Olton

GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Olton station opened in 1869 on the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway which by that time had been absorbed into the Great Western Railway. It was never seen as a station of significant importance and never warranted a goods yard. Its principle function was as a suburban passenger station for Birmingham commuters, which explained why the booking office was located on the down platform. Olton station had for some sixty-three years a two platform configuration with basic facilities, but taking advantage of the Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act of 1929, the Great Western Railway continued to quadruple the Birmingham Main Line as far as Lapworth, rebuilding five stations including Olton with two wide island platforms.

Olton had two signal boxes, the first of which only had 10 levers. It was built by McKenzie and Holland and located at the Leamington end of the up platform. This signal box was replaced in June 1913, when the quadrupled track, which had been installed as loops as far as Tyseley in 1907, was extended to Small Heath North and remodelled to form main and relief running lines. The new signal box, located at the northern end of the station to oversee the junction, was a classic Great Western Railway design (type 7D), equipped with 31 levers. In December 1931, an interlocked ground frame was provided to control the switches associated with a siding that was connected to the up line at the southern end of the station. When the station was remodelled in 1933 and the quadrupled line was extended to Lapworth, the Signal Box was closed with control passing to the adjacent signal boxes.

Two transcribed articles, one on the tests undertaken on the bridges located between Olton and Solihull and the other on the quadrupling of the Birmingham main line, are available via Olton to Lapworth - Quadrupling the Birmingham Main Line.

Robert Ferris

Select an image below to view the larger version with accompanying text:

Views of the original station

Ref: gwro258 P Hopkins View of Olton's original station looking towards Birmingham from the Leamington end of the up platform

Ref: gwro258a P Hopkins Close up of the down platform building which accommodated the booking office, general waiting room and toilets

Ref: gwro258b P Hopkins Close up of the station's original up platform building and second signal box both swept away by quadrupling

Ref: gwro1021 Postcard Looking towards Birmingham Snow Hill with the down platform on the left and the up platform on the right

Ref: gwro2304 Great Western Railway Photograph of Olton Station's 1906 award winning best garden which won the prize in the Birmingham Division

Ref: gwro2696 F Biddle Olton Signal Box in 1906 when the Station was awarded the Birmingham Division best garden prize

Views of the rebuilt station

Ref: gwro1019 J Moss Looking from Ulverley Green Road along Station Drive towards Olton's new station's booking office

Ref: gwro257 Anon A 1950s view of the exterior view of Olton's 1930s rebuilt station showing the booking office and 'Station Drive'

Ref: gwro2154 Stations UK Looking towards Birmingham from the Solihull end of the relief island platform in British Railways days

Ref: gwro1025 A Harvey Looking towards Birmingham from the Up Relief platform across to the Down Main platform and station buildings

Ref: gwro1025a A Harvey Close up showing the two station buildings on the island platform which served the Main line

Ref: gwro1025b A Harvey Close up of where passenger gained access to platforms 1 and 2 and the iron railings which protected passengers

Ref: gwro1020 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Snow Hill along platform 4 showing the platform buildings housing the passenger facilities

Ref: gwro1580a A Harvey Close up showing the relief island platform and the rear of the booking office situated at road level

Olton Sports Ground

To facilitate the construction of the Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway land was purchased at Olton in 1854. One of these parcels of land was retained and from 1923 was used as a Sports Ground. The sports ground proved to be very popular and in 1926 a sports pavilion was provided. This building survived the quadrupling of the railway line in 1933, but use of the ground appears to have gradually waned. In 1938 the Great Western Railway sold the sports ground and the pavilion was recorded as being taken down in 1939. The land was developed as housing.

Our thanks go to Keith Staples for sharing his research.

Ref: gwro3985 Solihull Heritage Gateway Plan of the GWR Pavilion was drawn by Mr AT Daniels, a local builder, and submitted to Solihull Council

Ref: gwro3983 GWR Magazine Tennis Players at the Great Western Railway's Birmingham Branch Tournamont in 1925

Ref: gwro3984 Solihull Heritage Gateway Two letters from local builder AT Daniels to Solihull Council regarding the inspection of the sewage works

Ref: gwro1025c A Harvey Close up showing the wooden single storey Pavilion on the Sports Ground at the bottom of the embankment

Ref: gwro3982 GWR Article in the GWR magazine of 1923 describing the opening of the new Sports Ground at Olton that summer

Ref: gwro3988 Solihull Heritage Gateway Details of the Sports Pavilion specification were submitted to Solihull Council with the Planning Application

