37s live on...

Although supposedly en route to Eastleigh for storage, 37401 + 37417 were sent back to Bescot from Didcot yesterday evening, to work an overnight ballast train to North Wales.

Here the engines coast through Aldridge on their way into Bescot.

In the background is bridge number 54, Erdington Road.

Commitee of one

66200 "Railway Heritage Commitee" streaks across sunny Sutton Park early on Saturday afternoon with the 4G07 liner for Washwood Heath.

The loco's small nameplate is not visible in this shot, as it is fitted under the cabside window at the far end.

Although the photo was taken around 1400 hours, long shadows are already reaching out onto the tracks...

Burton return

37417 seen heading past Streetly Gate on Wednesday last week with the return Burton - Bescot steel.

A fine capture by the Flying Ferret.

Streetly Gate floods

Caused by a burst water main on the nearby Thornhill Road bridge (bridge no.45), a torrent of water flowed through the woods and threatened to engulf the crossing, stopping just short of the rails. Tuesday 23rd September 2008.

Ghost of a Grid

A surprise turn up today was 56311 still in its grey undercoat, roaring across the Park with just one empty freightliner flat, which was all that train 4O90 comprised !

Indian summer

The scene alongside the railway at Little Bracebridge Pool this afternoon.

The Wednesday Ones

The Bridgwater - Crewe flasks again working back across the Sutton Park line last night at around 1815, hauled by the same pair of Type 1s as last Wednesday, 20315 + 20307.

Will they appear yet again next Wednesday evening ? !!!

(the answer was no - the flasks ran booked route via Bescot tonight 24/09/2008, with 2 x Class 37s !!)

Roving Royal

67006 "Royal Sovereign" heads out over the Park this evening as 66001 appears in the distance with 6G45 Toton - Bescot. Wonder where the Royal was going...?

Found out that 67006 went to Toton as 0F54...

Barry Needham on ballast

Not having seen 60087 "Barry Needham" (formerly "Slioch") for a good while I was pleasantly surprised to see the loco come looming out of the mists on Sunday morning, with a trainload of spoil (spent ballast) running from Nuneaton to Bescot.

There were also a few other ballast moves over the Park, mainly Class 66-hauled, which makes a change as the line is usually redundant on Sundays...

Royal...Family

67006 "Royal Sovereign" takes the Burton-Bescot steel train over the Kingsbury Road and Birmingham & Fazeley Canal bridges (bridge no.16) near Park Lane Jnc. just after midday today.

Once again the shots are plagued by encroaching vegetation and awkward conditions, something the old 50s, 60s and even 70s photographers hardly had to contend with !

Weekly round up

A few shots from the last week.

1. Network Rail New Measurement Train HST snapped in Hardwick Wood by the Flying Ferret.

2. 66087 working the Ironbridge-Lindsey tank empties across Sutton Park.

3. 20315 + 20307 go away with the Bridgwater-Crewe flasks, towards bridge number 37, Blackroot Bridge.

4. 60040 with the Walsall-Tunstead cement empties at Aldridge.

4. 66561 heading some coal empties from Rugeley Power Station.

A day out

... for the lucky few on this train from London Victoria to Shrewsbury, passing Aldridge on Thursday morning. 67021 is shown bringing up the rear of the train (67001 was on the front).

2 loco's 2 flasks

The Newton Road site has been deprived of another "bombs" posting, as todays 6M67 flask move was yet again routed via Barnt Green and Sutton Park !

Here's the train passing the former Sutton Park station with 20315 + 20307 in charge, lit by some late afternoon sun. A close shave this one as rush-hour road traffic was already building up at 1630, and with the beasts passing through early at 1650 I had just 3 minutes leeway !

A rare visitor

An unusual visitor to the West Midlands on Friday was EWS Class 59 loco 59202, seen here at Walsall waiting to take it's train of cement empties back to Tunstead. Photographed during a lull in the days almost continuous downpour by Nick Broome.

It's a 37 !

37401 rumbles across the Park on Wednesday afternoon with a great-looking engineers train of empty concrete sleeper wagons, complete with lifting gear and generator. This was 7G25 from Bescot to Washwood Heath Cemex depot.

Loadhaul livery

60059 "Swinden Dalesman" heads across Sutton Park early this afternoon with the returning cement empties.

Drax Power Station

GBRf / First loco 66724 "Drax Power Station" is seen ploughing her way across Sutton Park today with diverted freightliner 4L22 Hams Hall to Felixstowe Port.

Many liners have been diverted across the Park line over the last two weeks due to the Trent Valley lines being closed for upgrading.