Fishing at Walsall

The station at Walsall was often turned into a canal after heavy rain, with floodwater up to platform height.

Many old Victorian photo's illustrate this point, as do these two shots taken after the deluge of 6th and 7th of May 1969.

Most of the buildings shown here were demolished in the 1978 station rebuild...

Photo's copyright unknown.

Cement at Walsall

60096 draws forward on the cement tanks at Walsall yesterday, waiting for the final few wagons to be emptied.

Beastly goings-on

Not long after after 37401 had passed through Streetly Woods with the returning Burton - Bescot steel carriers early Thursday afternoon, 40145 appeared from the Walsall direction hauling two "Slugs", 37901 + 37906, to the East Lancs railway.

An English Electric cavalcade of large-logo liveries !

Ruston Reverberations At Pleck.

Due to OLE problems between Coventry and Rugby today, Fastline's 4O90 ran round on Bescot Up Goods and returned to the Sutton Park Line to reach Nuneaton. Here 56303 passes Pleck Junction, the loco's Ruston-Paxman 16RK3CT engine sounding as impressive as these machines always do.

A 37 Revisits The Pleck.

The ever popular 37401 continued working off Bescot today and is seen here in a couple of views as the loco passed Pleck Junction running as 0G25 to Washwood Heath RMC.

Going loco for co-co

A mad dash to Streetly Gate this evening to snap 37401 working 6G22, the concrete sleepers from Washwood Heath CMX to Bescot. Made it with literally seconds to spare...

Be afraid, be very afraid...

New Fastline Loco's

3 new Class 66 loco's which were shipped over to the UK last week made their way this afternoon from Newport Docks to Crewe Gresty Bridge, hauled by DRS loco 66414.

The new Fastline Freight engine numbers (from the front of the train) are 66305 66304 and 66301. A close-up of 66305 is enclosed, showing the small-sized numbers under the cab window.

Pictures taken at Ryecroft, Walsall.

Three-up on the down

Getting a lift home to Crewe across Sutton Park in the misty drizzle late this afternoon was blue DRS loco 66428 tucked in behind Freightliner loco's 66539 + 66590, on the "booked diversion" 4M87 from Felixstowe. I've seen 2 engines on this train when diverted through Bescot in the past (Class 90 electrics) but never 3.

The service will revert to its normal route down the Trent Valley lines when four-tracking and other signalling work there is finally completed (seems to be taking years !).

Iron Tankers

The returning Ironbridge to Lindsey empty tanks rumble through Streetly on Wednesday afternoon behind namer loco 60068 Chares Darwin, and onto the straight section through Sutton Park. Not a train to get too close to....

56311 logs off

No Fastline "ghost grid" 56311 for me this afternoon, but a return to service for 56303, seen with 4O90 the regular liner to Grain Docks, slogging up the incline across Sutton Park on time.

4965 at Walsall

Another recent newspaper cutting...

Tanking through

EWS loco 60063 James Murray sits on the cement train at Walsall this morning (as a "Fred" Class 66 passes), and is later seen rumbling across Sutton Park with it's train of empties, running around 90 minutes late.

Concrete cacophony

Loco 60009 thunders past Streetly Gate and onto the downhill straight section through Sutton Park with 24 empty cement tanks from Walsall, destined for Tunstead (Peak Forest). A good train to photograph this one !

Many of the lineside trees along this stretch are currently being cut back...

Downline 60

60084 seen at Streetly today, heading for Bescot. Plenty more lineside trees have been removed but shadows are still a problem for photography if the sun is out !

A pair of Grids.

The very late running 4E90 lands at Pleck this morning with the distinctive looking 56311 leading.

Will the Dudley lines on the right ever see trains again....?

Return of a ghost

Running 3 hours late, 56311 + 56301 speed across Sutton Park this morning, with the 4E90 Fastline Freight liner for Doncaster.

In the background can be seen the Mayers Bridge (bridge number 36) leading into Sutton Park off Blackroot Road.

NMT

The New Measurement Train HST set with power car 43089 leading suddenly bursts on to the scene at Sutton Park old station this morning, heading for Cheltenham and Swindon.

A stranger at Pleck Junction.

The unusual sight of a Class 158 on the Down Fast at Pleck this morning. The unit was on road learning duties and had also visited the Up & Down Goods through Bescot. The train reversed at the Junction and headed towards Wolverhampton via the Darlaston line.

K&WVR Gala Convoy

37423 and its convoy of Class 25 D7612, 20110, 31108 and Class 37 D6737 are seen again just about to come off the Sutton Park line at Mill Lane, Walsall. The working was 0Z51 Totnes to Crewe and was being correctly displayed on the rear Class 37. The loco's were being moved from the South Devon Railway to appear at this weekend's Keighley & Worth Valley Railway's diesel gala.

Ghost at Aldridge

In what appears to be grey undercoat with white roof and wrap-around yellow cabs, "new loco" 56311 runs through Aldridge tonight, with 56301 tucked in behind.

The liner was running over 5 hours late....

Another Voyager

Passing Aldridge tonight. Get these plastic pigs off this line !

Rat at Aldridge

BR green liveried D7612 being dragged to Crewe as part of a convoy of loco's comprising hauling loco DRS 37423, D7612, 20110, 31108, and D6737, seen at the 45 milepost tonight.

The loco headboard reads "DRS Crewe on a mission"

Get these Class 25s back on the mainline I say.......

The Welsh Mountaineer

37417 Richard Trevithick and 37401 working the return leg of Kingfisher Railtours 'The Welsh Mountaineer' at the Lime Pits, Rushall.

A feast of beasts

37401 + 37417 roll through sleepy Aldridge this morning, with an excursion from Peterborough to Blaneau Ffestiniog, swiftly followed by 31190 + 31459 on a test train bonus from Derby.
Nice.

Also seen an hour or so later were DRS loco's 37609+606 running light from Derby to Crewe.
These were pictured at Washwood Heath as for some reason they ran via Saltley and New St rather than over the Park (or even via the more direct North Staffs line). A later move saw two more 37s return from Crewe - Derby via this same route.

Smokin'

Further to the posting above, this was the "Q" test train returning to Derby, seen at Sutton Park old station at 1405. Loco 31459 Cerebus leading with 31190 at the rear, sandwiching yellow coach number 999508...