In this view taken from further along the line, Class 25 loco D7609 (later 25259) is running light off the Cannock lines towards Walsall in June 1970. Mill Lane bridge is clearly visible in the background with the South Staffs line passing under the left arch, and the Sutton Park line out of sight under the right hand arch.
Just visble under the left hand bridge archway is another distant bridge, this carried the North Walsall line from Lichfield Rd Jn to Wolverhampton.
The levelled area behind the loco was formerly the steam shed.
Photo copyright R Selvey.

Work continues

... in removing the clay-bound soil from the railway and embankment at the landslip site near Aldridge on the Sutton Park line. The small triangular horse pasture sandwiched by Bosty Lane, Middlemore Lane and the railway has been commandeered to store plant and equipment, and to dump the slipped spoil,  with road-railers at the ready for the coming trackwork. Have the horses been roasted and fed to the nightworkers....?

Streetly in Sepia

In August 1957 there was an International Scouts Jamboree held at Sutton Park. This was a massive event with thousands and thousands of scouts pouring into the area from all over the country, and most of them arriving via special train services which called at Streetly and Sutton Park stations
(the local hourly Walsall - New St service via the 'Park would have been completely overwhelmed without these specials !). This often-seen photo shows LMS Stanier class 5 no. 45333 about to depart from Streetly, having just dropped off another consignment !
I think the cabin at the base of the photo was a temporary block post (i.e. signalbox) installed to help deal with the numerous extra trains.
Practically everything railway in this 50 year-old photo has now ceased to be, even the tracks are continuously-welded and fairly new....
Photo from the "Birmingham Railway Scene" by C.C.Dorman.

Landslip near Aldridge

Part of the limestone embankments around Aldridge collapsed this morning after heavy rain, which will result in the closure of the Sutton Park line for about two weeks....
The enclosed photo's show the result of one of the clay-bound embankments slipping down onto the cess and down line, causing the rails to buckle and trees to fall over across the tracks. Birse Rail are involved in restoring the line.
It could be argued that lack of tree felling close to the line along this route has exacerbated the situation, however given the amount of rain that fell on Friday it was inevitable that some of the steeply-angled embankments would give way.
The road bridge in the background carries Bosty Lane over the railway (between Rushall and the Whitehouse at Aldridge), and was itself closed for almost two years recently due to footings giving way and collapsing into the nearby underground caverns and lake at Linley Wood. The wood is situated just to the right of these pictures.
To see Steve Powell's website featuring the caverns, click on the Linley Wood Caverns link.

Floods !

See the Newton Road blogger for todays flood shots ! (link below).

Walsall Cement Tanks

Captured at 0730 this morning in dull, damp weather at Aldridge, loco 60047 and train of 24 loaded cement tanks nears it's destination of Walsall. The train originates at Tunstead (near Peak Forest) but ran via Stafford, New St, Saltley and the Sutton Park line today, presumably due to engineering work in the Derby area. Also included is a shot of one of the unique JGA tank wagons.

DMU at Sutton Park

This image was recently sold on E Bay (copyright unknown). It shows a Class 101 unit paused for a photo shoot at the then-closed Sutton Park station in the mid-Sixties. The outing was a Birmingham University Transport Society railtour...

Heavy Stone

Due to the service being almost two hours late I was able to get some shots of the 6M10 Peak Forest - Washwood Heath limestone traffic this morning at 0700. Here it is with 60015 at the head, struggling up the bank from Ryecroft to Daw End with it's 27 heavily loaded wagons. Total train weight was over 2,500 tonnes ! Also passing within 10 minutes or so were 66003 on 4M70 freightliner Southampton-Foundry Lane, and 66551 on an up train of ballast empties from Crewe.

No Parking Here

6024 King Edward I working The Railway Touring Company's 'Cambrian Coast Express' near Streetly.

More views...

of today's King-hauled express with image manipulation by Paul, and my own sepia take on a different approach photo...

The "Cambrian Coast Express"

This morning's steam charter train from Shrewsbury to London Paddington adds it's own heat to the already hot weather as it passes the former Aldridge station site behind GWR-built loco 6024 King Edward I. The train operators are no longer able to run their charters over the original "Cambrian Coast Express" ex-GWR route from Wolverhampton Low Level to Birmingham Snow Hill as this section of the line closed in 1972, only to be re-opened as the Metro tram-route in 1999. I somehow don't think the tram-lines could bear the weight of this massive beast bearing down upon them !

