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Curzon Street Railway Station

  • Thread starter Thread starter speaky
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In the current edition of RAIL there are articles on HS2 and Curzon Street and also the planned development of West Midlands railways based on Birmingham hub. If you cant find it and would like a copy let me know.
Bob
 
The work on digging up the concrete of the former parcels depot continues. It will interested to see if anything is buried under ground such as the hydraulic system that drove the capstans.

Looking at the Aris's Gazette report, this records the final completion of the line between Denbigh Hall and Rugby. The line to Birmingham ( it was not called Curzon Street station at first, at least in timetables) as stated was in April The first passenger service is recorded to have run on April 9th 1838 from the original station at Rugby, calling at Brandon, Coventry, Hampton and Birmingham. During November 1844 booking huts and platforms were erected at Dockers Lane, Marston Green and Stechford Gates, short trains having called at these spots from October 1844.
 
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That would be the northside of Curzon Street which was the original station for the Grand Junction Railway from Liverpool and Manchester. The London and Birmingham Railway's station, which came a few months later, was the building we know on the southside of Curzon Street. I can remember driving along Curzon Street and bumping over the level crossing between the two sides. This level crossing was unusual as Birmingham City Council banned all level crossings within the city boundary.

The two railway companies amalgamated to form the London and North Western Railway but continued to use the two stations until New Street Station was built.
 
The level crossing was to the Top Yard, where there were a series of goods shed and a stable block.

In the two above images for the Grand Junction Frontage, there is to be seen at the end a square building which was the hydrualic engine house.
 
Yes the frontage of the Grand Junction Station in Curzon Street is also shown in Osbornes 1839 Guide to the GJR.

The image shows the unloading of goods at the station. Later a larger goods establishment was created at Duddeston/ Vauxhall, where the locomotive shed was also placed. The LBR loco shed was near the Digbeth Branch Canal and there was also separate railway and canal interchange for both GJR and LBR.

CSGJR.jpg
 
I am researching the Duddeston Viaduct. I cannot establish whether it was the intention of the Birmingham & Oxford Junction line to cross over the existing L&BR lines from London, assuming they were at a lower level than there are now, to connect with the GJR towards Vauxhall, or whether some form of junction was to be created (the levels make this look difficult) linking directly into Curzon station. The extension to the proposed New Street had not yet commenced c 1846. so no suggestion of joining the L&BR main line. Anybody have any info on this? Thanks.
 
I have been puzzling over this for some time. The GWR line appears to be coming into the L & B line at right angles. All that we have written on the subject that I have seen is that the intention was to bring the GWR into Curzon Street Station but whether it was into the L & B station or into the GJR station is not clear. I am sure that the intention was never to form a junction facing north as that would mean the the GWR would not have had a Birmingham station. However, the New Street line is further south than the Curzon Street line so I suppose there could have been room for a curve. Train speeds were slower in those days and Locos would have been smaller and carriages 4 wheelers so a tighter curve would have been possible.

Since typing the above I have found this entry in the catalog of the Parliamentary Archives. This states that the junction was intended to be with the GJR so crossing over the L & B

Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway.
« Back to search results
To see this item in our search room please contact us: archives@parliament.uk
 
The construction pre-dates the GWR; the viaduct was built by Birmingham & Oxford Junction Rly, though the GWR had sole rights to use it subsequently (and took over the company later). Also, New Street was not in existence, only being planned after the creation of LNWR. I will go to the Parliamentary Archives, maybe there are plans available. I am also thinking that the viaduct was to carry the line over the existing main line. The present main line into New Street is also on viaduct, which suggested otherwise, but I am guessing then that the lines were at the same level as Curzon Street station ie much lower.
 
It is difficult to see now, but on an 1839 engraving, there was a plaque on the roof of the London & Birmingham Station building that had the name London & Birmingham Railway;
LBR1.jpg

Similarly at Euston, the name was engraved into the building;

LBR2.jpg
 
The Woodman pub outside this station is going to really well once HS2 is complete.

My mother and father used to drink in it in the early 70's.
 
guilbert53 said:
Well the Woodman only has to wait till 2026 for the HS2 station to open !

