Class 40's

A couple of black and white shots showing Class 40's (Whistlers or Tats) working express trains through Sutton Park station fifty years ago in 1964.

Peak D15 At Sutton Park

Peak locomotive (possibly D15) passes through Sutton Park station with express 1O95 on this uncredited photo from the mid 1960s. Practically everything in the photograph has now gone, except the upside island platform which is very overgrown. The downside platform remains (left) were recently cleared away and the area fenced off in connection with a new development, possibly part of the nearby post office depot expansion.

With regards to the loco, Mel Holley writes: "Great picture - and brilliant trackwork - that single slip! I don’t wish to be a party-pooper, or a pedant, but it cannot be D15, as this was one of the four built with centre doors and split headcode boxes. From D16 onwards, they were split box, but built without doors. D15 survived long enough in this form (at least until 1967 when it was pictured at Bristol Temple Meads) with its centre doors, so it was converted to flush doors after it had been painted blue. Perhaps this is D25?”

New Signals

WR5436 on the up, and WR5441 on the down at Aldridge. In use as from 0500 27th August 2013.

Old Signals

Superseded signals at Aldridge 23rd August 2013. WL42R & WL42 up, WL40 down

More new signals

Another two new signalposts have been installed at Walmley, not far from Penns old station site, along with what looks like a new base for electrical equipment cabinets.

No doubt this in connection with the ongoing West Midlands resignalling scheme, and the eventual closure of Walsall and Saltley Power Signal Boxes within 2 - 3 years.

Photo 1. The new signal on the down line can just be made out under Ashurst Rd bridge, on the right of the tracks. The signal at left is the current SY265 repeater on the up line. Loco 66159 stands at a red on SY265 signal proper, in the distance at Park Lane Jcn.

Photo 2. The new (not-yet commissioned) signal on the up line.

Photo 3. Locomotive 66159 passing the new signal, en route for Washwood Heath.

Photo 4. New base for lineside cabinets ? (on the right, the rail entrance to the former Penns Good Yard also used to be here). On the left can be seen a Termination board for a 20mph emergency speed restriction on the up line which has now been here for a year or more...

Signalbox rediscovered - Penns Goods Frame

This 1940's Ordnance Survey map clearly shows the legend SB - Signal Box, at the site of Penns Goods Yard along the Sutton Park line at Walmley, at the bottom right corner of the map. Personally i've never heard any reference to this box, but it was called Penns Goods Frame, and controlled operations within the yard, being taken out of use around fifty years ago. Other references on the map include the siting of old semaphore Signal Posts (SP) and Mile Posts (MP), as well as the former Penns (for Walmley) Station, and the Benchmark Hunter will no doubt be pleased to see various benchmarked bridges etc dotted around the map (BM), though quite a few of the old brickwork structures have now been replaced with boring modern concrete bridges.

Penns Goods Yard was taken out of use shortly after January 1965 when the stations along the route were closed under the Beeching axe, despite being a profitable depot dealing in animal foodstuffs and coal for local merchants, and formerly steel traffic. The yard was serviced by Trip 51 from Water Orton, coal wagons often being taken forward to Aldridge and Walsall Wood.

The timeless Michael Mensing photo was taken on the Saturday afternoon of 5th September 1959, and shows an eastbound up mixed parcels train passing the site of the former Penns Goods Frame signal box (at the Ashurst Road bridge), heading towards Park Lane Junction behind 4-6-0 75022. At left can be seen part of the Penns Goods depot and small yard, and in the background is Eachelhurst Road bridge, in the days before the footbridge was fitted alongside.

I recently found out that the original Midland Railway wooden boxboard from Penns Goods Frame survived, it was sold via the GWR railway auctions concern in May 2006, and went for a measly £40.....

Streetly Station

A rare shot of Streetly Station from around 100 years ago. The photographer was standing on the upside platform looking towards Walsall.

On the downside platform can be seen part of Streetly Signalbox (extreme left), which was the first box to close along this route, prior to the 1950s. The box stood on an island platform, a loop running off the down main passing behind the signalbox.

A fine set of Midland Railway gas lamps and semaphore signals can also be seen. The main station buildings, a typical design for this line, are on the upside at right, and existed until the mid-1990s.

Copyright unknown.

Class 37 Infrastructure return..

The ever popular 37670 was surprise traction for one of last weekends Bescot DS - Hamstead and return ballast trips in partnership with 37401. Here the pair pass Walsall PSB on their way back to Bescot on Sunday 30 August.

Inside Aldridge

A rare glimpse of the interior of Aldridge Junction Signalbox showing the block instruments and part of the 40-lever frame. This was the original Midland Railway box built in 1879 for the opening of the line between Water Orton and Walsall. Fancy a cuppa ?

The box stood just off the end of the downside platform at the junction for Walsall Wood (today's up-to-down line crossover), and was closed in May 1969 being demolished in August of that year. The box was last worked by a late-turn lady signaller who went on to work the signalbox known as "Bodley's" at Walsall. Mr A Hine was the signal inspector who signed off the train register. Thanks to Pete for the photo, copyright unknown.

