TheSignalEngineer

Train ID by headcode blinds was a bit erratic by late 1973. Locos were being built without them by then.

I've only bought detailing bits from Stevenson Carriages at shows, but he is listed on the UK Model Shops Directory site. http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/suppliers/47822-StevensonCarriages

He did, but not until he had driven about 100 metres on a grass verge with tram tracks embedded in it. Looking at the pictures I'm surprised how far he went.

The Brierley Hill van was also listed as sausages in the 1954/5 Carriage Working Notice. That would most likely be traffic from Marsh and Baxter. Prior to the introduction of DMUs the two van was attached to a late afternoon Birmingham - Cardiff at Stourbridge Junction returning to Stourbridge Junction on a morning Cardiff - Birmingham working. I think this stopped in 1958, so your pictures would probably be 1958-64.

Going back a few years to 1957 I have found the make up of the 6.55pm parcels from Worcester to Cardiff. This had a van from Brierley Hill to Cardiff (FX), Palethorpes van from Dudley to Cardiff and a Brake Van from Worcester to Cardiff. I think the mystery is getting solved. Just need some matching locos now to corroborate dates.

It's not Wrockwardine Road. I think Malvern link is the answer, on the Great Malvern side of the station. It looks as if the 56xx is taken from the bridge at the bottom of Moorlands Road. The Worcester Road bridge is in the distance and I can see what looks like the big water tank which used to be there. Just above the telegraph pole on the left is the tower of the old school which I believe was originally built as a railway hotel. it was demolished some years ago. It is possible to walk down the side of the line from Moorlands Road to the bridge where the Hall was taken. The houses to the right are on Pickersleigh Road. I will do a bit more investigation on my notes about Palethorpes traffic to see if I can find other workings to Cardiff

3A65 was the afternoon Parcels from Carlisle to Euston, departing about 16.10 IIRC

I've just noticed that this is at the same place as the Hall with the Palethorpes Van. It is the same working with the Palethorpes Van in the middle this time. Are this and the photo of the Hall be somewhere in the Dudley - Stourbridge area? I can't think of a location to match at the moment

I've found another reference to the working of the Palethorpes Van to Cardiff. In the Winter 1962/3 local carriage workings book the loaded van is shown to be on the 3.20pm Wolverhampton - Stourbridge parcels, attached Dudley, leaving at 3.47pm. The only other parcels vehicle shown between Dudley and Stourbridge was BG number 28 or 161, although some days it was also used for balancing empty carriage workings.

That would have been one of the two vans on the Cardiff circuit. Taking 1962 for example, the full van left Dudley at 4.16pm in the afternoon attached to the 3.57pm Wolverhampton - Worcester train. There it was attached to the 7.08pm parcels to Cardiff. The second empty van left Cardiff on the 9.35pm Crewe parcels. It was detached at Shrewsbury and worked to Wolverhampton LL on the 8.42am Shrewsbury - Paddington parcels. It then reached Dudley as tail traffic on the 1.25pm Wolverhampton LL - Hartlebury parcels, normally a Class 128 DPU. I would think this was a case of the Hall substituting for the DPU. I saw several instances of this type in the West Midlands, including one of 4555 in Great Western livery posted on the first page of the topic http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/66383-modelling-a-traditional-parcels-train/page-1&do=findComment&comment=900221

Blue and Cream, although there is no evidence of them running in that livery. http://www.lner.info/locos/Electric/shenfield.php

Taking a step backwards along the road he would probably have seen this, albeit in the dark https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4828556,-1.897376,3a,75y,326.99h,68.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTHKuKwwLduRkCYpFQ6eQOQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Ahead Only painted on the road and Traffic Signals with straight ahead arrows.

The Flickr description gives the date as 26 /10/1983

The photo on Flickr gives the vehicle number.

Renumbered under TOPS

54286 was an unpowered Driving Trailer Second for use with a Class 121 single car.

The Roche drawings do include a 4000 gallon Stanier tender based on those used for the Black 5, Jubilee and Scot, also one for the Pacifics. They need using with care as there were so many variations actually built and later modifications.

Another wandering Toad, Coventry during the rebuilding, so about 1960. 42783 was a long-term Nuneaton loco. http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrcov231.htm

All at the bottom of the valley, and mostly tied down.

BRCW built 14 diesels for Australia's Commonwealth Railways. Although they were primarily for narrow gauge operation the order included four bogies for use on standard gauge lines. Using two of these bogies the first loco was tested on BR, including a special train from Snow Hill to Banbury on 25th February 1954. http://www.derbysulzers.com/australiabrcw.html

There's some background on the operation here but it doesn't detail how Low Barings was served. http://www.rosedalerailway.org.uk/OPERATION%20OF%20THE%20LINE%20(revised).pdf

You should try living just across the river from Royston Vasey. There was an outcry in 'Tinsul' when someone from Padfield (direct line of sight across the pre-1974 border between Derbyshire and Cheshire) was allocated an old folks bungalow there by the council. He was referred to by the locals as 'The Illegal Immigrant'. When I was in line for a proposed job in Newport we looked at moving to the Usk Valley. We enquired about a house we saw for sale in the village near to where my Wife's grandparents were born and had owned a farm until the 1960s. After making an appointment to view, the agent called the next day to say it was no longer available. It actually remained on the market for nearly another year. I don't know whether the owners thought we were prospective blow-ins, when in fact my wife was probably a distant cousin to nearly every household in the village.

More info here http://hypocentral.com/blog/2009/02/22/

The area between Crewe and Sandbach was subject to subsidence through salt extraction for many years. The low lying fields at the sides of the railway were once up near to track level. The OHLE masts had special bases with long adjustable bolts and in some places two sets of bases which were alternately increased in height and the masts swapped over as they sank into the ground.

The Whitacre - Nuneaton line between Shustoke and Arley Tunnel was much the same with a 20 MPH restriction for many years. The luggage would fly from the racks if the driver hit the pointwork at the Birmingham end of Daw Mill Colliery a bit too quickly. When we straightened it up after the seam responsible was worked out we had to lift everythng, track, signals, cable route and location cases by up to four feet.