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Hello Methuselah 

Are you aware of any photographs of the line  /  bridge that would have been over the A49 by the present Salway Arms . I have travelled around that area a lot recently and can follow the remains of the line…removed bridges, embankments etc? I assume the line would have crossed over the A49 and run towards Wooferton station where the present service station is. I look forward to your reply

best wishes Brian 

John I will send you some of my wife’s custard. it will stick anything 

3 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

This was all before my time, but a late friend once explained to me that back in the '60's there were two main groups of active enthusiasts, specialising in chasing steam or anything else about to meet its maker.

 

One was the DAA, the other being the MNA "Master Neverers Association", so called because they were very skilled at travelling all over the UK without buying a ticket, or if they had bought one ensuring that it was used on multiple occasions (I'm not condoning this BTW).

 

All sounds a bit "Mods and Rockers" to me, although I don't think there was any hostility between the two groups. In any event, ancient history, and I suspect many of those involved are no longer with us.

 

John.

I was drinking with my friend Don Taggart today in the Great western pub Wolverhampton, to celebrate his birthday. The venue is situated between the newly rebuilt High Level station, and Low Level. The latter has mostly  been preserved but is now a banqueting hall. The pub is full of railway memorabilia and has a good selection of beers and food. My point, a number of other enthusiasts were there celebrating with Don. This group included a gent, who had been a prominent member of the  MNA. I had heard and seen the term used many times. I enquired what it meant….only to have the same explanation as given by John.  I gather this involved using services late at night for example. The gent whose name I won’t divulge looked in fine fettle this lunchtime. 
 

As ever great modelling by Darius
 

A brief return to the Water Orton to Carlisle freights. I’ve yet to recover my books from storage. I have though a picture of Hornby 92167 about to commence the journey from my layout of Water Orton. I’m sad to say the layout has now gone pending said house move. The tender would have been filled quite a bit more than here though!

A photo just found, very topical given the recent weather. The WD and 8F on freight departure lines. I could be wrong but unlikely to travel far light engine…most likely they will travel through the station having left freights in the yards. They would then use the crossovers at East Junction, and travel back to Saltley.

Iain great to see an update on this fantastic layout

best wishes Brian

I believe this may be the class 25 working mentioned. I’ve tried to work out the four figure headcode 

4 fast freight

S scotland

67 train number.

In any event on the fast lines at Water Orton heading towards Derby and North East

I recall a similar picture in the book From the Footplate, the route of the Devonian . I have the book but is in store pending house move. If I recall it has one of the Saltley trio of 9fs in the same spot as the black five awaiting departure . I’ve just been reading an entry, on another blog, by an ex Saltley footplate crew member. In diesel days a class 45 or 25 was rostered. There were two trains daily,  booking on at 0300 hrs to staff the 03 50 departure from Water Orton. The second 15 00 for 1545 departure, arriving at Carlisle at 23 40. The departure from Carlisle was 16 03 arriving at Washwood heath at 23 33 hrs. 

Hello John (s)

Its good to see locomotives being run, on your  layout John. My own version of the RSH tank Hams Hall no 13 has been retained by me, together with a Peckett no4 . 
 

They await the new layout

I also, classed the Deltics in my spotting days, cabbing one at Waverley in 1971. I’m sorry to say the East coast Pacific’s had all gone,  by the time I was travelling around the country spotting , in the late sixties and early seventies.

My reduced collection is again growing, a Midland flatiron awaits a replacement comet chassis and High level motor gear assembly. The Fowler 264t set providing the frames. Santa left the Heljan HS4000 Kestrel as mentioned, and hopefully by the time of my birthday late January I will have the Heljan E2001,  I have on order. 
 

My remaining stock has been in a storage unit for some months, a visit to it just prior to Christmas revealed I had retained more than I thought! No surprise really. 
 

It was like being reunited with old friends.

Speaking of which 

A Happy , safe and prosperous New Year to you and your loved ones

Brian

Speaking of research I have left my mortal remains to medical science…..they are currently contesting the will !

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year, hopefully in our new house.

I’ve just recounted to John R, how in the name of research I used my body to establish the height of platform lamps situated at Cheltenham Racecourse station. 
We were on the Santa special yesterday, my wife son daughter in law and three year old grandson.