A brief summary of the other Midland Railway boxes along the Sutton Park route -

Ryecroft Junction (located near the Butts Road bridge, this signalbox controlled the famous four-way junction just east of Walsall, and also the entrance road to the Steam Shed. The original box was replaced in the 1950s, and the replacement went in the late 1960s when Walsall PSB took control of signalling in the area).

Lichfield Road Junction (located at the upside near Lichfield Road bridge, Walsall, and closed circa 1965. Alan Downes writes that during it's later years the box was switched out after 1800 in the evening, with the route being set towards Ryecroft Jcn and Aldridge... the box controlled the MR line that went off to North Walsall and Wolverhampton, coaching stock being turned in the triangle here as and when required).

Streetly (located on the down island platform, this box had certainly closed prior to 1957 as a temporary block post had to be installed to cope with the huge amount of extra trains generated by the Scouts Jamboree at Sutton Park in July of that year). (For a photo of Streetly station and signalbox see my post of 6th July 2008, under the "signal box" label).

Sutton Park (as at Aldridge the box was located at the end of the down platform, in this case near the junction for the parcels depot. A crossover junction between up and down lines still exists here, being groundframe-operated. Box closed at the end of 1969).

Penns Goods Frame (located on the upside opposite Penns Goods depot near Ashurst Road bridge, Walmley. Seemingly this box closed in the 1950s, i've been unable to locate a photo of it).

Park Lane Junction (located on the upside near Park Lane bridge about a mile east of Penns Goods Frame, the box was an LNWR design, the original Midland Railway signalbox being replaced around 1920, reason unknown. The boc controlled the junction for Water Orton and Castle Bromwich. Closed in September 1969).
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Aldridge from above

A terrific aerial photo dating from the 1920s and showing a very rural looking Aldridge town, station and signalbox. The station is located centre of picture with the railway running from the Water Orton direction (middle right) towards Walsall (bottom left), where the junction for Walsall Wood can be seen. A goods train appears to be standing along the downside platform with the tail end under Anchor Road bridge.

St Mary's church is located at the top of the photograph, with a clearly-seen pathway leading across the Croft towards it (the diagonal white line). Cows graze the Croft meadow and a large pond (now part of a car park !) can be made out left of the path.

The town shops and buildings have yet to spread along Anchor Road, and there is no sign either of the Avion cinema (apparently opened by George Formby in the 1930s).

Photo Aerofilms (copyright).

Aldridge Junction Box

A great view of Aldridge Junction signal box taken from the upside platform of the station in the early 1900s. The 'box was closed in May 1969 and demolished in July of the same year. Note that this platform was longer than it's downside counterpart.

A second Midland Railway locomotive can be seen coming off the Walsall Wood branch on the right of the picture, and the backs of houses along Station Road can be made out at left.

1960s Communication....

A couple of pics of the old telephone concentrator in Walsall PSB. This was still in use right up to 2004 when the area's Signalboxes began to be fitted with new touch-screen systems. Will they last 40 years?

Many of the curcuits were redundant by this stage, such as those for long gone signal phones and those for closed Signal Boxes such as Rushall Crossing and of course Newton Road Crossing.

Streetly surprise

This excellent undated photo (probably a hundred years old) clearly shows that Streetly station once had a "back road", a down loop extending along an island platform, at left. Also on view is a platform signalbox. The station buildings on the upside (right) were demolished towards the end of the 1990's, after having had usage as a garage since 1965 ! All of the other stations along the route had been closed by British Rail in January 1965.

Photo copyright J.V.

The modern view shows apartments built near the site of the old station buildings, and the Hardwick Road bridge in the distance is obscured by tree growth, despite some recent tree-clearance ! The former down loop is now a drainage channel amongst the trees on the left.

English Electric Trilogy

Here is another view of 40145 hauling 37901 and 37906 from The Severn Valley Railway to the East Lancs, running as 0Z45 on the 26th of June. They are seen here passing the PSB on the Down Slow. When the locomotives ran through Walsall Station they passed 37401 waiting across the tracks on the Up Fast with a train for Bescot.

Walsall PSB

A view of Walsalls panel. The Grand Junction Lines are at the top, Hamstead top left, continuing to Tame Bridge and the Bescot yards and loops (under the clock). From Bescot Junction the routes are: ahead to Darlaston Junction and Wolverhampton PSB's area (extreme right), and diverging to the right are the lines to Pleck Junction and Walsall, the out of use Dudley routes can be seen between these lines and the up and down Darlaston lines which run from Pleck to Darlaston Junctions.

Walsall station is bottom left, the four lines becoming two through Park St Tunnel and on to Ryecroft Junction at the extreme left, where the Cannock and Sutton Park lines diverge.

Walsall PSB is a Westinghouse Brake & Signal design dating from 1965, the other West Midlands powerboxes at Wolverhampton, Bescot Down Tower and Birmingham New Street were products of the same company. Saltley PSB was a later construction dating from 1969 and the contractor was AEI.

Sutton Park Signal Box.

A charming photo of the signalbox at Sutton Park Station, taken around 1969, just before closure. The new Saltley PSB was about to be commissioned, with control of the Sutton Park line to eventually be shared with Walsall PSB, with the loss of the lines Midland Railway signalboxes. We can perhaps assume that the gentleman deep in thought as he enjoys his pipe is the signalman, no doubt pondering future developments.