Railways in Worcestershire

RAILWAYS IN WORCESTERSHIRE
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Worcestershire Locomotive Sheds

LOCO SHEDS IN WORCESTERSHIRE

This list compiled by Roger Lamb is believed to be a complete list of all loco sheds and servicing points in Worcestershire (using the 1974 boundaries). If anyone can supply photos of any of these locations (either in use or as the sites are now) we would be delighted to hear from you.

Blackwell

Blackwell station area (SO 994721 approx). Probably a 1 road shed opened in 1842 by Birmingham & Gloucester Railway (B&GR).

Bromsgrove Shed

East side of Bromsgrove Station (SO 968692). 1 track brick built single ended shed opened June 1840 by B&GR Enlarged with a 2 track extension (1 through road) on north side. Closed27th September 1964 but remained standing until September 1981 when it was demolished in favour of a housing estate.

Bromsgrove Engine Sheds

This interesting photograph shows part of the carriage and wagon works, the three road engine shed was in front of these buildings and are out of sight of the camera on the right hand side. At this time the 'Down' platform was out of use and all trains had to use the 'up' platform. The photograph shows a train to Worcester departing via the crossover to regain its correct line. Since this photograph was taken everything in the view has been demolished with houses now covering the engine shed site. The Station Master's house which is behind the last car of the diesel multiple unit has also been demolished and the road bridge rebuilt. Even the station is no longer, being replaced by one further south. Photograph taken by Doug Clayton on 19th April 1969 (Douglas Clayton photograph, IRS copyright).

Thisletter, written by an official of the LMSR in 1934, proves that the age of the 'Jobsworth' extends back many years:

LMSR Bromsgrove shed visit

(Item scanned from the Archives of the MIAC)

Mick Rock has provided this listing of the steam locomotives on shed on 23rd September 1962:

0-6-0 Pannier Tank engines: 8400; 8401; 8402; 8403; 8405; 8409; 9430 and 9493. Ex LMSR 'Jinty' class 0-6-0 tank engine: 47276. Standard class 2-10-0: 92079

Wagon works plate

Bromsgrove Wagon works was adjacent to the loco shed and the plate above comes from a wagon repaired there.

Bromsgrove Stabling Point

South of Bromsgrove Station (SO 965687). Siding & coaling stage on west side of line & turntable on east side opened around 1892. Closed September 1964 (steam) but diesel banking locos were kept here until the 1980s.

Bromsgrove Stabling Point

Two class 37 diesels stabled at Bromsgrove. The steam locos used the siding to the left of these locos.

Evesham (LMSR)

South side of line at west end of Evesham (MR) station (SP 035444). 2 track timber built single ended shed opened 1871 by Midland Railway (MR). Closed September 1931. Replaced by stabling point in shed yard. Closed May 1951 but used after this date.

Doug Carver comments that "The LMSR Loco Shed was in the down goods yard. On the map of Evesham there is a turntable ( vacuum operated) also a concrete inspection pit, that was the site of the LMSR Loco. it was still used to stable locos into 1960. there was a freight train left Washwood Heath in the early hours and arrived at Evesham Midland at about 4-30 am, after stabling the train the engine turned on the table and was then left over the pit by Saltley men who then relieved Tewkesbury men on the first passenger from Ashchurch to Birmingham New Street at about 7-30am. The Tewkesbury men then took over the Loco on the pit and worked a local pickup to Redditch. Regards Doug Carver".

Evesham (WR)

North side of line at east end of Evesham (GWR) station (SP 036444. 1 track timber built single ended shed (joined to railway bridge at east end) opened by Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) January 1852. Closed 1901. Replaced by 1 track brick built through shed opened 1901 by GWR at south side of line west of Evesham GWR station (SP 032446). Closed June 1961.

LMSR Shed and bridge.

This photo (copyright holder unknown) shows the GWR shed at Evesham behind the three covered wagons.

Further information about the former GWR Evesham loco shed can be found here.

Hartlebury

West side of line at north end of Hartlebury station (SO 850708 approx). 1 track shed opened by GWR before 1888. Replaced by a servicing area consisting of a turntable & siding in 1888. Closed 1932.

Honeybourne

North side of line at west end of station (SP 114448). 1 track brick built through shed opened June 1853 by OW&WR. Removed in 1907 for track widening. Replaced by a 1 track brick built through shed slightly north of original shed. Destroyed by fire & closed September 1911. Replaced by a servicing point consisting of a coal stage & siding (SP 113449). Closed December 1965.

Kidderminster

East side of line south of Kidderminster station (SO 838761) 1 track timber built single ended shed opened September 1852 by OW&WR. Rebuilt during 1899 as through shed. Closed February 1932. Replaced by a corrugated iron 2 track single ended shed February 1932 at east side of Severn Valley line south of Kidderminster station (SO 832751). Closed 10th August 1964 and developed for housing.

