GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Olton Station: gwro4010

Great Western Railway 2-6-2T 3150 class Prairie Tank No 3163 leading a Great Western Railway 4-6-0 6000 (King) class locomotive and a second 2-6-2T Prairie Tank locomotive en route from Olton to Solihull Station. The locomotives are travelling on the new Up Main line following speed tests on the lattice girder bridge over the Warwick Road at Olton. Olton Mere is seen to the left. The location is near milepost 123½.

Locomotive No 3163 was built at Swindon Works in June 1907 as part of lot 169 for twenty 3150 class locomotives. These locomotives had a large Standard No 4 coned boiler with a Belpaire firebox. The water capacity of the two side tanks was 2,000 gallons. Like many of the class, No 3163 was initially allocated to Newport Shed (NPT) as a banking engine. In February 1911, the locomotive was fitted with a two row superheated boiler and after this was allocated to several sheds in South Wales and the west of England, arriving at Stafford Road Shed (SRD), near Wolverhampton in October 1918. Shortly after this the coal bunker was extended to increase the capacity from 3 tons to 3½ tons. This increased the maximum axle weight to 19 tons, 5 cwt, which limited the locomotive to Main Lines and a few Branch Lines (Route Colour – Red). The maximum boiler pressure had always been 200lb giving a tractive effort at 85% of 25,670lbs (Power Classification – D). By 1933 No 3163 was allocated to Leamington Spa Shed (LEAM) from where it operated until moving again to Stafford Road Shed (SRD) in August 1934. No 3163 had outside steam pipes fitted in December 1944, while allocated to Severn Tunnel Junction Shed (STJ) and was still at this location at nationalisation. No 3163 was finally withdrawn from Gloucester Shed (85B) in June 1957, after travelling a recorded 995,251 miles. The locomotive was cut up in December 1957.

This photograph is Solihull Central Library record reference No 1783, courtesy R Waring.

Robert Ferris

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