LMS Route: Water Orton to Walsall

Sutton Park Station: mrspk341a

Close up of image 'mrspk341' showing Sutton Park signal box and goods yard and shed with a passenger train standing in siding. To the left of the signal box standing in the short siding leading to the cattle dock is a coach which would indicate that it has been probably been withdrawn due to a mechanical fault and is waiting repairs. To the right of the signal box are the turnouts and crossovers required to gain access to the goods yard from both the up and down lines. In each case, access is provided by trailing turnouts, meaning that the goods train would have drawn passed the turnouts and then reversed into the yard. This was a safety feature common adopted by all railway companies as in certain circumstances the rails of 'facing' points could be forced apart by a locomotive's wheels. Accessing the yard could therefore be a little convoluted. The turnouts seen in the distance were used to allow trains to reverse from the up line across either to the down platform seen in this view or to the down platform on the other side of this island platform. The station being the terminus for many of the local trains to and from Birmingham. A local train can been seen in the sidings alongside the goods shed.

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