 The South Staffordshire Railway reached Brownhills in 1850 and led to a huge expansion of the local mining operation and with it a population explosion in the area , with the population increasing from 305 in 1801 to over 13 @,@ 000 in 1891 . In 1858 a branch line was constructed through the heart of what was then the hamlet of Brownhills , which led to a migration of the population eastwards , leading to the formation of mining slums in the Ogley Hay area . Eventually a new town centre developed , complete with library and theatre . This led to the gradual amalgamation of Brownhills , Ogley Hay and Catshill into one town . 
