Wood End Platform

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Wood End Platform was opened on 1st July 1908 when the line was first opened for passenger traffic and consisted of two platforms of 400 feet in length with shelters. The suffix Platform was removed on 7th July 1924 when it was simply described as Wood End. The station was 8 miles 57 chains from Tyseley junction and located at the bottom of a cutting over 50 feet deep and immediately adjacent to Wood End Tunnel which was the only significant engineering structure on the North Warwickshire line. In official GWR documents the GWR recorded that the station had to be placed here in accordance with an agreement, but the site is somewhat inconvenient and station facilities cannot be provided on any large scale.

To gain access to the platforms required passengers to walk from Broad Lane along a pathway that ran parallel to the railway for several hundred feet and then down steps on the embankment to reach a passenger footbridge from which access could be gained to either platform. As with many other stations along the route, the up platform which was used by trains destined for Birmingham had the greater passenger facilities, in this instance two small buildings. The tunnel is 175 yards long: a commencement was made excavating for the south end on April 15th 1906, and the last brick was put into the arch on November 22nd 1906, the work advancing at the rate of six and a half yards per week.

To construct the tunnel one of the two cuttings had to be excavated before access could be had to the tunnel itself. Some 214,000 cubic yards of excavation lying to the north of the tunnel had to be conveyed to embankments south of it, and to avoid the costly and slow process of hauling over the summit of the hill an attempt was made to get the tunnel finished before starting the excavation at the north end. The cutting south of the tunnel contained 107,000 cubic yards. It was started on January 9th, 1906, and by April 12th 86,300 cubic yards had been dug out and the end of the tunnel could be got at.

Robert Ferris

Select an image below to view the larger version with accompanying text:

Ref: gwrwe519 HC Casserley Looking towards Stratford upon Avon showing the down platform's passenger waiting room on the left with Wood End Tunnel in the distance

Ref: gwrwe519a HC Casserley Close up showing the simple GWR standard corrugated asbestos passenger waiting room design located at the bottom of the footbridge steps

Ref: gwrwe519b HC Casserley Close up showing the buildings on the up platform and the passenger footbridge continuing across to the embankment to steps which led to the pathway

Ref: gwrwe518 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Birmingham with the main buildings on the left and Wood End Lane road bridge crossing the line at an oblique angle

Ref: gwrwe1363 P Shoesmith Looking in the direction of Stratford upon Avon from Wood End Lane road bridge showing the booking office on the top of the embankment

Ref: gwrwe1363 J Moss View looking towards Birmingham and Wood End Lane road bridge with the up platform passenger and parcel buildings in the foreground

Ref: gwrwe520 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Stratford upon Avon showing the mouth of the 175 yards long tunnel and Broad Lane perimeter wall passing over the top

Ref: gwrwe1363 J Moss An elevated view of the tunnel from the footpath on the embankment to the up platform showing the sharp curve of the tunnel bore

Ref: gwrwe1565 GWR Wood End Platform soon after opening in 1907, showing the original timber footbridge and the prefabricated booking office

Ref: gwrwe1374 C Maggs GWR 0-4-2T 517 class No 544 is seen leaving Wood End Tunnel at the head of an up Birmingham to Bearley autocoach train circa 1920

Ref: gwrwe1378 C Maggs GWR 0-6-0 Standard Goods 388 class engine No 1094 is seen at the head of a down freight approaching Wood End Tunnel in 1926

Ref: gwrwe1373 M Mensing Ex-GWR 2-6-2T 51xx class No 4170 is seen approaching Wood End tunnel whilst at the head of the 6 40pm to Stratford upon Avon