THE END OF STEAM OPERATIONS - 1965 and 1966

1965 saw the gradual rundown of steam operations from Worcester shed. This page documents the final twelve months of steam operations and poses a number of questions that it is hoped you may be able to answer. The actual closure of Worcester shed to steam operations is believed to be 31st December 1965 and for at least six months thereafter steam locomotives based at other sheds made regular appearances at Worcester.

Date	Details
1st January 1965	Worcester's locomotive allocation consisted of the following engines: Nos.2222, 2244, 2253, 3682, 3725, 4113, 4161, 4664, 4680, 6147, 6155, 6169, 6813, 6817, 6819, 6836, 6848, 6856, 6877, 6958, 6995, 7909, 7920, 7928, 8104, 8415, 8793, 9490 and 9680. This is a total of 29 steam locomotives (there were also 12 diesel shunters). Photographs of most of these locomotives now appear on this site.
January 1965	Later in January Nos.3605, 3615, 5971, 7904 and 7919 were all transferred to Worcester whilst No.3725 was withdrawn.
10th January 1965	Photo of No.7024 'Powis Castle' at Worcester
15th January 1965	Photo of No.44810 at Worcester Foregate Street
6th February 1965	Photo of No.7022 'Hereford Castle' in the yards at Worcester
7th February 1965	Photo of No.2244 at Malvern Link
4th March 1965	Photo of No.2253 at Worcester in a blizzard
13th March 1965	The Railway Observer reports that No.8415 had been seen at Bromsgrove on the regular yard pilot duty and goods to Washwood Heath after which the engine returned to Worcester. This was clearly one of the duties for the Worcester engines.
23rd March 1965	Photograph of No.4151 at Malvern Link on the 16:25 'School Train' from Worcester to Ledbury
26th March 1965	Photo of No.6876 'Kingsland Grange' at Rainbow Hill Junction
27th March 1965	Photo of No.7029 'Clun Castle on a railtour at Worcester Shrub Hill Another photograph of this railtour
31st March 1965	Photograph of No.6129 at Malvern Link on the 18:35 from Ledbury to Worcester. Richard Moreton noted No.4168 on the same train the next day.
8th April 1965	Although regular use of steam locos on passenger trains to London had ceased the previous July they were still used to cover for diesel failures. The Railway Observer reported that No.6856 had been noted at Southall on the 11:15 from Paddington to Worcester.
cApril 1965	Photographic selection - Worcester sheds
15th May 1965	Steam World No.101 published a photo of No.6848 at Norton Junction on a freight train.
May 1965	No.6841 is photographed on the 15:23 Moreton-in-Marsh to Worcester passenger train.
	The Railway Observer reports that a new steam duty is the 17:37 Worcester to Hereford passenger train returning as 19:10 parcels. This train was usually hauled by one of Worcester's 'Grange' class locomotives.
June 1965	Worcester received six standard class 4-6-0 locomotives Nos.75000, 75003, 75005, 75008, 75022 and 75025.
	The Railway Observer reported that Nos.75008 and 75022 were regularly used on the morning Worcester to Evesham pick-up freight.
14th June 1965	Richard Moreton photographed No.6999 at Malvern Wells on 17:23 Worcester to Hereford (that conveyed through carriages from London Paddington). This train regularly changed from diesel to steam at Worcester throughout the summer timetable. The train returned as the unadvertised 19:10 Hereford to Worcester parcels.
30th July 1965	There is a photograph of No.3682 at Malvern on the daily pick-up freight (Vanishing Points).
18th August 1965	The Railway Observer reported two uses of steam on express workings: No.6917 on 11:15 Paddington to Hereford and No.70019 on the return working.
August 1965	The end of scheduled steam haulage of passenger trains. The 16:25 'school train' from Worcester to Ledbury is dieselised together with the 17:37 from Worcester to Hereford and their respective return trains.
14th September 1965	One of Worcester's recently allocated Standard Class locos (No.75005) crashes near to Leamington and is withdrawn.
September 1965	Photos of 7029 and 1420 at Worcester Works
23rd October 1965	Photograph of No.6959 'Peatling Hall'
2nd November 1965	The Railway Observer reports the use of No.3682 as a banking engine at Colwall.
13th November 1965	The Railway Observer reported that the pick-up freight to Evesham is hauled by No.4113. The M.I.A.C. also note this loco and No.4161 in steam on the same date. No.4161 was also in steam on 16th November 1965.
18th November 1965	No.75078 (70D) noted at Worcester shed.
21st November 1965	No.6998 'Burton Agnes Hall' was noted passing Malvern Link in the direction of Hereford with a permanent way train.
23rd November 1965	No.6147 worked the 16:20 Worcester Shrub Hill - Ledbury instead of the booked diesel.
17th December 1965	No.6872 'Crawley Grange with a 'Malvern Christmas extra parcels' or the '09:30 parcels to Hereford (Xmas extra)' at Worcester Shrub Hill.
30th December 1965	Ex-GWR Pannier Tank No.4680 noted in steam on a single carriage at Shrub Hill Station (Pete Wilcox). 'Modified Hall' class 4-6-0 No.7924 'Thornycroft Hall' of Oxford Shed noted by Pete Wilcox heading south on a freight train at Shrub Hill Station.
31st December 1965	Worcester shed closed to steam. The locomotive allocation at closure was Nos.3682, 4680, 6147, 6165, 9626, 75000, 75008, 75022 and 75025. At least one pannier tank engine thought to have been No.3682 was in use on 31st December, but see below for note about No.9626..