The MIAC do not have any photographs of the shed but Mick Rock has provided this listing of locomotives seen on shed on 23rd September 1962:

Steam:

0-6-0 Pannier tank engines: 3601; 3619; 4629; 8718; 2-6-2 tank engines: 4129; 4147; 4155; 5151; 5153; 2-6-0 tender engines: 6314; 6388.

Diesel railcars: W21W; W25W and W31W

(Great) Malvern

East side of line south of Great Malvern Station (SO 781449). 1 track single ended shed opened May 1864 by Tewkesbury & Malvern Railway. Rebuilt during 1883 in timber.Extended in timber in 1898. Closed September 1931 but yard used until at least 1940.

Malvern Wells

East side of line at south end of Malvern Wells Station (SO 779440). 1 track brick built single ended shed opened May 1860 by Worcester & Hereford Railway. Closed 1901 and demolished.Replaced on same site by 1 track brick built single ended shed opened January 1902 by GWR.Closed July 1922 but used to stable auto-trailer after and remained standing until 1960s.

Redditch

West side of line north of Redditch Station (SP 039681). 1 track brick built single ended shed opened 1872 by MR. Closed June 1964.

Worcester (LMR)

West side of line south of Worcester Shrub Hill Station (SO 860543). A 3 track shed opened in 1870 (probably constructed in timber) by MR. Rebuilt as 3 track timber built shed in 1894. Closed December 1932.

Worcester (WR)

BR Letter - visit to 85A

This interesting letter written by an official of BR's Western Region displays an enlightened attitude towards railway enthusiasts.

Item scanned from the Archives of MIAC.

Vicinity of Worcester Shrub Hill station (SO 8555). 3 track timber built shed opened by OW&WR in October 1850.(Query - could this be the shed nearest the works. Replaced by (?) a brick built 4 track through shed in triangle of lines from Worcester Foregate Street station to Droitwich to Worcester Shrub Hill station lines N of Shrub Hill station (SO 856555). Adjoined by 3 track through shed (slightly curved!) (SO 857555). Closed to steam 31st December 1965 (or 1st January 1966).

Class 14s at Worcester

A pair of stored Class 14 diesels at Worcester (former OW&WR) engine sheds.

Although closed to steam Worcester Shed continued to play host to diesel locomotives. , Adrian Booth visited the shed several times in the late 1960s and early 1970s and recorded the following locomotives:

27th August 1967: Nos. D7007; D1609; D1745; D1638; D2135; D2139; D2175; D2181; D2182; D2137; D2196; D6607; D6608 and D7032 with D4118 as station pilot.

17th April 1970: On shed were D3513; D7007; D7021; D7025; D7026 and D7091. In yards were D146; D1744; D3949; D3964 and D4120. No.PWM654 was at Newland.

27th July 1970: Nos.D154; D833 'Panther'; D838 'Rapid'; D1749; D4118; D4168; D7021; D7040; D7049 and D7050.

More Photographs of the GWR Worcester Sheds

A list of some staff employed at Worcester and what they did

Bibliography (Relating to above)

The Directory of British Engine Sheds and Principal Locomotive Servicing Points Volume 1, Roger Griffiths & Paul Smith, Oxford Publishing Co, 1999, 0 86093 542 6.

An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1947 (Second Edition), E.Lyons, Oxford Publishing Co, 1974, 902888 16 1.

An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1837-1947, E.Lyons & E.Mountford, Oxford Publishing Co, 1979, 86093 019 X.

LMS Engine Sheds Volume Two - The Midland Railway, Chris Hawkins & George Reeve, Wild Swan, 1981, 0 906867 05 3.

The Handbook of Steam Motive Power Depots Volume Two, Paul Smith, Platform 5, 1989, 0 906579 95 3.

BR Steam Motive Power Depots LMR, Paul Bolger, Ian Allan, 1981, 0 7110 1019 6.

BR Steam Motive Power Depots WR, Paul Bolger, Ian Allan, 1983, 0 7110 1311 X.


WORCESTER LOCOMOTIVE SHEDS

The OW&WR locomotive sheds at Worcester were situated in a to the north of Shrub Hill Station. The main locomotive servicing and stabling areas were (and sidings are still located here for diesel multiple units) within the triangle between the Worcester and Hereford railway line (via Malvern) and the lines between from the two Worcester stations to Tunnel Junction and Birmingham.

Adjacent to the running sheds on the opposite side of the Shrub Hill to Tunnel Junction line was located the wagon and locomotives repair shops of the O.W.W.R. A small number of locomotives were built or rebuilt here in the 1860s. A photograph of G.W.R. No.237 at Worcester.

