Blackwell railway station

Blackwell: summit of Lickey Bank, with Up express

Blackwell station in July 1959

Blackwell railway station was a railway station serving Blackwell in the English county of Worcestershire. It was opened by the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1841 a year after the line opened. In 1846 it became part of the Midland Railway which had been formed two years before.^[2]

It was situated at the top and northern end of the steepest part of the Lickey Incline and, slightly to the north was the sidings where the banking engines would drop back from their trains and reverse ready to return to Bromsgrove. In addition trains travelling southwards (downhill) would be brought to a stand at the head of the incline for a brake test including, until 1941, passenger trains. In the days before through braking of goods trains, wagon brakes would have to be pinned down. Even later, when vacuum braking had been introduced, most trains would only be partly fitted and, often, a banking engine would have to lead the train to provide extra braking

There were two platforms, that on the down (southward)^[3] line being exceedingly long - much longer than that on the up side. Access to it was by a barrow crossing to the south, there being no footbridge. There were short goods sidings for each line running into bay platforms with an extra one on the up side. The entrance and booking hall was on the up platform, with a small waiting room on the other side. Construction was of typical Midland Railway brick built design with wooden awnings

At grouping in 1923 it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The station closed in 1966. Although a few railway cottages still exist, the station itself has disappeared.

References[]

External links[]

• http://www.railaroundbirmingham.co.uk/Stations/blackwell.php

Coordinates: 52°20′41″N 2°00′50″W / 52.34478°N 2.01399°W / 52.34478; -2.01399