Sedgeley Jn. Sat 22th December 1962
Night work on the bank!
Some amateur sound recordings were made on an EMI tape. I'm not sure whether they have survived.
(1) Shortly after midnight, the tanks for Cardiff struggle up the bank behind the usual Standard Class 9, making poor going after stopping at Great Bridge for water. This is 4V30 10.38 p.m. Empties from Soho Pool to Cardiff Bute Dock. It was always good to see a '9F' at work and sometimes, given a clear run, the driver would really "go for it" up the bank - but not on this occasion.
(2) T65 follows up “37 and Stourbridge”. 48762 is on the front and the Banker is 48335 off T63, dragging a Western brake van. Dudley’s taken him up the loop and the alert Guard in the Western brake has turned his one sidelight to white before he passes the box. Freight trains, of course, normally carried one red tail lamp and two red side lamps. If the train had passed to a parallel line (such as here, up the Third Line) the lamp nearest the main line would be turned to white, so as not to 'spook' a following train on the main line.
(3) Later, T63 comes down, engine propelling the brake with two white sidelights now acting as headlamps. (Not on tape).
(4) Empties from Round Oak to Norton Jn. roll downhill behind 48713 (mis-described in the ‘Is Line Clear?’). (Not on tape). Different classes of freight train had different 'Is Line Clear?' codes (such as '3', '3-1-1', '1-4', '4-1').
(5) The ‘Gloucesters’ hurl themselves downhill at a frightening page, behind a Fowler ‘4F’ that makes a terrible din with its motion shaking at such speed. (Not on tape).
(6) Next, a Stourbridge – Bescot train rumbles past with steel, slack, coke and an L.M.R. Brake with an ‘8F’ in charge. This would be 8M40, booked 11.25 p.m. from Stourbridge.
(7) Following, and almost ‘slacked’, a ‘Class 9’, burning up the brake blocks on twenty long-wheelbase tank wagons. 5M71, the 6.10 p.m. Cardiff Bute Dock to Soho Pool (loaded).
(8) Next, the ‘Cuckoo’ Eckington – Round Oak reported as “24 equal to 36 for Square Elm; I mean Round Oak” – 9V03 with 48189 on the front and 48766 pounding away at the rear (on tape). Even in the middle of the night, the gag about 'Square Elm/Round Oak' is trotted out. A train like this, working hard, with the glow from the engine fireboxes lighting the scene provided a wonderful experience.
(9) The Down Light Engine is stopped 6 minutes. The friendly fireman says the engine is T32. Horsley Fields Junction was closed at night, so the block section was Sedgeley Junction - Great Bridge. If Great Bridge was "doing a shunt", he often had to refuse an offered down train for a few minutes.
(10) T65, turned, is stopped 2 minutes returning downhill with his brake.
(11) The Up ‘Western’ goes Up the Loop to get out of the way of the Derby Parcels. Train engine and banker are Class 8s. Banker is reputedly T54 and without a tail lamp showing. (on tape).
(12) Down engine is 48402 tender first with an LMS brake van, to work WR4 back to the Western.
(13) The Derby reputedly has an open door and we are to stop him. 3V13 with D103 on the front. Tom goes down to examine but finds nothing. The long train restarting is on tape.
(14) WR4 comes up without a banker. 47 sticks. We get him moving.
(15) The Parcels engine clanks behind.
Sedgeley Jn. Mon 24th December 1962
(1) Up parcels is 3 full brakes and a 4-wheel van.
(2) Then first up ‘Western’; Leamington.
(3) T39 is reported with 11 wagons (50 pigs) for Palethorpes. When the train arrives, it's 44910 on 12 (!) cattle wagons and an LMR brake.
(4) Dudley cannot accept the following Walsall for a minute because his home is sticking off. The Walsall is two twinsets.
(5) The Engine and Brake is out of Palethorpes' at 8.42 a.m. and stands on the Up Main until the Down Walsall has passed, still with 4-cars. The Guard off the EBV signs the book.
(6) The 9.0 a.m. Down is a single-coach diesel and the pigs are already going to the factory, prior to slaughter.
(7) 46430 goes tender-first to Dudleyport for another parcels.
(8) Up Walsall at 9.15 is a twinset and goes Down a few minutes later with the driver (9) Gets busy as the Parcels goes Up from The Port with a 4-wheel van, full brake, 4-wheel van, full brake and an ER full brake.
(10) T39 charges Up to Dudley with ”11 and the brake”, coal, one Plate wagon, open wagons and vans.
(11) Meanwhile, a ‘4-1’ approaches on the Down - 8M37 with a Class 8 and the usual tubes, scrap, bars on Plate wagons and coke.
(12) ’312’ comes off the Dudleyport branch; 42659 bunker first with 3 Palethorpes vans, 6-wheel, 8-wheel, 6-wheel.
(13) Ten o’clock down is the single-coach Western diesel with the driver wrapped up in an overcoat and flat hat.
(14) The parcels goes down to Dudleyport High Level with 3 bogie vehicles.
(15) Up ‘Western’ and Down Walsall pass.
(16) ‘312’ has been waiting to come out of Palethorpes' since 10.8 a.m. Eventually, we wiggle ‘312’ out to stand on the Up Main outside the box. Then, by setting the road to the Up Loop, we can accept 47. Finally, ‘312’ departs light engine for Bloomfield Junction having waited 16 minutes all told.
(17) Once '312' has departed, we get the road for 47 up the Main. - 44805 with Pallet (concrete), sheeted open wagons,open wagons, empty mineral wagons, a loaded ‘Trestrol’, 4-wheel vans, eight Midland Tar Distillers tanks and a banker.
(18) T65 follows Up with 20 mixed wagons. The banker is 45180 – must be T63!
(19) At 10.55, 46430 drags a WR bogie van and a BG (labelled Parcels Mails Kilburn) to Dudley at good speed. Soon the parcels engine returns on the down, Light Engine for Bescot MPD.
(20) Up ‘Western’ precedes the Walsall.
(21) Dudley offers a ‘1-3-1’ and gives a nice ‘2’. Parcels goes down and Walsall comes Up.
(22) Down EBV is T47 returning.
(23) Down Walsall at 1.16 p.m. has the Guard’s Door swinging in. The Dudleyport Inspector is asked to check and Horsley Fields box is is advised.
That was the end of my 'early turn'.
