Powerhaul Class 70 Co Co's

Early this afternoon 70009 passed over the Sutton Park line immediately followed by 70005 light engine. I have no idea why.

The Crimson Princess

It's been a while since a steam photo was posted on here, so enclosed is 6201 Princess Elizabeth seen chugging past Aldridge today, running as 5Z90 Tyseley - Carlisle.

Unusual Working - Loaded Timber Train

Re-branded 'Grid' locomotive number

56094 made a fine sight as she roared past Streetly foot crossing just after 1300 on Saturday. The cargo was timber bound for Carlisle and running as 6Z53 from Gloucester. Earlier in the day 60045 with 60071 dead in transit passed through Daw End (Rushall) with 7D99 Bescot - Toton.

DR 73934

Unusual Plasser-Theurer track machine and runner DR 73934 heads through Sutton Park on the down towards Walsall yesterday afternoon.

Shiny New Paintwork

A few colourful loco's seen in the gloom of Sutton Park over the last two weeks include 66097, 60019 and Harry Needle 'choppers' 20314+20311.

colourful loco's with shiny new paintwork seen in the last two weeks include 60019, 66097, 20314+20311

Orange 20s

In 20 seconds of glorious sun, 20314 & 20311 pass Coles Lane, Sutton Coldfield with 5Z20 Kilmarnock-Laira FGW Mk3 move 22/08/12

Class 60s In New Livery

60019 with the empty 6M82 Walsall - Tunstead cement tanks, and 60040 with 6D44 Bescot - Toton engineers train both approach Aldridge in their smart new DBS red paint jobs. Photo's courtesy of PPN.

The Scarborough Flyer

46233 'Duchess of Sutherland' is seen coasting through Water Orton station on 30th June 2012 with 'The Scarborough Flyer'.

By Royal Appointment

Outrageous fortune here - I walked to the lineside in the rain, the sun came out 60 seconds before the train came, and I walked back to the car in yet another torrential downpour!  66006 passes Walmley with 5Z80 Wolverton-Toton ECS move of 3 Royal Train coaches 30/07/12.  A rare move for the Park!

4M28

Freightliner 4M28 is seen coming to a halt across Streetly crossing on 16th July. Loco's were 66420+66566. After 3 or 4 minutes the train got underway. A few shots showing wagon details also included.

HST

An East Midlands Trains HST ran over the Sutton Park line on Saturday evening. This was a Black Country Society outing returning from the SVR at Kidderminster and destined St Pancras. 1Z43 Saturday 14th July, power cars 43066 & 43049. The first photo shows the HST at Aldridge. The second shot was kindly submitted by John Edkins, who hastily snapped the train at Streetly on his mobile.

47270 With ECS

A hasty snap of Brush Type 4 loco 47270 'Swift' with a train of ECS (believed to be running from Tyseley to Carnforth) passing through Sutton Park on Friday 13th July.

Walsall Deltic

55022 Royal Scots Grey passing Walsall PSB running from Taunton to Crewe.

Looking and sounding stunning as always.

6M56 Nuclear Flask

37409 & 37606 head the 6M56 flask train from Berkeley this afternoon, running past some appropriate Aldridge bridge graffiti en route...

Network Rail 37 on the Sleepers!

97302 worked 7G25 Washwood Heath-Bescot on 22/05/12.  I went to Ryecroft with Captain Fail and we ended up with this shot of the beast leaving the Park line.

70019

70019 hauls liner 4O27 through Sutton Park on the morning of 21st April. New signal WR5431 can be seen on the down line. These signals display all three colours (green, yellow, red) through just one aspect.

Two Class 57s and a Stoat !

A pair of DRS 57S were seen working a solitary flask from Bridgwater to Crewe yesterday, diverted via the Sutton Park line. 57008 + 57003 dip down through the Blue Hole after passing Aldridge with 6M67. Early on Sunday afternoon I was lucky enough to see and hastily photograph a Stoat which had slunk under the lines at the site of the old Aldridge station after darting along the troughing.

4V47 and a Class 70

Although a large number of the nineteen available Class 70's have been temporarily withdrawn from traffic, 70016 was out and about today, heading a very late 4V47 from Rugeley Power Station and seen here on the approach to Aldridge this afternoon.

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.