Bromford Bridge railway station
Bromford Bridge railway station was a railway station in Birmingham opened by the Midland Railway in 1896.
Bromford Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Bromford Bridge station in 1962 | |
| Location | Bromford, Birmingham England |
| Coordinates | 52.5053°N 1.8299°W |
| Grid reference | SP116897 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Midland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 16 May 1842 | Station opens as Bromford Forge |
| 1 June 1843 | closed |
| 9 March 1896 | rebuilt and renamed Bromford Bridge Racecourse |
| 28 June 1965 | Station closes[1] |
It was built on the site of the previous Bromford Forge railway station which had been opened by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway on its new line to Lawley Street railway station in 1842.[2]
It was on the line from Water Orton and was reopened in 1896, the line by then being connected to Birmingham New Street. 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. If you look down from Bromford Lane you can still see remains of the original road. 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 there was a terminal platform for unloading horses, and an entrance from there 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 that 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 factory, and was well used by the staff there.
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