GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Olton Station: gwro1018

GWR 4-6-0 '4073 class' No 4096 'Highclere Castle' is seen heading a down train of Southern Region coaching stock in August 1962. Built at Swindon to Lot 234 in June 1926 No 4096 remained in service until January 1963 when it was withdrawn from Old Oak Common shed in London to be scrapped during October 1963 by R Hayes of Bridgend in South Wales. When I queried the directions of the four tracks running through the station John Downing replied "If memory serves me correctly, standing looking South (i.e. towards London in the same direction as the photographer) from left to right the tracks were Up Main, Down Main, Up Relief, Down Relief which means train shown is travelling on the Down Main towards Snow Hill". The timber screen with the fire buckets suspended was a modesty wall concealing the entrance to the gentlemen's toilets. The fire buckets contained sand and were used on embers emitted by passing steam locomotives.

back