Yellow Plant

Various departmental vehicles seen over the Park during the last week. Colas tamper DR 73948 heading for Walsall on the down. Unknown stoneblower on the up. 97303 heads for Bescot to work a ballast to North Wales. HOBC DR 76801 being hauled by 66518 on the up.

Streetly Pair

Loco 66014 is seen with 6G16 on 20/04/12, and 66023 kicks up a stink hauling 6E08 on 24/04/12.

New Signals Go Live

A quick peek over the bridges at Sutton Park confirms that the newly installed signals are working, and the (almost) forty four year-old SY signals are being removed.

Not the best of images but they'll do for now !

Saturday 6th April 2012.

Saturday Afternoon...

A few of the more interesting and colourful loco moves seen at Water Orton during Saturday afternoon, in gradually worsening light (photo's not in chronological order, due to blogger upload fault).

6Z70 56302 Shipley - Cardiff Tidal scrap.
6G99 66056 Toton - Bescot engineers.
6E41 60011 Westerleigh - Lindsey tanks.
1Q13 37229 + 37409 Derby - Hither Green test train.

17th March 2012.

Crossover removed

Although it's a distant shot, it can be seen that the recent work at Sutton Park old station has involved removing the crossover and points, plain lining the rails through here.

97304

97304 runs light through Streetly today, en route Shrewsbury.

Aldridge 1990's

A couple of shots from Aldridge circa 1998 showing 47345 with an up liner and 56032 in the same spot with an up empty steel train.

Thanks JT for these two.

92 On The Park

66126 dragged 92015 through the park as 0D44 Bescot-Toton on 13/01/12. Presumably the 92 will return in DB red in due course.

Shadowy Serco

97301 passes a shadowy Sutton Park with 1Q20 Shrewsbury-Derby RTC 13/01/12

Containers

Yet another liner train, 66542 with 4L68 from Birch Coppice.

Streetly Station

An excellent early photographic postcard portraying Streetly station as it appeared probably during the 1920s/30s, kindly supplied by Richard C. An almost busy scene !

The picture is taken from the Thornhill Road bridge looking towards Walsall. The train is at the up platform with the steamer running tender-first, and what looks like four clerestory coaches in tow.

Jocko set free! (For a worthy cause)

On the first of October 2005 there was a charity event held at Walsall Railway Club with all proceeds going to breast cancer charities. During this day 08709 was named Molly's Day, Molly being the young daughter of a Bescot driver who had sadly lost her mother to this illness.

The naming took place in Walsall Midland Yard and this photo shows the loco passing Pleck Junction while making its way to Walsall.

Last of the 'Bones'

EWS-liveried 58050 'Toton Traction Depot', the last Class 58 in the series, is seen passing through Sutton Park in the late 1990s with an up empty MGR set, maybe bound for Daw Mill. The class were all withdrawn by 2002, a number being hired out for use in France and Spain.

Thanks to JT for the photo.

1990s Tamping Machine

A typical tamper of the era, seen on the down at the Aldridge crossover, late 1990s.

Photo JT.

37518

Bridges B55 and B56 provide an artistic backdrop as 37518 runs light through Aldridge in the early 1990s, probably en route Bescot.

The loco survives in preservation on the East Lancashire Railway.

Photo JT.

Tyseley Tour

Tyseley Class 115/116 unit, set T402, is seen passing through Aldridge in the late 1980s.

This was in connection with a Tyseley Open Day event of that time and the shuttle was running between Tyseley and Walsall.

Photo's JT.

Tyseley Tour Two

A second unit, T403, is seen on the up at Aldridge, having left Walsall a few minutes previously.

Photo's JT.

Celebrity Cement

Tata Steel-liveried 60099 passes Walmley with 6M82 Walsall-Tunstead on 30th September 2011.

Penns Station

A superb postcard full of detail, showing the neat little station at Penns (for Walmley) as it appeared around 100 years ago. The photo was taken from Penns Lane bridge looking towards Sutton Park and Walsall. A barrow crossing can be seen running across the railway nearest the camera, and bridge 22 known as the Big Span in the distance, with the New Hall Valley beyond. The last station master at Penns was Les Hollins, who served until closure in January 1965.

Today the site is shrouded by trees and all traces of the station have gone, except for some remnants of the upside (right) platform.

Walsall 31.....

31601 has been kicking about the Walsall area for the last few weeks and is seen here passing the box on Wednesday 31 August, heading for Bescot Virtual Quarry.