Date opened: 1.12.1896 Location: On the east side of Stafford Road (A449) Company on opening: Great Western Railway Date closed to passengers: 4.3.1968 Date closed completely: 4.3.1968 Company on closing: British Railways (London Midland Region) Present state: The former down platform is partially extant as is the subway linking the two platforms. County: Staffordshire OS Grid Ref: SJ914002 Date of visit: June 1969, 21.7.2005 & 23.03.2012.

Notes: Dunstall Park station was on the Great Western Railway’s (GWR) Birmingham and Shrewsbury line. The section of line on which Dunstall Park was located had opened on 1 July 1854 as a link between the Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railway (S&BR), and Wolverhampton Low Level opened on the same date. Originally the S&BR had opened to Wolverhampton on 12 November 1849, and its trains had run into the London North Western Railway (LNWR) station. There had, however, been disputes between the two companies and, as a result, the S&BR made a connection to the GWR. On 1 September 1854 the S&BR was merged into the GWR.

Dunstall Park station did not open until 1 December 1896 by which time the line formed part of the GWR main line route between London Paddington and Birkenhead Woodside. Dunstall Park station was provided for local services. It was located only half-a-mile to north of Wolverhampton Low Level station, to the west of the LNWR main line which passed over the

The down platform was longer than the up, extending further to the east almost to the LNWR line bridge. Its buildings were typical of GWR stations of the time. On each platform was a single-storey brick building with a hipped roof, and the window openings had segmental arches. Both buildings were provided with attractive wooden canopies. To the east of the down platform building was a signal box.

The station handled parcels and horse boxes.

Trains operated southwards from Dunstall Park to Wolverhampton Low Level and Birmingham Snow Hill and northwards to Wellington or Shrewsbury. The station was close to the Dunstall Park horse racing track and excursions visited on race days.To the south of the station was the GWR Stafford Road Locomotive Works and many of its workers used the train to get

On 1 January 1917 Dunstall Park was closed as a wartime economy measure, and it did not reopen until 3 March 1919.

In July 1922 Dunstall Park had eight northbound departures. The first was the 10:18am to Shrewsbury, followed by a 12:23pm service to Wellington, a 12:56pm to Codsall, and further Wellington services at 2:08pm, 3:18pm, 6:38pm, 7:48pm and 9:08pm. Southbound there was a 7:33am service to Birmingham Snow Hill, and services at 8:22am, 11:08am, 2:02pm and 2:57pm for Wolverhampton Low Level. There were then two more Birmingham Snow Hill trains at 4:47pm and at 6:27pm followed by a 7:45pm to Wolverhampton Low Level and a 9:26pm departure to Leamington Spa.

At nationalisation on 1 January 1948 Dunstall Park became part of British Railways Western Region. It continued to be served by local trains between Birmingham Snow Hill or Wolverhampton Low Level and Wellington or Shrewsbury. Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) were introduced onto train services from 1960. On 1 January 1963 all Western Region lines and stations in the Birmingham and Wolverhampton area – including Dunstall Park - passed to the London Midland Region. Before this regional transfer the Western Region installed totem name signs and running-in boards, and they remained in place despite the change in administration. In the Reshaping of British Railways (‘Beeching’) report of March 1963 Dunstall Park was not listed for closure; however on 13 May 1966 a proposal was published to withdraw its passenger services. In 1967 through expresses between London and Birkenhead ceased leaving only local services.

Although in 1965-6 there was an irregular train service throughout the day at Dunstall Park, the March 1967 – May 1968 timetable showed only four westbound and five eastbound departures on Monday-to-Friday, confined to morning and evening rush-hours, with an additional early afternoon call in each direction on Saturdays. There was no Sunday service.

On the 4 March 1968 Dunstall Park station was closed completely. Its buildings were demolished shortly after. Local passenger trains continued to travel through the station until 1969 after which they were diverted to run into Wolverhampton’s High Level station. Wolverhampton Low Level station closed to passenger services on 6 March 1972. The line between Dunstall Park and the Low Level station was also closed. By this time, however, a new connecting line had been installed from a point just east of the station site as a link to the former LNWR Stafford line. The line was used by goods services and remained open in March 2012.

Tickets from Michael Stewart and Bradshaw from Nick Catford.

Sources:

• Lost Lines Birmingham and the Black Country , Nigel Welbourne, Ian Allan, 2002
• Paddington to the Mersey , by R Preston Hendry & R Powell Hendry, OPC, 1992.
• Bradshaws 1922 Railway Guide