LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Harborne

Rotton Park: lnwrrp88

This classic postcard view of the station was taken from the wooden foot bridge and is useful because it shows that the original brick built structure has been modified 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 sand drag, which provided protection against Down traffic break-away wagons, can be seen to run the whole length of the station.

A sand drag was essentially a channel of sand formed by a the running rail on one side and a retaining wall of similar height alongside and as it only effected the flange of the wheel needed only to be a few inches wide. In the view above the channel is on the inner rail or the platform side of the track instead of both rails. This was presumably because the braking effect on the fixed axles of wagons would force the wagon to hold a better the line of travel as the wagon 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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