As described in Part 1, you can find the passenger timings here and the freight timings here. The notes are intended to go with a copy of the Train Register Book which is missing so, forty seven years later, the meaning of some of the original notes is not very clear. The original notes appear in italics with minimal editing, sometimes followed by my recent comments attempting clarification. The numbers in brackets have been added to assist in locating entries.
Sedgeley Jn. Saturday 8th June 1963
(1) T39 goes up with Stanier 2-6-0 42979 making a nice noise. The load is 1 Plate wagon, 3 Vans, 3 Mineral wagons (one loaded with pipe fittings and elbows), 5 Tube wagons and a W.R. brake van stencilled 'MAESGLAS'.
(2) We get a report that they've stopped work at Great Bridge until the Ganger has carried out track repairs following an earlier incident involving WR3 off the road. Apparently, when the Breakdown Crane had finished working at 6.0 a.m., it came from Great Bridge to Sedgeley Junction and sent on to Dudley Port High Level.
(3) The down Diesel Parcels Unit is held outside the box so that we can explain that Dudley Port High Level has Blocked Back whilst he handles both the Dudley Port Local and the steam-hauled parcels.
(4) Dudley Port sends us the Up Local and, as soon as we give 'Train Out Of Section' for the passenger, offers the parcels. The steam-hauled parcels is soon whistling imperiously at our Up Branch Home which is 'On' because the Up Passenger has not yet cleared Dudley. As soon as we clear the signal 'Mickey Mouse' 46456 scampers by with one clean, new-looking 'BG', one Long Wheel Base 4-wheel parcels van, one 'CCT' and one B.R. 'BG'.
(5) T47 is reported as "37, 17 off at Round Oak". He comes up with 8713, four 3-container wagons, 16 open wagons loaded with railway wheelsets, 3 Plate wagons loaded with steel bars, 2 Plate wagons loaded with steel slabs, 2 open wagons loaded with steel drums, various open wagons, 1 coke wagon, 6 coal wagons and a B.R. brake. T39 (dragging his own brake van) is working hard at the rear.
(6) The Walsall local at 9.03 a.m. has changed from a 'Gloucester' twin to a 'Metro-Cammell twin.
(7) WR1 goes down slowly headed by 8424 with an old (M.R.?) brake, mineral wagons, L.M.R. brake, a Plate wagon (presumably as a barrier wagon because of the overhamg on the following wagon), loads of steel rods in steel open wagons, 4 rods to a wagon and overhanging each end (see sketch below: previously, I've seen these rods carried on bogie bolsters), a few open wagons, one load of coke and a W.R. brake.
(8) The parcels at 10.10 a.m. comprises the engine and one clean 'BG'.
(9) 8733 is in charge of T65 today. The headcode is "top and middle" (one lamp on the chimney, one in the middle of the buffer beam). The load is 2 Vans, 2 loaded Conflats, 3 Mineral wagons of scrap, 20 Mineral wagons loaded with coal or slack, 1 Van, 1 Open wagon, 3 Banana vans, 4 Mineral wagons loaded with steel turnings and a B.R. brake. 8269 is banking.
(10) It gets quite busy around 11.0 a.m. As I send 'Call Attention' to Horsley Fields for the Down light engine at 10.55, he is trying the send 'Call Attention' for the Up Walsall, which causes a general stir!
(11) T47 returns downhill tender first with 26 empties and his B.R. brake.
(12) We get a report that 12030 has failed and requires assistance back to shed.[I assume that 12030 was the Great Bridge diesel-electric shunter but I've only just realised that this number is an early-series build]
(13) Horsley Fields sends us T39 with 30 Dudley's, assisted by a banker, and then closes unofficially for a while.
(14) T39 passes us making a lot of smoke. The load is 1 empty Mineral wagon, 8 loads of coal, 8 empty Plate wagons, 2 Tube wagons loaded with tubes, 4 bogie bolsters 'BBE' loaded with steel bar (the bar is about 3 inches square and the ends of the bars are painted blue and white for identification), 6 empty Mineral wagons and an L.M.R. brake. T63 is giving a helping hand at the rear.
(15) T39 returns downhill tender first with 1 Mineral wagon loaded with fabricated tubes, 2 open wagons, 10 loaded Conflats and an L.M.R. brake.
(16)WR1 on the Up is reported as 30 equal to 36. It's a train of slack and I count the wagons with tight couplings to see how much work the train engine is doing. He seems to be doing the lion's share of the work with 21 wagons. T63 is pushing the rest of the train and the W.R. brake van. The fireman on T63 is hosing down the footplate as he passes the box.
(17) At 1.0 p.m., T65 passes on the down with 45 empties and a B.R. brake. The engine is 8733, tender first, and I notice he has a Fowler tender (like the engine off T39 we saw earlier).
(18) The engine and brake on the down is WR2, 8748 tender first and a B.R. brake marked 'RU' (restricted use). 8748 is returning to Great Bridge to work another train.
(19) Horsley Fields offers us WR2 on the Up and then closes again unofficially for a while.
(20) WR2 passes us with 8748 making a lot of smoke, but hauling 25 loads of coal, leaving 9 wagons and the brake van for the banker to push. One load of coal is in an all-steel open wagon which, unlike the rest of the train, is very clean. The B.R. brake is marked 'BRISTOL-MANCHESTER-SALTLEY-BRISTOL CIRCUIT'.
