GERALD WADLEY NOTEBOOKS - PAGE TWO

Gerald made a further visit to Worcester engine sheds on Sunday 8th May 1960 and these are the two pages from his note book:

Page Two:

With the proviso that it is quite difficult to read some of the numbers and that therefore there may be one or two errors in interpretation an analysis makes interesting reading:

The following engines from Worcester's allocation were present:

Nos.7007 'Great Western', 9466; 3205; 3775; 75003; 6992 'Arborfield Hall'; 6817 'Gwenddwr Grange'; 6807 'Birchwood Grange'; 9401; 6950 'Kingsthorpe Hall'; 4142; 4996 'Eden Hall'; 3725; 6851 'Hurst Grange'; 7707; 6984 'Owsden Hall'; 2209; 8427; 78008; 4124; 1629; 7027 'Thornbury Castle'; 8496; 82008; 8460; 4109; 4907 'Broughton Hall'; 3607; W26W; 4614; 5081 'Lockheed Hudson'; 4613; 5179; 4088 'Dartmouth Castle'; 1647; 8480; 8460; 5226; 1661; 4680; 5245; W29W; W20W and D2139. The + sign alongside No.D2139 indicates the first time Gerald had seen this diesel loco that was barely two months old and had been transferred from Gloucester (Horton Road) becoming Worcester's very first diesel shunter.

The following were visiting engines:

Nos.3818 from Swindon; No.4988 'Bulwell Hall' from Severn Tunnel Junction; No.5950 'Wardley Hall' and 7323 from Bristol (St.Philip's Marsh); 3810 from Cardiff (Canton); 5396 (listed as 6396 but as this locomotive was withdrawn in 1958 it is clearly a mistake and Kidderminster's 5396 is more likely); 42327, 43013, 44004 and 45280 from Saltley; 6365 from Gloucester (Horton Road); 2894 from Newport (Ebbw Junction); 7336 from Shrewsbury; 7724 from Pontypool Road (most unusual sighting so far from its home depot); 5518 from Kidderminster; 75008 and 4103 from Oxford; 7024 'Powis Castle' from Old Oak Common and 73135 from Derby

Worcester Works contained seven engines:

Nos.7777; 7002 'Devizes Castle'; 9490 and 4625 (listed here on Gerald's master record as 3625 but this is a transcription error as Gerald's working notes list the engine as 4625) from Worcester; 6916 'Misterton Hall from Shrewsbury; 3609 from Gloucester (Horton Road); and 1142 (withdrawn).

No.3609 was presumably found to be beyond economic repair as it was withdrawn in July 1960.

No.1142 is an interesting pre-grouping locomotive built by Hudswell Clarke and Co. Ltd. for the Swansea Harbour Trust. Taken into G.W.R stock at No.943 and later re-numbered to No.1142 it was latterly allocated to Shrewsbury and used at the Clee Hill Quarry in Shropshire.

Click here for more from Gerald Wadley's notebooks

Click here for more observations and shed lists