Of course this assume no delays in the building of HS2, or even the cancellation of the project !
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The value of the land and business has all ready gone through the roof, so if the owner gets bored waiting they can cash their chips to someone willing to wait.

They won't cancel. To far ahead, all land purchased, compensation paid. There is a massive hotel down the road from Curzon street station that was built in 2005 being pulled down to make way for the track.
 
mikejee said:
Or, regrettably , their is always the possibility of a mysterious fire
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If the land was needed for HS2 the government would have just issued a compulsory purchase order. Quiet surprising really the pub is right outside the stations doors, I would have thought they might have knocked it down just to make the space more open.
 
Yes the Woodman was popular with those staff that worked at the Parcels Depot. In the mid 1970's the depot probably had the largest of number of staff. There were 3 shifts for the railmen Most worked on the deck, but there were also shunters signalmen, yard supervisors, shunt engine drivers and the various clerical staff. One of the gatehouse men was Dan Sweeney, who liked the odd drink in the Woodman.
 
neil324 said:
If the land was needed for HS2 the government would have just issued a compulsory purchase order. Quiet surprising really the pub is right outside the stations doors, I would have thought they might have knocked it down just to make the space more open.
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The "Vesting papers" have been issued to property owners as far as Birmingham. This means the "vested properties" now belong to H.M gov or it's agents.
 
Bob Johnson said:
The "Vesting papers" have been issued to property owners as far as Birmingham. This means the "vested properties" now belong to H.M gov or it's agents.
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I assume you mean all compulsory purchase orders have been issued.

My post you quoted was just saying there was no need to burn a building down. The government does not need to do that.
 
neil324 said:
I assume you mean all compulsory purchase orders have been issued.
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They are not Compulsory Purchase Orders, the property has been transferred to HS2 Ltd and the owners told to get off and argue compensation later. Birmingham City University has put in a planning application for a multi story block of students accomodation which will never be built on land it no longer owns just to prove the value of the land that was taken from them.
 
DavidGrain said:
They are not Compulsory Purchase Orders, the property has been transferred to HS2 Ltd and the owners told to get off and argue compensation later. Birmingham City University has put in a planning application for a multi story block of students accomodation which will never be built on land it no longer owns just to prove the value of the land that was taken from them.
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If they are not Compulsory Purchase Orders how has property been forcibly transferred to HS2 Ltd from owners who do not want their property transferred from them, what law was used?
 
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neil324 said:
If they are not Compulsory Purchase Orders how has property been forcibly transferred to HS2 Ltd from owners who do not want their property transferred from them, what law was used?
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High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act 2017 (2017 Chapter 7) states that the act itself is to be treated as a compulsory purchase order so that separate compulsory purchase orders are not required and the Compulsory Purchase Acts are modified accordingly in respect of HS2.
 
DavidGrain said:
High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act 2017 (2017 Chapter 7) states that the act itself is to be treated as a compulsory purchase order so that separate compulsory purchase orders are not required and the Compulsory Purchase Acts are modified accordingly in respect of HS2.
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Right, so a Compulsory Purchase Order then but with the name changed.
 
It is quite normal for government and political thinking to change names of things or places that have an ill feelings about them.
 
When my brother died I found a commerative medal for the150 Anniversary of the opening of the London to Bham railway.As anyone else got one.Its about 2/12-3 inches across and in gold.
 
Just looking through this thread as I want to learn more about the Curzon Street Station. Just watched the government approval for HS2 on the lunchtime news, I can see the old Curzon Street Station is still standing and what a pleasing sight that was.

The original building was larger? If so, why is it not still standing?
 
Kat7272 said:
Just looking through this thread as I want to learn more about the Curzon Street Station. Just watched the government approval for HS2 on the lunchtime news, I can see the old Curzon Street Station is still standing and what a pleasing sight that was.

The original building was larger? If so, why is it not still standing?
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I think the previous building that was demolished was a parcel depot.
 
Thanks Viv (and all who have posted) for recommending this thread. I have had a quick look through and I have learned lots in a short space of time. This information is important to me in order to learn about where I come from and the history of Birmingham.

I can look at my family tree and see from the dates (for instance ages of family tree members at the time they married) what Birmingham would have been like in their lifetime. I will have to look for a map now.
 
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