GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Olton Station: gwro1025

Photograph of Olton station shortly after quadrupling of the line through the station to Lapworth in 1933. The original plan was to quadruple the Birmingham Main Line from Handsworth Junction to Rowington Junction (excluding only Snow Hill tunnel). This plan was to be completed in piecemeal sections and the line from the north of Olton Station to the site of Tyseley station was quadrupled in 1907. Details of the quadrupling at Olton station, carried out in the 1930’s can be found at olton-to-lapworth – Quadrupling the Birmingham Main Line. The new station’s architecture reflected the existing Edwardian style, which graced the other island platform stations on the line at; Acocks Green, Tyseley, Small Heath and Bordesley. The photograph was taken from the southern end of the Up Relief platform, looking towards Birmingham and across the Main platform to the Olton Sports Field. Two island platforms at Olton Station gave four platform faces, described as; Platform No.1 (Up Main) to Solihull, Stratford and Leamington, Platform No.2 (Down Main) to Birmingham), Platform No.3 (Up Relief) and Platform No.4 (Down Relief) to the left out of view. Passenger trains would normal use the main lines, with local suburban passenger trains only being routed over the relief lines at times when faster express services needed to pass on the main lines. There are close ups of the structures on the Main Platform (at 'gwro1025a' and 'gwro1025b') and Sports Pavilion (at 'gwro1025c').

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