The locomotive running sheds closed to steam operation on 31st December 1965, a month after the closure of the locomotive repair shops .

Midland Railway engine shed

The M.I.A.C. has no photographs of this shed but one taken by the late W.A. (Cam) Camwell appears in the excellent book 'Birmingham to Bristol' by Stephen Mourton and Bob Pixton (see Bibliography for more details) which states that the shed was opened by the Midland Railway in 1870 and closed on 12th December 1932. I

STOURBRIDGE (in West Midlands County from 1974)

(grid reference SO 906489)

The GWR engine shed at Stourbridge was located west of the OWWR line to Wolverhampton and has since been developed for housing.

Stourbridge Shed

A group of ex-GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tanks (Nos.4646, 9614, 3619, 9608, 8718 [the last small cab/round windowed 57xx Pannier in traffic at this time per Phil Bullock] and 9641) grouped around the turntable at Stourbridge Junction shed on 5th June 1966

9641

Seen on the same date is another ex-GWR Pannier Tank No.9641 sadly shorn of number plates. Both photographs by courtesy of Peter Martin. Phil Mile advises that the pictures inside Stourbridge shed were taken by train driver Clifford Totney whose hobby was photography and had all the expensive tack photographers used. Phil was a fireman at Stourbridge at this time, and he fired an 9F loco on a freight train from Stourbridge to Burton on Trent with Clifford, and only wish he had taken some photo's on the loco itself as a memoir. As the train approached the sidings at Burton there were scores of people taking photographs of the loco with Phil leaning out the cab, but none of those photos have appeared in any books or on the Internet. The loco in the shed picture No 8718 was the same locomotive that had his picture taken at Halesowen, and appears in Roger Siviter's book "Tempo of Steam" with Phil on the top filling the loco with water. Phil Male

Peter Martin recorded the following locos on shed on 5th June 1966. Despite this being only five weeks before closure there were 36 locomotives present (24 steam and 12 diesel):

Ex GWR 0-6-0 Pannier tanks 3607, 3619, 4646, 4696, 8718, 8767, 9608, 9614, 9641. Ex LMSR Stanier class 5MT 4-6-0 tender engines 44875 and 45064. Ex LMSR Ivatt class 2MT 2-6-0 tender engines 46427 and 46492. Ex LMSR Stanier class 8F 2-8-0 tender engines 48121, 48410, 48415, 48417, 48424, 48450, 48460, 48468, 48531, 48550 and 48757. Class 47 diesels D1662, D1714 and D1910. Diesel shunters D3004, D3029, D3192, D3981, D3982, D3995, D3996, 15101 and 15102.

Mick Rock has provided this listing of locomotives on shed on 23rd September 1962:

0-6-0 Pannier tank engines: 3745; 4630; 4646; 4665; 4687; 4696; 6403; 6418; 6422; 7430; 7432; 7435; 7449; 8742; 9614; 9624; 9646; 9733 and 9782. 0-6-2 tank engines: 6646; 6678; 6683 and 6692. 2-6-2 tank engines: 4114; 4140; 4167; 4168 and 5192. 2-6-0 tender engines: 7312. 2-8-0 tender engines: 3809.4-6-0 'Castle' class engine: 5015 - 'Kingswear Castle'. 4-6-0 'Grange' class engines: 6811 - 'Cranbourne Grange' and 6842 - 'Nunhold Grange'. 4-6-0 'Hall' class engines: 4964 - 'Rodwell Hall'; 5988 - 'Bostock Hall'; 6986 - 'Rydal Hall'; 6989 - 'Wightwick Hall' and 7922 - 'Salford Hall'. Ex LMSR design class 8F 2-8-0 tender engines: 48330; 48424; 48430; 48459; 48460; 48474; 48475 and 48724. Diesel Shunters: D3004; D3029; D3115; D3518 and D3980.

Ray Humphries made a visit to Stourbridge locomotive sheds on 5th July 1959. The main reason for his trip was to see the ex- Swansea Harbour Trust saddle tank No.1142 at the Clee Hill quarry. On the way he called in at the sheds at Stourbridge and noted: Nos.3658; 5795; 5189; 3667; 2871; 4986 'Aston Hall'; 3846; 2885; 5198; 6803 'Bucklebury Grange'; 3827; 6810 'Blakemere Grange' 6317; 6667; 8797; 6609; 6930 'Aldersley Hall'; 2856; 2897; 5176; 3821; 7229; 2867; 7430; 3825; 3649; 3745; 7449; 4646; 9782; 9624; 6646; 4173; 6105; 1621; 6604; 7435; 3729; 9636; 6401; 7441; 4687; 6683; 4168; 4161;

6987 'Shervington Hall'; 6692; 3743; 6332; 5199; 8704; 4140; 7448; 3710 and 7429.

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