Simply Red

EWS 'sheds' were also busy on the park today. 66173 worked an engineering train to Bescot (and later returned light engine) and 66158 headed in the other direction towards Water Orton.

Green Day

A couple of Freightliner Heavy Haul 'Freds' were out working through the park today. 66610 and 66616 are hard at work on coal duties at Streetly Gate.

A Shot In The Park

Running over two hours early, 20308 + 20305 head back to Crewe on 6M56.

No.2 In The Woods

Fastline Freight's 56302 on todays 4O90 from Birch Coppice at Streetly Gate.

Hall In A Days Work

Couple of shots of 4936 Kinlet Hall and 4965 Rood Ashton Hall working 5Z90 10:30 Tyseley Steam Trust to Bescot. The Halls then worked the second leg of Steam Dreams 'The Cathedrals Express' from Bescot to Chester and back. Here they are passing Streetly Gate running early.

Photo's by I Jennings

Driver training

Freightliner's 47811 was supposed to run over the 'Park line today on a route learning trip, in the event it only completed part of it's schedule, running from Bescot to Rugeley Power Station and back, and then returning home to Crewe. Here it is passing Leamore this morning (between Bloxwich and Ryecroft) on the Cannock line. Coincidentally, sister loco 47810 was passing Saltley at the same time !

Rumblings at Streetly...

60096 returning the cement empties to Tunstead this afternoon.

56303 At Streetly Gate : The Movie!

Here's the video clip of 56303 powering its way through Streetly Gate on 4O90.

Right Said Fred's

Two more shot's from Streetly Gate as Freightliner's 66951 and 66525 make their way through the Park.

Broadside

56303 dashes past with the afternoon liner to Grain today, at Wylde Green.

Streetly Shed

66214 approaching Streetly Gate foot crossing.

Park Grid

Fastline Grid 56303 powering through Streetly Gate with today's 4O90.

"A" bomb in Albert Street

As the nine-to-five'rs prepare to leave the shops and offices of Walsall this evening, the nuclear flask sits at signal WL68 near Albert St bridge. After talking to Walsall Powerbox on the signal post telephone, the driver prepares to take the fast line through Park St tunnel and Walsall station. Beastly DRS  loco's 20311+20315 are returning the single flask to Crewe from Berkeley power station (Glos.).

Just for a change...

I thought i'd put these images on the blog, showing what was apparently an Hercules C130, seen flying over the 'Park line at Rushall in March this year. Planespotter !

Steaming up to Ryecroft

Liner 4G64 from Foundry Lane to Washwood Heath heads up the incline past Mill Lane bridge just an hour ago, behind loco 66044. With the possible exception of a returning empty coal train from Rugeley, this is likely to be the last freight move of the day across the 'Park line...

Horn Free

Last year FM Rail ran a couple of coal train trials between Daw Mill and Rugeley. Unfortunately they were unsuccesful but it did produce one of the workings of the year. On the 25th July 31190 + 31601 + 31454 triple headed 6G20 Daw Mill to Rugeley. Here they are making a right racket as they pass Streetly Gate running around three hours late.

The unexpected

... can still happen on today's railway system, as shown here when 47245 almost caught me out on a rake of stock (3 coaches) on Wednesday afternoon. I later found out that it was a WCRC move from Carnforth to Tyseley...

Looking East

Here's a close-up of 4O90 hauled by Fastline Freight's 56303 thundering past East View Rd at Wylde Green
 on Wednesday afternoon.

Nuclear flask

DRS Type 1 loco's 20310 "Gresty Bridge" + 20303 pass Saltley and head for the Sutton Park line on Tuesday, with the return Berkeley Power Station to Crewe flask service.

The Queen's Messenger

Royal locomotive 67005 "Queen's Messenger" was used to take a light load of Volkswagen parts from Bescot to Birch Coppice yesterday, and is also pictured returning through Sutton Park a while later with a slightly longer train of empties. A nicely turned out engine...

Swordfish

33103 "Swordfish" approaches Aldridge with an empty stock train from Oxley, i've no idea of the destination however...

Type 1 travellers

20315+20311 enjoy a day out in the woods. The loco's were returning to Crewe from Bristol on a driver training run.

Top Tug

The unique loco 60500 "Rail Magazine" (formerly 60016) emerges from the shadows at Hardwick Woods with a 6V92 Wolverhampton Steel Terminal to Margam Yard service.

Double Tug

60038 + 60041 coast through Aldridge with the Toton-Bescot evening engineers service on Friday. British Beasts.

The best view of a "Shed"

... the going-away shot.... Freightliner's 66552 takes it's cargo of two trucks under the canal bridge at Daw End, en route from Croft Quarry to Crewe Basford Hall (6z17).

Feeding time

A Hedge Brown butterfly sips nectar from a Ragwort plant and waits for 56303 to pass, at the Park Lime Pits nature reserve....

Victa Power

Here's 47832 returning from Bescot with 4Z47 comprising one low flat for Chaddesden, captured near the 43 milepost at Hardwick Woods. An odd, one-off working which I was lucky to see.

At peace

A peaceful summer view of the Streetly Gate foot crossing. Looks can be deceptive however, especially when a 1000-tonne coal train thunders past !

Penns station

This is all that remains of Penns station today, as seen from Penns Lane bridge (Walmley) looking towards Walsall. The station closed in January 1965 along with Sutton Park, Streetly and Aldridge when passenger services were withdrawn.
The bridge over the railway in the distance is the "Big Span" from Penns Lake Rd, a wide road bridge now three-quarters fenced off to become merely a footpath-width, and formerly an accomodation road for farmers with cattle. This, along with the former Penns Yard area near Eachelhurst Road, is a very interesting (and leafy) area to explore, though little remains from the past.

Scrap line

66174 takes 5 empty scrap-holding wagons across the 'Park line, from Bescot to Saltley Dunns Brothers scrap metal recycling plant.

The end in sight

These views were taken from the Eachelhurst Road bridge at Walmley, looking towards Walmley Ash and Park Lane Jn.

In the first telephoto view, liner 4O90 is just coming on to the end (or beginning !) of the Sutton Park line about a mile and a half distant, at Park Lane Jn (south of Water Orton). I need to re-take this photo as the camera has auto-focussed on the Ashurst Road bridge rather than the loco. The signal at left on the down line is Saltley's R265, a two aspect repeater signal.

The second view shows the train picking up speed as it approaches.

In the third shot the train is about to pass me on the Eachelhurst Rd footbridge.
The dark line of conifers and the ugly utility pipe which crosses the tracks here makes photography challenging to say the least ! And who dropped that huge coin onto the six foot between the tracks.....

For a short description of the Penns goods yard once situated at right behind the conifers at this bridge, see here -

http://madeinbirmingham.org/walmley.htm

New paint job

Showing off it's superb repaint under new owners Victa Westlink, 47832 heads across the Park light loco en route Bescot.

Out of the shadows

...comes a grubby looking 60096 at the head of the Walsall - Tunstead cement empties.