GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - Structure: gwrbsh3825

Great Western Railway single horse flat trolley No 971 loaded with several carcasses outside St Chads Roman Catholic Cathedral in Birmingham. The Great Western Railway had issued a standard design drawing (No 59981) for a standard one horse trolley design in September 1920. The drawing shows 3 foot 3 inch diameter twelve spoke ‘artillery type’ cart wheels supported on leaf springs, with the 8 foot shafts attached to an articulated front axle. Driver arrangements varied between areas; the Birmingham pattern had a box seat raised ten inches above the flat vehicle floor. A canvas hood was secured to an arched framework which could be repositioned to give some weather protection to the load and a little to the driver. There was no mechanical brake, but a drag shoe was provided and this can be seen hanging next to the rear cart wheel. A single horse was expected to haul up to 36 cwt at a speed of 6 mph and cover 20 miles in their day's work.

Robert Ferris

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