GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Olton Station: gwro4016

The photographer is looking towards Solihull with Olton station in the distance with the locomotives are standing on new lattice girder bridge

On Sunday 25th March 1934 bridge tests were carried out on the recently quadrupled Great Western Railway’s main line. The locomotives are standing on new lattice girder bridge over the Warwick Road at Olton (location 123m 70c). The photograph is looking towards 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 Great Western Railway 4-6-0 6000 (King) class locomotive and another Prairie Tank locomotive behind.

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

The new lines here were built on the north-east side of the track. These would then become the main running lines, with the originals for suburban traffic.

This photograph is Solihull Central Library record reference No 1782, courtesy R Waring.

Robert Ferris

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