The M.I.A.C. last recorded these last nine locomotives in steam on the following dates:

Number	Date
3682	4th December 1965
4680	17th December 1965 (and possibly this one again on 18th December 1965). Pete Wilcox saw it in steam on 30/12/1965.
9626	9th December 1965. Pete Wilcox saw it in steam on 1st January 1966.
6147	15th December 1965 and either this one or 6165 on 18th December 1965
6165	14th December 1965
75000	3rd December 1965
75008	14th December 1965
75022	14th December 1965
75025	7th December 1965

The M.I.A.C. recorded the following visiting steam locomotives at Worcester in 1966 and Pete Wilcox has provided the additional observations (in red):

Date	Details
1st January 1966	No.75066 (70D) that had presumably brought a sugar beet train to Kidderminster. Also noted on shed by Pete Wilcox. No.9626 (85A) in steam and moving around the shed yard. Certainly the last time a Worcester based engine was in steam!
4th January 1966	No.48404 was in steam at Worcester.
5th January 1966	No.45089 in steam.
6th January 1966	An unidentified 5MT or 8F in steam and No.45418 on freight.
13th January 1966	No.48271 in steam on Worcester shed and an unidentified 9F on freight.
24th January 1966	No.45190 in steam.
29th January 1966	Ex-LMSR Stanier 8F class No.48?56 (possible 256 or 556? of Bescot shed) on a northbound freight.
8th February 1966	An unidentified engine in steam.
9th February 1966	Two engines working in the yards.
4th March 1966	An 8F in steam on shed.
5th April 1966	A 9F on freight in the yard.
3rd May 1966	No.48459 arrived with a freight from the north and left immediately 'for Stourbridge'.
6th May 1966	No.92228 turned and left light in the Birmingham direction.
12th May 1966	No.92213 in steam.
1st June 1966	Nos.48550 and No.48655 in steam.
3rd June 1966	No.92103 towed No.D2566 + No.D2569 + No.D2570.
6th June 1966	No.48098 on southbound freight.
7th June 1966	No.48367 arrived with a freight from the south (also noted by P. Wilcox).
13th June 1966	No.8718 light engine northbound (possibly the last ever visit by an ex-GWR locomotive).
20th June 1966	No.92212 + No.D70 on a northbound freight.
24th June 1966	No.48287 light engine - northbound
27th June 1966	No.48728 on northbound freight.
28th June 1966	No.44829 and No.45264 on southbound freights.
29th June 1966	No. 92239 on southbound freight 29/6/66.
6th July 1966	No.48674 towed Nos.48633, 75045 and 76020.
1st October 1966	No.47681 had been abandoned at Worcester on its way for scrap and on 1st October 1966 cutting up had begun with the wheels loaded into a lorry and the boiler on its side. Just the boiler remained on 3rd October 1966. (Peter Martin recorded No.47681 on Oxley Shed on 5th June 1966 and suggests it may have originally been consigned to Cashmore's at Newport. Pete Wilcox advises that he first saw the locomotive intact on Worcester shed on 18th June 1966.

It is believed that a steam banker was based at Honeybourne throughout 1965 and that in the final months of steam operation this was a duty for a Standard Class 5 4-6-0. Presumably between banking terms it also did trip workings to Long Marston.

At closure there were three pannier tank engines still on the active roster at Worcester. It is believed that one duty for these engines was station pilot at Worcester Shrub Hill. It is also known that there were daily pick-up freights to Malvern, Evesham and Bromsgrove.

Quite what the duties (if any) there were for the two 61xx tank engines is not known. They were probably spare, as the last working recorded by the MIAC for one of these was 6165 on the Henwick goods 'deputising for diesel' on 3rd December 1965.

It is certainly clear that as from 3rd January 1966 there were no active steam locomotives based at Worcester nor any servicing facilities for visiting locomotives. Nearby Stourbridge shed still hosted steam engines as did Birmingham sheds such as Saltley. Steam engines bringing freight trains to Worcester in 1966 usually turned round on the triangle and headed straight back home.

Although it was closed to steam at the same time as Worcester, Gloucester shed did retain servicing facilities for visiting engines. There were regular steam visits to Gloucester until at least July and a few in the remainder of 1966. Some at least of these trains passed through Worcester but many used the direct line.