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About this blog

The history and fate of the locomotives that worked at the Small Heath scrapyard of Charles Strong, 1966-86.

Entries in this blog

Thomas Hill "Vanguard" 4WDH

This Vanguard diesel-hydraulic was built by Thomas Hill, at their Kilnhurst, Rotherham, works, sometime around 1966. It was built using the frames and running gear from a Sentinel vertical boiler steam locomotive. It was bought for the Shelby Group's warehousing and storage division and is believed to have worked at an oil storage depot, in Essex. It was transferred to Watery Lane for overhaul and possible sale, but could be found in use at Strong's yard during the mid to late 1970s. It continue

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Yorkshire Engine Co. DE2 diesel-electric.

This Ruston V6-powered diesel-electric came to the yard from the former English Steel Corporation's River Don works, near Sheffield. It had led a hard life of moving huge forge ingots and casting cars around, and was smokey. It also leaked oil from the engine and was said to use as much oil per hour as it did diesel! It was used intermittently until one day in 1979 when a traction motor fire ended its usefulness.   It spent a couple of years parked in front of the doors of the former M

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Ruston & Hornsby 165DE (1st)

This 165HP diesel arrived in 1975, from a shipyard in the North East of England. It was only recorded working a couple of times, before being shunted into the scrap line. A shortage of motive power at Shelby Group's subsidiary, White Peak Limestone & Tarmacadam Ltd. saw it taken into the Watery Lane workshop for servicing and an overhaul of the brakes. IRS records show it as being seen on  the 10th of August 1976 on the back of a Shelby Haulage low-loader at Stafford Services on the M6. A 19

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Ruston 48DS No.2

According to the Industrial Railway Society's records, this diminutive Ruston 48DS arrived at the yard in 1966. It is thought to have been supplied new to the Ministry Of Supply, in 1942. Where it worked during the war is unknown, but it was first noted at an engineering works, near Bromsgrove, in 1959.   It was last noted by IRS members parked at the very rear of the shed at Garrison Lane, presumed scrapped or sold by 1979.      

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11-ton Hibberd 4wDM

This Dorman-engined Hibberd is believed to have originally been built in 1956 for a cement works in Kent. It was sold to a contractor in 1964 and was used on various tracklifting contracts around the country in the wake of Beeching's closures of unprofitable lines. It was seen in the Camden yard of Alfie Solomons Ltd. in 1967 and by 1974 had turned up at Strong's yard, in Small Heath.   It doesn't appear ro have been very popular with the drivers and spent a lot of time at the end of t

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Brush-Bagnall 0-6-0DE

This huge locomotive, built in 1955 at the works of W.G. Bagnall of Stafford, should have been cut up on site at the colliery where it had worked in South Wales, but a mix-up in paperwork saw it arrive one day as part of the trip freight from Small Heath yard. It had travelled as part of several British Rail good services with its rods off and its appearance was a complete surprise to the staff at Watery Lane. It was the most powerful locomotive to have worked at Strong's and was fitted with a 4

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The Brown Peckett

This Peckett, believed to have been built circa 1920, was registered with the British Transport Commission and despite the steam ban arrived at the yard in 1973 under its own steam, via BR metals. It's former workplace was just up the line at Small Heath gas works. It was a regular performer at Strong's and was found to be useful in the winter months, with its Stones turbogenerator and large electric lamps. It had originally been built for Hadfields for use at their Sevastapol Works, in Sheffiel

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Ruston 48DS No.1

This Ruston & Hornsby 48DS was supplied new to the Midland Widget Works, in 1949. The works closed in 1973 and the contract to demolish and dispose of all scrap metal on site went to Charlie Strong. The loco was found to be in excellent mechanical condition and was taken to Garrison Lane to join No.2 in shunting the yard.   It was last recorded by the IRS as being seen in 1984. Presumed scrapped or sold thereafter.

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Ruston 88DS

This Ruston & Hornsby 88DS was built in 1951 for the White Peak Limestone and Tarmacadam Co. Ltd, for use at their roadstone coating plant, near Matlock. It isn't known exactly when it arrived at Small Heath, but it must have been after the take-over of WPL&T by The Shelby Group as it was already carrying a Shelby logo when it arrived. It seems that it was sent to the Watery Lane workshop for repairs and was exchanged with another loco and stayed at Watery Lane and Strong's scrapyard.

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Lot 57, a Ruston & Hornsby 48DS diesel shunter

Little is known about this 48DS, other than it came from a railway wagon works in Nottinghamshire. It was noted being unloaded from a Shelby Group lorry in April 1975. A couple of weeks later, parts of what are assumed to be the same locomotive were seen from Garrison Lane bridge, in a BR mineral wagon. Presumed scrapped by 5/75.  

