Power Shot

"Grid" loco 56303 roars across Sutton Park this afternoon with a full train of containers, trying to make up some time. Pictured at the Streetly Gate foot crossing.

Steel Empties

Loco 60100 "Pride of Acton" is seen hauling the 6E79 Wolves Steeel Terminal to Doncaster steel empties through Daw End this afternoon.

Big in Aldridge

One of the few high-numbered Freightliner 66s passes Aldridge with return coal empties from Rugeley, Tuesday 10/07/2007.

An odd line-up

Further to Monday's posting, 37405 waits at Pleck Jn with the return Birch Coppice to Bescot empties, 66606 also waits alongside with 6P27 autoballaster's for Crewe, and EMU 321415 slices between both on it's way into Walsall.

Day of the Tractor

37405 spent most of today travelling over the Sutton Park line, this morning on 6G36 to Birch Coppice and then 6G42 back to Bescot, this afternoon running light loco to Washwood Heath then bringing concrete sleepers back to Bescot as 7G22. A few views enclosed taken between Walsall and Streetly.

Smokin' sheds

Seen at Streetly Gate foot crossing on Saturday afternoon was the EWS freightliner working, 4Z02 from Foundry Lane - Washwood Heath behind loco 66181 (the "shed" returned light loco to Bescot a while later), and then the return Wolverhampton Steel empties (6E79) to Scunthorpe behind 66136. At least a bit of exhaust clag lends a touch of drama to these otherwise characterless machines, and the driver of 66181 deafened me
and disturbed the select neighbourhood 
with a triple horn sounding ! These are the last timetabled freights across the Sutton Park line at the weekend...

Light engine move

Under variable skies 67026 heads up light loco to Washwood Heath yesterday afternoon, seen near Wylde Green.

Two at East View

66603 passes on up coal empties, and 60026 heads down for Bescot with engineers traffic,
seen from East View Rd, Wylde Green.

6G45 Toton to Bescot

The evening engineers service from Toton to Bescot Upside often produces varied motive power and wagons. On Wednesday 60018 turned up with a few autoballasters and spoil trucks, 
and yesterday 37405 appeared with a mixed train of engineers wagons.
One constant was the rain...

Walsall cement

Seen at Walsall depot being discharged on Thursday, and later that afternoon the empties returning to Tunstead pass Sutton Park old station as 6M82, behind loco 60047 once more. It's not often that the train runs twice within a week...

Empty cement tanks

Returning to Tunstead from Walsall on Monday behind "Tug" loco 60047.

Any old iron

Lucky to catch this unusual working across the 'Park on Saturday afternoon, which was a varied scrap train, 6Z73 from Kingsbury EMR to Warrington 
(final destination Liverpool Docks), 
behind loco 66096.

Welcome back

Class 56 56303 rolls down towards Rushall today with the 4O90 Birch Coppice - Grain (Kent) liner, after an absence of 3 weeks (save for last Friday when I missed it).

Route learner

37510 returning to Crewe Gresty Road DRS depot on a route learning run.

Trains return

Two freshly repainted Virgin Thunderbirds return to Crewe from Loughborough Brush works, no's 57307 Lady Penelope + 57315 The Mole,  and 6E79 with empty steel carriers from Wolverhampton heads up to Doncaster behind loco 66224. Both photo's taken just east of the landslip site.

First through

This character was the first to use the re-opened line...

Line open !

Two weeks after heavy rain caused soil, clay and trees to slide down an embankment and on to the tracks near Aldridge, the line is re-opened to rail traffic, albeit at reduced speed near to the worksite. Compare this tree-less scene to those posted on the 15th June. Photo by Jago.

Final preparations

The embankment at the landslip site at Aldridge has now been restored as a shallower slope, and a mass of trees removed. Buckled track has been replaced and the line is expected to re-open at the end of this week...

Old Ryecroft

A view of Ryecroft Jn taken in 1958 from the Butts bridge, showing the superb signal gantry and 'box, Mill Lane bridge visible in the distance (under the signal gantry). Photograph copyright Jack Haddock.

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.