LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Harborne

Rotton Park Road Station: lnwrrp88

An elevated view of Rotton Park Road station showing the additional platform created when the passing loop was installed. This classic view of the station was taken from the wooden footbridge and is useful because it shows that the original brick built structure after its modification to accommodate the passing loop which created the second platform. The roof and chimneys share an architectural style with Harborne station whilst the canopy, which is cantilevered on both sides to provide protection to both platforms, is more LNWR in design. The track seen on the right incorporates a sand drag, which provided protection against runaway wagons, and ran the full length of the platform. A sand drag was essentially a channel of sand formed by a the running rail on one side and a retaining wall of a similar height alongside with sand placed in between. The sand slowed down the wagon by acting upon the flange of the wheel and therefore only needed to be a few inches wide. In the view seen above the channel is on the inner rail or the platform side of the track instead of both rails. This was because the braking effect on the wheel with its fixed axles on the wagon would force the wagon to hold a better the line of travel as it went round the curve. A sand drag on both or just the outside track might cause the centre of gravity of a high load to move outwards leading to derailment.

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