Brush Type 4 Fund

A charter from Tyseley to Carnforth sets out across the Park on 2nd March top-and-tailed with 47746 and 47245.

68009 With 6Z96

68009 is seen at Aldridge on 6th March with 6Z96 Crewe - Bescot - Toton. No sooner had the train passed than 66185 appeared with a down (Walsall bound) liner.

Type One's on the Flask Train

6M56 Berkeley to Crewe this afternoon with DRS 20305 + 20304 and two flasks. Preceding the train was 6M50 Westbury to Bescot hauled by Colas loco 70808.

Steam-hauled Charter Express with 46233

A rather murky view of 46233 'Duchess of Sutherland' ploughing through the mist and damp of Sutton Park this morning with 1Z32 Sheffield - Euston.

68004 With 6Z96 Crewe - Bescot - Toton Engineers Train

Passing through the Blue Hole cutting at Aldridge at 1610 this afternoon. The new DRS Class 68's seemingly doing little to improve the timekeeping of this notorious service !

Bristol Bluebirds

This ten-loco convoy of brand new GBRf engines passed through on the 8th September hauled by 66753. A few million quids-worth of machinery on display...

68003 With 6Z96 Crewe - Toton

Passing through Aldridge around an hour down this Halloween afternoon.

66434 on 6Z96

66434 passes through with 6Z96 Crewe-Toton, in a 10 second spell of half light in 10 minutes of full sun on 30/10/14. Typical!

Blue Hole Deltic

Green-liveried Deltic D9009 steams through the Blue Hole cutting at Aldridge with 0Z55 Castleton - Kidderminster SVR early this afternoon. 50015 and a Class 37 were included in the convoy.

Colas 70's

70808 heads the Westbury - Bescot engineers service (6M50), on 5th August 2014.

Railways Inspectorate

DRS loco 37405 passes through Aldridge Branton Hill on 30th July 2014 with inspection saloon 'Caroline' on a jollyboys outing from Derby to Ironbridge then Banbury etc.

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.

Class 50 Passes Through

50007 is seen in the Blue Hole Cutting this evening with a stock move from Crewe to Washwood Heath, probably a couple of barrier vans. The loco had run light to Crewe to fetch the vans earlier in the afternoon. Good to see a '50' out working trains again.

37423

Seen in her new Class 68-style livery, 37423 runs light from Plymouth Keyham to Crewe as 0Z40 on Friday 16th May. Aldridge (Blue Hole cutting).

Convoys

Two recent convoys over the Sutton Park line pictured here. The first featured Deltic 55002 with D6700+47292+41001+55019 in tow, running from the NRM at York to Kidderminster SVR as 0Z55 on May Day evening. Today's 0Z56 was ex-Fastline Freight 'Grid' 56301 hauling 'Slug' 37906 from the SVR to Leicester.

The Mid-Wales Rambler

1Z88 seen powering over Sutton Park at 1000 this morning with a Norwich - Chester Nenta Tours outing.

One Of Our Bridges Is Missing

Today saw the removal of bridge number 31 over Rectory Road in Sutton Coldfield for a complete rebuild. Only the utility pipe remains at present. The line is due to re-open on Tuesday morning, 22nd April.

Double Fugly

Tuesday 11th March 2014 saw two Colas Class 70's 70802 and 70805 in charge of

6M50 Westbury to Bescot shown here at Mill Lane, just north of Walsall.

70805 was to be left at Bescot joining 70803 which top and tailed an engineering train on the former Wednesbury Line on the following day.

Diverted Lindsey Tanks

Refurbished DBS Class 60 number 60063 pounds through Aldridge on Tuesday 18th February, bang on time with the diverted 6E41 Westerleigh - Immingham empty tanks.

66731 With Moreton-on-Lugg Hoppers

GBRf loco 66731 "Interhub GB" runs past Aldridge Branton Hill in driving rain late this afternoon with Peterborough - Moreton-on-Lugg empty roadstone hoppers (some of which were still loaded !)..