Locomotives and trains seen at Olton Station

Ref: gwro2247 C Lines Collection Great Western Railway 2-2-2 No 55 'Queen' hauls the Royal Train through Olton station in March 1887

Ref: gwro1022 Lens of Sutton An unidentified GWR 4-4-0 Badminton class locomotive passes Olton's now redundant signal box

Ref: gwro256 NE Stead Ex-GWR 2-6-2T 'Large Prairie' No 5185 stands waiting to depart with local passenger service to Leamington

Ref: gwro1579 M Mensing Ex-GWR 4-6-0 No 6020 'King Henry IV' enters Olton station at the head of the 5:10pm Paddington to Birkenhead

Ref: gwro1583 A Harvey Ex-GWR 2-6-2T 5101 class No 5192 arrives at the Down Main platform of Olton Station on Monday 17th August 1959

Ref: gwro2153 RS Carpenter Ex-GWR 4-6-0 No 6953 'Leighton Hall', modified to burn oil, passes through the station on the up main line

Ref: gwro1585 A Harvey BR built 4-6-0 40xx class No 7008 ‘Swansea Castle’ steams away from the Down Relief platform at Olton station

Ref: gwro1580 A Harvey Ex-GWR 4-4-0 City Class No 3440 ‘City of Truro’ on a SLS Special passes through a deserted Olton Station

Ref: gwro1018 J Moss GWR 4-6-0 '4073 class' No 4096 'Highclere Castle' heads a train of Southern Region coaching stock in August 1962

Ref: gwro1582 A Harvey Ex-GWR 4-6-0 49xx Class No 5985 ‘Mostyn Hall’ with a clear route north and prepares to leave the Down Main platform

Ref: gwro2152 A Harvey Ex-GWR 2-6-2T 'Large Prairie' No 4158 stands at platform four on a Solihull to Handsworth service

Ref: gwro1584 A Harvey Ex-GWR 2-6-2T No 4158 crosses Richmond Road plate girder bridge as it leaves the Relief Down platform

Ref: gwro2305 M Mensing Ex-GWR 4-6-0 4073 No 5026 'Criccieth Castle' on the up main line south of Olton on Wednesday 29th August 1962

Diesel Dawn

Ref: gwro1581 M Mensing Warship D817 'Foxhound' is seen near Olton on the 7:30am Shrewsbury to Paddington service

Ref: gwro1026 A Harvey Collection An original Western Region DMU is seen leaving Olton station on 1.00pm Stratford upon Avon to Snow Hill service

Miscellaneous

Ref: gwro1559 GWR Publicity Photo An official photograph of the girder bridge built to carry the GWR's new widened lines over the main Birmingham Road

Ref: gwro1578 GWR Publicity Photo Four GWR 4-6-0 'Kings' carry out bridge tests on the newly quadrupelled track between Olton and Lapworth

Ref: gwro2490 Birmingham Post 'Express Train in Danger' was the title of this photograph, in the Birmingham Post on 3rd February 1930

Ref: gwro2692 National Archives Drawing showing strengthening to be carried out on Brunel’s wrought iron bowed balloon-top bridge

Ref: gwro2693 Great Western Railway Drawing showing the strengthening required on Brunel’s wrought iron bowed balloon-top bridge at Olton

Ref: gwro2694 British Rail (Western Region) An Illustration of typical construction details involved in Brunel’s wrought iron balloon–top plate bridge

Ref: gwro2695 Illustrated London News Engraving showing the two bridges at Olton, a simple plate girder bridge and a balloon-top bridge

Ref: gwro2697 C Walker Ex-GWR 2-6-0 No 6385 about to cross the four road lattice girder bridge over the old turnpike road at Olton

Ref: gwro3991 Great Western Railway List of Season Ticket Returns for all three classes from Olton to Snow Hill from 1900 to 1906

Ref: gwro2698 F Biddle Brunel's bowed balloon-top wrought iron plate girder bridge crossing the Warwick to Birmingham turnpike road

Ref: gwro4007 Birmingham Library Photograph showing the reconstruction of the line between Olton & Acocks Green stations in 1933

Maps

Ref: gwro3987 GWR Official Document A survey map of the Birmingham & Oxford Junction railway dated 1878 shows the land purchased by the railway

Ref: old_olton_map Anon Layout of Olton's original station showing the up platform at the top and the down platform at the bottom

Ref: new_olton_map Anon Layout of Olton station following the quadrupling of the track to Lapworth and station rebuild of 1933