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Moseley Kings Heath Line

Camp Hill is somewhere on the Highgate side of Highgate Road by Moseley Road. The King Edwards Camp Hill school used to be there before they decided that was the place to put a freight yard/station. The school moved to Kings Heath but never changed its name.
Around that time there was also a passenger station called Balsall Heath Camp Hill. This was on the other side of Highgate Road. As is they are building a new housing development on the Moseley Road side of the line there and the other side is a coach company.
There is a large empty space on the Moseley Road side of the line where the freight yards used to be but there's a road and a row of houses on the opposite side there.
If anyone was to build a station around there, they'd have to clear several properties that are currently in use and probably improve access to both sides of the new station.
The three stations already announced are where there were previous stations and the ground is still open and (often) has at least platforms. Anywhere else they'll need to buy land and build a new station from scratch.
Up until a few months back when the new development started, it might have been easy to put something up where the old Balsall Heath - Camp Hill station was. There were some large rail sheds one side of the line and all they would have had to deal with was the coach yard. Now that's going to be housing, I doubt there's a chance.
 
l think the argument about not reopening Balsall Heath was that geographically it was close to the city centre and the railway line takes a long sweep round via St Andrews so trains would have no advantage over buses. Conversely on the Cross City Line Five Ways is a destination station in itself.
 
wam said:
Camp Hill is somewhere on the Highgate side of Highgate Road by Moseley Road. The King Edwards Camp Hill school used to be there before they decided that was the place to put a freight yard/station. The school moved to Kings Heath but never changed its name.
Around that time there was also a passenger station called Balsall Heath Camp Hill. This was on the other side of Highgate Road. As is they are building a new housing development on the Moseley Road side of the line there and the other side is a coach company.
There is a large empty space on the Moseley Road side of the line where the freight yards used to be but there's a road and a row of houses on the opposite side there.
If anyone was to build a station around there, they'd have to clear several properties that are currently in use and probably improve access to both sides of the new station.
The three stations already announced are where there were previous stations and the ground is still open and (often) has at least platforms. Anywhere else they'll need to buy land and build a new station from scratch.
Up until a few months back when the new development started, it might have been easy to put something up where the old Balsall Heath - Camp Hill station was. There were some large rail sheds one side of the line and all they would have had to deal with was the coach yard. Now that's going to be housing, I doubt there's a chance.
Click to expand...
The school was across Stratford Rd from the goods station. I hadn't realised that there were two other Balsall Heath stations, where the line now crosses Brighton Rd and where the line now crosses Highgate Rd.
 
Hi

This alumnus would throw Cartland into the mix, as the school was built on Major Cartland's estate.
Personally I would like Camp Hill for nostalgic reasons, but then I don't live in Brum now!

Kind regards
Dave
 
I don't know if this is an official name but the above article shows the first time that I have heard this line being called the South Birmingham Line
 
There's been a lot of signage calling this the Camp Hill line but it seems unlikely that there will be a Camp Hill station. The site of the old one is currently being redeveloped into blocks of housing. There's nothing else on that section of the line that has anything like an old station left and all they've been doing so far is recommission the old stations. Add to that most of that section is on an embankment and has various properties very close to the line.
 
There is a bridge on this route where the Stratford Road is crossed. It has the look of may be a Birmingham & Gloucester Railway Bridge, but could be later. This was the turnpike and later a street tramway.

A modern view looking from the round about side shows:

527041.jpg


But a previously posted image on this site shows a tram (705) passing under it.

Stratford Road.jpg
 
In 1925 the Midland Railway bridge over the Stratford Road near Henley Street was the subject of a memorial which was sent to the Lord Mayor calling attention to the dangers of the bridge, and asking that the bridge should be widened. It had been the scene of several fatal accidents. The Bridge had been built before motor cars or trams were thought of and the tram line on one side was so near to the bridge that it is impossible for bicycles to pass with safety.

Birmingham Gazette
 
Well, I prefer the 1953 view. Looks quite as I remember it. Good illustration of the mid 20th. century scene and business like, whereas the modern view has a run down area appearance.
 
Looks like that added the pedestrian tunnel on the left. They did the same with the LMS railway over Slade Road Erdington. My dad remembers them doing the Slade Road bridge, he said it took ages.
 
Heartland said:
There is a bridge on this route where the Stratford Road is crossed. It has the look of may be a Birmingham & Gloucester Railway Bridge, but could be later. This was the turnpike and later a street tramway.

A modern view looking from the round about side shows:

View attachment 181493


But a previously posted image on this site shows a tram (705) passing under it.

View attachment 181494
Click to expand...
Scene of some of Brum's last trams as many were diverted here to the depot just to the right.
 
Heartland said:
There is a bridge on this route where the Stratford Road is crossed. It has the look of may be a Birmingham & Gloucester Railway Bridge, but could be later. This was the turnpike and later a street tramway.

A modern view looking from the round about side shows:

View attachment 181493


But a previously posted image on this site shows a tram (705) passing under it.

View attachment 181494
Click to expand...
I like the older photo much better!
 
Yes the tram depot was Kyotts Lake

As to the bridge, there seem to be alterations as given by the answers supplied. It would be of interest to see what Captain Moorsom, as the principal engineer intended for the bridge, but in 1840 bridge design for railways over roads was very different from what was required later. The nearby Brighton Road bridge was replaced with a new structure (mention of which also appears in this forum}.

