LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Harborne

Rotton Park Station: lnwrrp2186

View of Mitchell & Butler's diminutive locomotive 0-4-0ST 'John Barleycorn' seen standing outside its shed on 12th July 1947. The locomotive was replaced by another but larger locomotive which was imaginatively named 'John Barleycorn II'. Andy Doherty writes on his website 'The brewery itself was opened in 1881 with rail connection coming some 26 years later in 1907 via a 1000 yard-long spur from the privately owned and LNWR ran Harborne Railway; coming off the line approaching Rotten Park Road station from the direction of Harborne. The line, upon leaving the Harborne Railway, passed under City Road (the bridge can still be found today) then curved right and splitting into two with one line crossing what was then a canal feeder and entering the works 100 yards or so from Shenstone Road and the other crossing the canal feeder and entering the works beyond the end of Oliver Road. The standard gauge railway was operated by M & B-owned steam locomotives, two of which were 'second-hand' industrial tank engines (Beatrice and Boniface) and two which were built for M & B: John Barleycorn, seen above and John Barleycorn II.

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