I have bought a pack of working platform lamps for Coleshill. They are too tall. I discovered by standing next to two samples of the real article at Cheltenham yesterday. My 5 ft 10 inches rounded off to six foot that they appear to be in two sizes approx ten feet, or 14 feet. My family tried to disown me, but in the end agreed to make the visual assessment. 
 

The conclusion of this exercise, I will need to adapt the height of them for Coleshill being the smaller version. Trying not to damage the wiring. 
 

Thank you all for continuing to read this, and for any contributions made.

photo of our locomotive Foremark Hall added. John will confirm , the GWSR is a delight.

Brian 

Merry Christmas Manna to you and your loved ones 

best wishes Brian

A photo from the Warwickshire Railways archive. Flatiron and 2F at Saltley. I couldn’t resist the two shots of more modern times at New Street as well 

I can’t help myself, having downsized my collection recently…a Heljan HS 4000 awaits opening under my Christmas tree.This was purchased partially ,to cheer me up after our house move has stalled. More appropriate for this thread another pick me up purchase. A Midland Flatiron.It was bought as a non runner. Nicely painted and lined. It will have my preferred comet chassis high level motor and gears fitted sometime in the new year. Posed for now alongside Coleshill. They were regulars on this line.

Hello John, on the subject of push pulls, the latest BRIll December edition has a photo of the Annesley  Dido workmens train. It has two ancient clerestory coaches one of which appears to my uninformed eyes, push pull fitted with driving end windows. The engine propelling it, is a N7 69691, again a type I’m not used to without googling the information. Just done so ,….ex GER type , as you and your other Eastern readers knew without checking unlike me! 

best wishes Brian

Nice to see it earning a living John. 

I am conscious that my recent posts concerning Coleshill have been prototype based, setting the scene and era. I will continue showing any work on the models here , but have created a separate thread for the historical stuff in modelling real locations. Coleshill Forge Mills

Don’t worry John I will probably send it to you to run on your great layout , when I next move house and downsize.
 

Must go now and have my medication…

Hello John great to see them at work on an appropriate layout. I don’t think an A2 or A4 , ever visited Birmingham in British Railways days.
My Christmas present is in storage awaiting the house move…which is imminent … Mrs Santa had allowed me a sneak preview before wrapping applied, a Heljan HS4000 Kestrel. I know as out of place , in the Midlands as the two previously mentioned steam locos. I never saw it in operation , before it was sold to the Soviet Union.
 

You may also notice, the collection is starting to grow again. Will I ever learn! E2001 to follow, on pre order before the downsize. Saw the about to be released model, on the Heljan stand at Warley. I saw the real thing standing forlornly at Rugby about 1972. 

The Bagnall is preserved, as you can see. I never saw it run, unlike the diesels which I saw many times crossing the Minworth Road at Water Orton, as seen in that photograph. It is therefore fantastic watching the similar Kerr Stuart in operation. I hope to see it in real life in due course. We are hoping to be in our new home in Tenbury for Christmas….to be fair our solicitor didn’t specify which year! Lastly out of place, here but very much at home on the Tenbury branch, photo of GWR railcar on the Bewdley bridge.

Strange but true a single car did travel to Derby on a special. In addition the three car set also visited. I have models of both trains, retained so will be travelling through my model in due course.

The 2 ft railway had bagnall steam locomotives until replaced by diesel some photos 

Thank you Methuselah.
A Hams Hall Peckett at Titley, fantastic, and then  the Bromyard Railway.

You may be aware that an extensive 2 ft gauge line was operated by the Upper Tame Main Drainage Authority. It was centred at Minworth Sewage works which are situated near to where Water Orton marshalling yards, were located.

The railway was dismantled in the 1980s. At its peak, it encompassed the main works at Minworth. The Western boundary of the system, was the Sutton Park line from Water Orton Yards towards Bescot. It’s Eastern one was Coleshill.  A drainage/ sewage works has been built alongside the  Leicester line in the twenties/ thirties. Hams Hall power station was alongside it also. Aerial photos giving some detail to the maps shown 

Further map showing it in relation to the Hams Hall power station complex, sadly no more. Plus a close up of it in Midland days

More photos showing location on os maps and further photos of station