Edward The Gate

6024 King Edward I caught at Streetly Gate while working 5Z24 10:10 Kidderminster SVR to Abbey Foregate.

Silver Machine

Silver EWS flagship loco 67029 is dragged light engine by 66211 from Toton to Bescot this evening, captured here passing the quarry at Branton Hill. This view also shows the compact size of the class 67 loco when compared to the 66, which were originally
 brought in to work as parcels engines.

Odd that this loco has never been named though...

60018

Class 60 number 018 passes Aldridge on the down line with a stone train from Mountsorrel to Bescot on 30th May 2007.

Streetly station

This photograph of Streetly station was recently sold on E Bay (copyright unknown).

It shows LMS loco 42482 arriving with a Walsall-Birmingham local service in 1953. The platform on the left was formerly an island platform, with a down loop running alongside it.
The station was accessed from nearby Foley Rd East, but today no trace remains
(you would be hard pressed to visualise any station here at all !).
The station closed in 1965.

Driver Training

DRS loco 37038 passes Aldridge on a driver training run to Berkeley (Glos) this morning.

The Oxfordshire Express

Not at all on the Sutton Park line but included as a local photo for the steam buffs, 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" coasts through a gloomy Saltley this evening on the return Didcot-Derby leg of the Oxfordshire Express. Ah, the authentic smell of LMS/BR steam...

Convoy

This convoy of loco's was caught running light through the Blue Hole cutting this afternoon, from Washwood Heath to Bescot. They are 66086+055+059+162.

Double Grid

Two in one afternoon - 56303 approaches Aldridge with 4O90 for Grain (Kent), then a couple of hours later 56302 is pictured at Daw End with 6Z56 Crewe-Doncaster empty flats.

Boxes

As freightliner 4M70 runs down behind 66002 this morning, 67021 heads up light for Birch Coppice, through Daw End.

Rumblings at Ryecroft

37410 gets a tow back to Bescot behind 66086 this evening, on 6G45 from Toton.

Yet more engineering work

For the 3rd successive weekend the Sutton Park line has been closed for re-ballasting and fitting of new concrete sleepers. The photo's below show -

1. Road/railer at work Ryecroft Junction.

2. 60026 with engine switched off below Albert St bridge, whilst 66203 finds itself parked on a ballast train below Park Street tunnel, Walsall.

3. 60034 "Carnedd Llewelyn" standing at Sutton Park.

4. Another road/railer, this one at work unloading ballast in the rain, on the up line near Streetly, while 66035, 60091 and 60034 stand silent lined up on 3 ballast workings.

Streetly Skip

67030 at Streetly Gate, Wednesday 16th May 2007.

Euro Star

Loco's 66118 + 66209 roll past under the pylons at the Aldridge quarry site this evening, on a train of empties from Toton to Bescot (6G45). The hoped-for class 60 obviously didn't appear, but at least 66209 is a European-modified loco with different branding to the EWS norm, also showing painted bogies and stripey snowploughs. The service ran about 10 minutes late, following a down Freightliner/Heavy Haul coal train which was occupying 6G45's booked path...

Stoned

60027 on the approach to Aldridge this afternoon with a train of stone from Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, to Bescot (6G47).

Flask

At Aldridge today. 37229 "Jonty Jarvis" plus 20302. Large.

Sparking Grid

Grid 56302 throws off a few sparks from it's leading bogie under braking at Aldridge this afternoon.

Triple Sheds !

3 class 66s head 6D44 Bescot - Toton in the rain over Rushall this afternoon. The third loco is 66071 which has been modified for European use, but is still in service in the UK...

Return Steel

60034 passing through Rushall this morning with 6E08 Wolverhampton - Doncaster steel empties (including "pigsheds" !).

Bank Holiday Engineering work

5 spoil/concrete sleeper trains lined up nose-to-tail on the down line at Sutton Park last Monday were joined by a tamper on the up line which promptly shut down, leaving all trains standing silent and un-moving strung out across the Park, with no railstaff in sight !

Hoovering Up At Walsall

Hoover 50006 Neptune waits to depart Walsall with an unknown charter working on 10.06.1984.

Photo taken by D Jennings

Snow Rat

25310 passing a snowy Ryecroft Jnc on 11.01.1982.

Photo taken by D Jennings

6Z37 At Streetly Gate

DRS tractor 37087 working 6Z37 Doncaster to Bescot through Streetly Gate on Monday 12th March 2007.

The Rutland Renegade

20306 + 20309 + 20314 at the Lime Pits, Rushall while working Pathfinder Tours 'The Rutland Renegade' on Saturday 26th August 2006.

Sutton Park Rat

25224 inside the G.P.O. sidings at Sutton Park on 14th August 1981

Photo taken by D Jennings

The 406 & 422 show continues...

as 37406 heads for home with a massive train from Birch Coppice today.