GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Olton Station: gwro4015

On Sunday 25th March 1934 bridge tests were carried out on the recently quadrupled Great Western Railway’s main line. Six Great Western Railway locomotives can be seen standing on the new lattice girder bridge over the Warwick Road at Olton (location 123m 70c). The photograph is taken facing Solihull with Olton station (124m 11c) in the distance. The locomotives are:

• GWR 2-6-2T 3150 class Prairie Tank No 3163 on the new Up line with a 4-6-0 6000 (King) class locomotive and another 2-6-2T Prairie Tank locomotive behind.
• GWR 2-6-2T 3150 class Prairie Tank No 3158 on the new Down line with a 4-6-0 6000 (King) class locomotive and another 2-6-2T Prairie Tank locomotive behind.

The new track here was constructed on the north-east side of the original lines. The new track became the Main lines, while the original became the Relief lines.

This photograph is Solihull Central Library record reference No 1785, courtesy R Waring.

Robert Ferris

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