoming a branch line, being renamed the Camp Hill line after its eponymous former terminus.

The station and line closed to passenger traffic on 27 January 1941.^[3] Camp Hill Goods station continued operating until the 1960s, however it has since been turned into an industrial estate.

Station masters

• Mr. Mewis c.1847—?
• John F. Pepper 1859—1894^[4]
• John Edward Hemmings 1895—?
  (formerly station master at Five Ways)
• Mr. Avery ?—1936^[5]
• E. Bosworth ?—1939^[6]
• H.J. Turner 1939—1941
  (also station master at Brighton Road and Moseley)

Incidents

On 26 June 1845, a B&GR passenger train from Gloucester, hauled by one of the company's Philadelphia, United States-built engines, ran into a slow-moving "heavy, powerful" goods engine which was crossing the line from a siding, via a diamond crossing, at Camp Hill. The driver of the Gloucester train was badly hurt after jumping from his engine. Some passengers suffered minor injuries, mostly from flying glass. Both engines suffered only minor damage. The driver of the goods engine was deemed at fault, but was discharged by magistrates on the grounds of previous good character. For the same reason the company demoted him to non-driving duties, rather than dismissing him.^[7]

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Moseley		Birmingham and Gloucester Railway		Birmingham
				Camp Hill Goods
Brighton Road		Midland Railway Camp Hill line		Birmingham New Street
				Camp Hill Goods

References

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 9781852605087. OCLC 832733511.
2. Pixton, B. (2005). Birmingham-Derby: Portrait of a Famous Route. Runpast Publishing. ISBN 9781870754637. OCLC 63136070.
3. "Five Birmingham Station to Close". Coventry Evening Telegraph. England. 22 January 1941. Retrieved 28 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "Presentation to Mr. J.F. Pepper". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 7 November 1894. Retrieved 28 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "Hammerwich". Lichfield Mercury. England. 4 December 1936. Retrieved 28 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Mr. E. Bosworth". Evening Despatch. England. 18 January 1939. Retrieved 28 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. Maj.-Gen. C. W. Pasley (1 July 1845). Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Camp Hill on 26th June 1845 (PDF). Board of Trade.