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Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns/Drewry 0-6-0DM

This engine was built to a Drewry Car. Co. design by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, in 1956. The type is very similar to what became British Rail's Class 04. It was powered by a Gardner 8L3 8-cylinder, 204HP diesel engine, driving through a Wilson 5-speed epicylic gearbox and until being bought and moved to Strong's yard in 1974 it had worked all its life for the Central Electricity Authority (later Central Electricity Generating Board). It wasn't in the best condition when it arrived and at

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Ceridwen

Ceridwen was built by Peckett,& Sons Ltd. in 1896, one of their W4 class 14-inch saddle tank locomotives. She was new as No.3 to Exuperias Gittins & Co. Railway Contractor for use on the contract to improve the Calder Vale Mineral Railway after it gained a Light Railway Order and was upgraded to carry public passenger services. She spent time between other contracts in Gittins' plant yard, near Wrexham until being sold, in 1908 to The Hughes Navigation Coal Co. at their Nant-Y-Mynydd col

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The Cumbrian Engine

This powerful 16-inch saddletank, built By Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co. was built in 1943 and until arriving at Strong's yard, had worked at an iron works, on the Cumbrian coast. It was the victim of dieselisation, but still had life left in it. When the two tiny Ruston 48DS locomotives were not able to deal with the busier times, and longer trains, with larger wagons, the Cumbrian Engine was pressed into service. In 1968 it was converted to oil-firing and used filtered waste oil that was drai

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Alfie Solomons Ruston & Hornsby 48DS

This little 48DS was acquired from a contractor's yard in Camden, in 1975. Whilst outwardly scruffy it was in good mechanical condition and was used regularly to shunt fuel oil deliveries to the Metal Box works. After the creation of Strong/Shelby's locomotive hire business, it was hired out to civil engineering contractors and the like. The loco was sold in 1982 and is believed to be in a private collection, somewhere in Shropshire.

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Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0DM

This 1958 vintage Hudswell was acquired from the National Coal Board's Nottinghamshire area. It was never intended to be used at Strong's yard as the Gardner 8L3 engine had been sold to Hong Kong, for use in a junk, before the locomotive was off the low-loader. Fortunately, the deal fell through and the locomotive went on to spend a couple of years as a yard shunter, before it was finally cut up.

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Andrew Barclay 14-inch 0-4-0ST Polly Gray

This saddletank was new in 1941 and worked at a munitions factory in North Wales. It was later sold to a gas works, near Worcester and when replaced by diesels in 1961, was stored in its shed. A run-down of the works, just before the coming of north sea gas, saw all the equipment sold for scrap and the loco was acquired by Strong in 1973. It was named Polly Gray and put to work occasionally right up until 1982, when it was presented to the Chasewater Railway. You won't find it there as it is off

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John Fowler 422 Class diesel-hydraulic

This engine was built in 1965 and worked at British Leyland, Swindon, before becoming surplus to requirements. It arrived at Strong's yard in 1979 in full working order and after a time working the yard was added to the hire fleet. It was easy to drive and powerful, with a Twin Disc torque convertor and Leyland O.680 engine.

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14-ton Motor Rail

This 85HP diesel shunter, built by Motor Rail Ltd. in 1957, formerly worked for The Harboro Stone Co. at their quarry that was located along the Cromford & High Peak line. It was used at Strong's but soon departed to become one of the hire fleet.

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Unidentified Peckett W4

Little is known about this one as it seemingly appeared and disappeared. Fortunately, it was recorded on film by Gordon Eggert on one of his visits of various industrial railway sites around the Midlands. As can be seen, it was clearly not in working order as the rods were missing and the whole thing looked to be in a sorry state. A group of IRS members, including Rob Carvill and R.K. Shell, noted it as being outside the cutting area on the 5th of May 1970, but were unable to identify it. Presum

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Fowler 150HP diesel

This 0-4-0DM was built for the Ministry of Supply in 1940 and was used at various munitions works during the war. It was subsequently sold to Shelby Transport Ltd., a company within the Shelby Group. It fell out of use when Shelby's Liverpool depot ceased using rail traffic and was sent to Strong's for re-use. Scrapped or sold by 1984.

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Yorkshire Engine Company 220HP Diesel-Hydraulic

This locomotive was formerly owned by the Central Electricity Generating Board and worked at a small power station in Yorkshire.  Strong purchased it, along with much of the scrap when the power station closed in 1975. It was used for several years in the yard, before moving to another company within the Shelby Group. Its ultimate fate is unknown.  

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Gasworks Peckett

Another one that had a short career at Strongs was this 14-inch Special Peckett. It was built in 1899 for use at a gasworks in the London area and after several changes of ownership ended up at a gasworks in Saltley, from where Strong purchased it for scrap. It saw limited use at Garrison Lane before being sold to the Harboro Stone Company of Derbyshire. This rare shot, by Terence Torrity, shows it shunting scrap at Watery Lane Sidings.

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ICI Ruston 88DS

This 20-ton Ruston 88DS was sold for scrap after the ICI works at which it was used ceased to use rail traffic. It had been well-maintained by the ICI fitters and, instead of being cut up, was put on the sale or hire list at Strong's. It spent some time in use as the yard shunter and also shunting the Watery Lane works of Metal Box Ltd. It was later sold for preservation but, as is so often the case, was cast aside as soon as the railway got ideas above its station and started to run an ex-

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Andrew Barclay 153HP DM

This 0-4-0 diesel-mechanical was bought from an explosives works, near Coventry. It had originally been built for the war effort and is believed to have landed on the D-Day beaches. After returning to the UK it was sold out of WD service and through a dealer ended up at the explosives works. Strong purchased the entire site and scrapped everything there. The loco was used to move wagons around the site during the demolition and was eventually brought to the yard for further use. It proved to be

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The Green Peckett

Never named or numbered, this Peckett had worked at a chemical at Oldbury until being displaced by diesels. It was still in working order and had a boiler ticket when it came to Strongs, due to it having been kept as a spare at the chemical works. A re-organisation and take-over there meant the transport manager, who had a soft spot for the engine, retired and it was sold for scrap. It was used often at Strong's, especially in the winter of 78/79 when fuel froze in the diesel locomotives. It was

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