Saturday, June 30, 2007

Trains return



Two freshly repainted Virgin Thunderbirds return to Crewe from Loughborough Brush works, no's 57307 Lady Penelope + 57315 The Mole,  and 6E79 with empty steel carriers from Wolverhampton heads up to Doncaster behind loco 66224. Both photo's taken just east of the landslip site.

Friday, June 29, 2007

First through



This character was the first to use the re-opened line...

Line open !


Two weeks after heavy rain caused soil, clay and trees to slide down an embankment and on to the tracks near Aldridge, the line is re-opened to rail traffic, albeit at reduced speed near to the worksite. Compare this tree-less scene to those posted on the 15th June. Photo by Jago.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Final preparations



The embankment at the landslip site at Aldridge has now been restored as a shallower slope, and a mass of trees removed. Buckled track has been replaced and the line is expected to re-open at the end of this week...

Friday, June 22, 2007

Old Ryecroft


A view of Ryecroft Jn taken in 1958 from the Butts bridge, showing the superb signal gantry and 'box, Mill Lane bridge visible in the distance (under the signal gantry). Photograph copyright Jack Haddock.
In this view taken from further along the line, Class 25 loco D7609 (later 25259) is running light off the Cannock lines towards Walsall in June 1970. Mill Lane bridge is clearly visible in the background with the South Staffs line passing under the left arch, and the Sutton Park line out of sight under the right hand arch.
Just visble under the left hand bridge archway is another distant bridge, this carried the North Walsall line from Lichfield Rd Jn to Wolverhampton.
The levelled area behind the loco was formerly the steam shed.
Photo copyright R Selvey.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Work continues




... in removing the clay-bound soil from the railway and embankment at the landslip site near Aldridge on the Sutton Park line. The small triangular horse pasture sandwiched by Bosty Lane, Middlemore Lane and the railway has been commandeered to store plant and equipment, and to dump the slipped spoil,  with road-railers at the ready for the coming trackwork. Have the horses been roasted and fed to the nightworkers....?

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Streetly in Sepia


In August 1957 there was an International Scouts Jamboree held at Sutton Park. This was a massive event with thousands and thousands of scouts pouring into the area from all over the country, and most of them arriving via special train services which called at Streetly and Sutton Park stations
(the local hourly Walsall - New St service via the 'Park would have been completely overwhelmed without these specials !). This often-seen photo shows LMS Stanier class 5 no. 45333 about to depart from Streetly, having just dropped off another consignment !
I think the cabin at the base of the photo was a temporary block post (i.e. signalbox) installed to help deal with the numerous extra trains.
Practically everything railway in this 50 year-old photo has now ceased to be, even the tracks are continuously-welded and fairly new....
Photo from the "Birmingham Railway Scene" by C.C.Dorman.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Landslip near Aldridge



Part of the limestone embankments around Aldridge collapsed this morning after heavy rain, which will result in the closure of the Sutton Park line for about two weeks....
The enclosed photo's show the result of one of the clay-bound embankments slipping down onto the cess and down line, causing the rails to buckle and trees to fall over across the tracks. Birse Rail are involved in restoring the line.
It could be argued that lack of tree felling close to the line along this route has exacerbated the situation, however given the amount of rain that fell on Friday it was inevitable that some of the steeply-angled embankments would give way.
The road bridge in the background carries Bosty Lane over the railway (between Rushall and the Whitehouse at Aldridge), and was itself closed for almost two years recently due to footings giving way and collapsing into the nearby underground caverns and lake at Linley Wood. The wood is situated just to the right of these pictures.
To see Steve Powell's website featuring the caverns, click on the Linley Wood Caverns link.

Floods !

See the Newton Road blogger for todays flood shots ! (link below).

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Walsall Cement Tanks



Captured at 0730 this morning in dull, damp weather at Aldridge, loco 60047 and train of 24 loaded cement tanks nears it's destination of Walsall. The train originates at Tunstead (near Peak Forest) but ran via Stafford, New St, Saltley and the Sutton Park line today, presumably due to engineering work in the Derby area. Also included is a shot of one of the unique JGA tank wagons.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

DMU at Sutton Park


This image was recently sold on E Bay (copyright unknown). It shows a Class 101 unit paused for a photo shoot at the then-closed Sutton Park station in the mid-Sixties. The outing was a Birmingham University Transport Society railtour...

Heavy Stone




Due to the service being almost two hours late I was able to get some shots of the 6M10 Peak Forest - Washwood Heath limestone traffic this morning at 0700. Here it is with 60015 at the head, struggling up the bank from Ryecroft to Daw End with it's 27 heavily loaded wagons. Total train weight was over 2,500 tonnes ! Also passing within 10 minutes or so were 66003 on 4M70 freightliner Southampton-Foundry Lane, and 66551 on an up train of ballast empties from Crewe.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

No Parking Here


6024 King Edward I working The Railway Touring Company's 'Cambrian Coast Express' near Streetly.

More views...



of today's King-hauled express with image manipulation by Paul, and my own sepia take on a different approach photo...

The "Cambrian Coast Express"


This morning's steam charter train from Shrewsbury to London Paddington adds it's own heat to the already hot weather as it passes the former Aldridge station site behind GWR-built loco 6024 King Edward I. The train operators are no longer able to run their charters over the original "Cambrian Coast Express" ex-GWR route from Wolverhampton Low Level to Birmingham Snow Hill as this section of the line closed in 1972, only to be re-opened as the Metro tram-route in 1999. I somehow don't think the tram-lines could bear the weight of this massive beast bearing down upon them !

Friday, June 8, 2007

Edward The Gate


6024 King Edward I caught at Streetly Gate while working 5Z24 10:10 Kidderminster SVR to Abbey Foregate.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Silver Machine


Silver EWS flagship loco 67029 is dragged light engine by 66211 from Toton to Bescot this evening, captured here passing the quarry at Branton Hill. This view also shows the compact size of the class 67 loco when compared to the 66, which were originally
 brought in to work as parcels engines.

Odd that this loco has never been named though...