Bromford Bridge railway station was a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

opened by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

in 1896. It was built on the site of the previous Bromford Forge railway station which had been opened by the

Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station. It now forms part of ...

on its new line to

Lawley Street railway station Lawley Street railway station was opened in Birmingham, England on 10 February 1842, by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway. The B&DJR had opened on 12 August 1839 with a line to Hampton, where it met the London and Birmingham Railway fo ...

in 1842. It was on the line from

Water Orton Water Orton is a village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire borough of Warwickshire in the West Midlands, England near the River Tame. It is located between Castle Bromwich and Coleshill, and borders the West Midlands metropolitan coun ...

and was reopened in 1896, the line by then being connected to

Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti West Coast services from , and vi ...

. It was only used to serve the nearby racecourse, the platforms being on the goods lines to which the "specials" could be brought, clear of the running lines. It closed in 1965 when the racecourse closed. The name "Bromford Bridge" comes from the bridge over the River Tame, before which the river was crossed by a ford, hence "Bromford". The original station, Bromford Forge, was on the same level as the road, which crossed the railway on the level. At that time the track was just double. It was quadrupled later. As traffic increased, the level crossing became inconvenient, so the long viaduct was built, carrying Bromford Lane over the railway. Remains of the original road are still visible when looking down from Bromford Lane. The south platform was originally an island, with tracks on both sides. In the photograph above you can see where the additional tracks used to be. The signalbox was not sited there at the time. Beyond that platform was a terminal platform for unloading horses, with an entrance directly into the racecourse. It was used only for horses and dignitaries: the public had no access. On at least one occasion the Royal Train was backed into the platform. On the other side of Bromford Lane to the station there was a public footpath alongside the railway, which led to the

Metropolitan Cammell Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of Passenger car (rail), railway carriages, locomotives and Railroad car, railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwo ...

factory.

References

Former Midland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1842 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1843 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1896 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 Disused railway stations in Birmingham, West Midlands 1842 establishments in England 1965 disestablishments in England {{WestMidlands-railstation-stub