Type 1 travellers

20315+20311 enjoy a day out in the woods. The loco's were returning to Crewe from Bristol on a driver training run.

Top Tug

The unique loco 60500 "Rail Magazine" (formerly 60016) emerges from the shadows at Hardwick Woods with a 6V92 Wolverhampton Steel Terminal to Margam Yard service.

Double Tug

60038 + 60041 coast through Aldridge with the Toton-Bescot evening engineers service on Friday. British Beasts.

The best view of a "Shed"

... the going-away shot.... Freightliner's 66552 takes it's cargo of two trucks under the canal bridge at Daw End, en route from Croft Quarry to Crewe Basford Hall (6z17).

Feeding time

A Hedge Brown butterfly sips nectar from a Ragwort plant and waits for 56303 to pass, at the Park Lime Pits nature reserve....

Victa Power

Here's 47832 returning from Bescot with 4Z47 comprising one low flat for Chaddesden, captured near the 43 milepost at Hardwick Woods. An odd, one-off working which I was lucky to see.

At peace

A peaceful summer view of the Streetly Gate foot crossing. Looks can be deceptive however, especially when a 1000-tonne coal train thunders past !

Penns station

This is all that remains of Penns station today, as seen from Penns Lane bridge (Walmley) looking towards Walsall. The station closed in January 1965 along with Sutton Park, Streetly and Aldridge when passenger services were withdrawn.
The bridge over the railway in the distance is the "Big Span" from Penns Lake Rd, a wide road bridge now three-quarters fenced off to become merely a footpath-width, and formerly an accomodation road for farmers with cattle. This, along with the former Penns Yard area near Eachelhurst Road, is a very interesting (and leafy) area to explore, though little remains from the past.

Scrap line

66174 takes 5 empty scrap-holding wagons across the 'Park line, from Bescot to Saltley Dunns Brothers scrap metal recycling plant.

The end in sight

These views were taken from the Eachelhurst Road bridge at Walmley, looking towards Walmley Ash and Park Lane Jn.

In the first telephoto view, liner 4O90 is just coming on to the end (or beginning !) of the Sutton Park line about a mile and a half distant, at Park Lane Jn (south of Water Orton). I need to re-take this photo as the camera has auto-focussed on the Ashurst Road bridge rather than the loco. The signal at left on the down line is Saltley's R265, a two aspect repeater signal.

The second view shows the train picking up speed as it approaches.

In the third shot the train is about to pass me on the Eachelhurst Rd footbridge.
The dark line of conifers and the ugly utility pipe which crosses the tracks here makes photography challenging to say the least ! And who dropped that huge coin onto the six foot between the tracks.....

For a short description of the Penns goods yard once situated at right behind the conifers at this bridge, see here -

http://madeinbirmingham.org/walmley.htm

New paint job

Showing off it's superb repaint under new owners Victa Westlink, 47832 heads across the Park light loco en route Bescot.

Out of the shadows

...comes a grubby looking 60096 at the head of the Walsall - Tunstead cement empties.

Bombs away !

Return of the nuclear flask (which also ran last week, the first time for a couple of months). 20313 + 314 coast down towards Rushall on their way back to Crewe.

Jetter

A water jetter in action, seen from the unusual vantage point of Branton Hill Quarry, October 2006, via telephoto lens.

Coal Tug

By chance I caught this "Tug", loco 60056, at the head of modern Merry-Go-Round coal hoppers at Daw End this afternoon, this being quite unusual to see nowadays, as these trains are almost always "66" hauled. This was 6V17 1632 Bescot-Portbury.

Water Bearer

This is the third train to run to the Gloucestershire area since Friday, with bottled mineral water to aid the flood victims, some of which have been without tap water for over a week. The previous trains terminated at Ashchurch MOD, from where the bottles were distributed, but this one ran to Avonmouth. Loco 66192 is seen here passing Sutton Park old station.

Sutton Park Post Office

These are the Royal Mail gardens and buildings adjacent to Sutton Park old station. The mail depot no longer has a rail connection.

Crossing point

The foot crossing at Streetly Hardwick Wood.

Ballast trains lined up at Ryecroft

Photo taken by Ben Cruachan on 17th June 2007. The 'Park line was closed due to a landslip at this date, but this was planned engineering work regardless of problems further up the line...

Identical twins ?

66099 heads the 4G64 liner to Washwood Heath, and 20 minutes later 66231 takes the 6E79 empty steels north to Doncaster this afternoon, seen at Streetly Gate.
The main difference is that the loco's are being driven from different cab ends....

This afternoon's Grid

A madman ventured out in the torrential rain to secure today's beast shot. Loco 56303 powers past Aldridge at 1437 with 4O90 for Grain Docks. Considering that this photo was taken at an ultra-high sensitivity of ISO 3,200 I was fairly pleased with the result...

Evening excursion

Another unusual working across the Sutton Park line occurred earlier this evening at 1935 hours, when EWS silver flagship loco 67029 headed a return "Northern Belle" charter from Oxford to York (via Manchester !).

Inspection Saloon

An "Engineers day out" coasts down through leafy Aldridge yesterday afternoon, behind smart WCRC Brush loco no. 47854, on it's journey to Birkenhead. The train had already toured Worcester and Stratford on Avon earlier in the day...

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.