Today this is a very different road, busy with traffic and several bus routes, including the No 6 which has new electric buses. So busy is this place that motorists park on the pavement, making it difficult to walk there.
 
The tram depot was more than that, being a maintenance and engineering works. Connected to the railway yard, at Camp Hill, was a siding with two tracks reserved for new trams when they were delivered to Birmingham using the Midland Railway, subsequently LMS. Street access from the railway yard, was gained at the small roundabout, opposite the Ship Inn, which in true Birmingham fashion with tram tracks cutting through the roundabout. I can remember the track junction to the railway yard, from Stratford Road, which as remained visible until the 1950's.
The last tram services along Stratford Road to Stoney Lane, Hall Green, Acocks Green and Highgate Road tram depot were in January 1937. All other tram movements were for maintenance or breaking up purposes. All services were replaced by motor buses at Highgate Road was converted for bus operation.
The tram shown in the earlier photo looks like it making its last journey in 1953 subsequently to be broken up. :sob:
 
Radiorails said:
The tram depot was more than that, being a maintenance and engineering works. Connected to the railway yard, at Camp Hill, was a siding with two tracks reserved for new trams when they were delivered to Birmingham using the Midland Railway, subsequently LMS. Street access from the railway yard, was gained at the small roundabout, opposite the Ship Inn, which in true Birmingham fashion with tram tracks cutting through the roundabout. I can remember the track junction to the railway yard, from Stratford Road, which as remained visible until the 1950's.
The last tram services along Stratford Road to Stoney Lane, Hall Green, Acocks Green and Highgate Road tram depot were in January 1937. All other tram movements were for maintenance or breaking up purposes. All services were replaced by motor buses at Highgate Road was converted for bus operation.
The tram shown in the earlier photo looks like it making its last journey in 1953 subsequently to be broken up. :sob:
Click to expand...
There was the occasional single deck tram along here until mid 50's. The tracks were removed around 1956. All viewed from the classroom window.
 
That most likely would have been a Permanent Way car as it was a single deck car. I
moved away from Solihull in 1954 so I did not see the rails lifted. The trams that were broken up were in two halves, upper and lower decks and mostly went, if not all, to Birds of Stratford upon Avon.
They were to be seen south of The Lake as it was usually known so you probably never saw them in that case Jim.
 
Radiorails said:
Connected to the railway yard, at Camp Hill, was a siding with two tracks reserved for new trams when they were delivered to Birmingham using the Midland Railway, subsequently LMS. Street access from the railway yard, was gained at the small roundabout, opposite the Ship Inn, which in true Birmingham fashion with tram tracks cutting through the roundabout. I can remember the track junction to the railway yard, from Stratford Road, which as remained visible until the 1950's.
Click to expand...
I understand that these sidings were also used in steam tram days for collecting coke (as fuel for the steam tram locos) for delivery to the various depots.
 
Interesting to see where the Camp Hill line, or is it South Birmingham line interfaces with the non-train world, a couple of points in Stirchley are the bridges over "The Worthings" and the bridge formed by the top of the hill in Fordhouse Lane.
Is it also the line at the back of the railway end at St. Andrews? Remember the smoke that would envelope the pitch in steam train days!
 
devonjim said:
Is it also the line at the back of the railway end at St. Andrews? Remember the smoke that would envelope the pitch in steam train days!
Click to expand...
St Andrews Junction is the point at which the Camp Hill Line leaves the line from Birmingham to Tyseley and on to Solihull and beyond. So the smoke could be from trains on either of these lines.
 
Is it also the line at the back of the railway end at St. Andrews? Remember the smoke that would envelope the pitch in steam train days!

Yes that was the case with the Birmingham City Football Club Ground. The direct route from Saltley that passed under the London Line had
freight trains that sometimes needed a banker and that would be attached from Saltley Depot and so a train could pass St Andrews with a locomotive at the front and the rear.
 
There is some chat on social media that trains on this Moseley/Kings Heath line will only "shuttle" between New St and Kings Norton ie no direct links towards onward stations towards Redditch/Bromsgrove etc.
 
devonjim said:
There is some chat on social media that trains on this Moseley/Kings Heath line will only "shuttle" between New St and Kings Norton ie no direct links towards onward stations towards Redditch/Bromsgrove etc.
Click to expand...
That is what I understand has always been the case. At one stage I was told that the Hereford/Worcester to Birmingham trains would be used on this route. I misunderstood that these trains would take this route into Birmingham so I queried what would happen to people from beyond Bromsgrove who wanted to go to University for the QE or Birmingham University. I was told no, these trains would go on their existing route into New Street and would then be used to run on the Camp Hill Line to Kings Norton and back before doing their next run to Worcester.
The original idea was that the Camp Hill Line trains would run into Moor Street as New Street did not have the capacity to take these trains. That would require new lines being constructed at Bordesley to connect the Camp Hill line to the Moor Street Line. I was told that the plan to use the Worcester trains was a way of getting round the capacity problem at New Street. However the original plan has been kicked down the road for the time being. It will be revived probably as HS2 nears completion as there is a plan to divert trains from the East Midlands (Nottingham and Leicester) into Moor Street to give passengers from that part of the country direct footbridge access to the HS2 station. Whether that part of the plan is still valid now that HS2 will now terminate at East Midlands Parkway instead of Leeds remains to be seen.
 
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