Birmingham New Street Station: lnwrbns_str2941b

Close up of image 'lnwrbns_str2941' showing the western end of the 1854 station with the locomotive turntable seen on the right. In addition to the locomotive turntable there were eventually twenty-six small turntables located throughout the station. They were used for manipulating four wheel stock, either manually or by using a shunting horse. The use of turntables was considered state of the art in the very early years of railways. They allowed carriages to be added or removed from trains very quickly and, as a few wealthier passengers took their own road vehicles and even horses, they allowed train journeys to be tailored to the needs of the rich.

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