This is one of a series of posts describing traffic movements I observed whilst unofficially working Sedgeley Junction signal box.
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. Wed 20th March 1963
A weekday, rather than Saturday, visit this time, but rather brief.
(1) The 7 o’clock down is a ‘Prairie’ with 4.
(2) The 7.25 a.m. down is a ‘Prairie’ with 4 corridors.
(3) A single-unit railcar goes down to Dudley Port – set 103.
(4) ‘47’ comes up “31 equal to 37 for Stourbridge.” ‘8766’ is on the front with sheeted mineral wagons, open wagons, coal, Plate wagons, Bolsters, a Well wagon, more bolsters, coal, ‘Conflat’, low-sided wagon and an LMR fitted brake. ‘5410’ (T39) is banking and working well.
(5) Set 331, the Western, rushes up the bank in the wake of T47.
(6) The Up Dudley Port local follows and is held at our ‘peg’ whilst Dudley disposes of T47 and the Western.
(7) The Down Western at 8.17 a.m. is set 331 returning.
(8) The Parcels Engine, 46456, goes down to Dudley Port.
(9) 3H47, the Diesel Parcels Unit goes Up.
(10) Dudley has got T39 for The Port but there’s no traffic for him.
Sedgeley Jn. Sat 23rd March 1963
(1) The Down Engine at 7.15 a.m. is 44875 tender first off T39.
(2) The Up ‘Special’ is a train of slack with 48674 on the front. The train engine slips three times as he struggles into the loop, letting the train rock back onto the Banker (48726), who also loses his feet for a moment.
(3) The Dudley Port local is a twin – set 103.
(4) Having assisted the ‘Special’ up to Dudley, 48726 backs down to Great Bridge at seven minutes past.
(5) ‘47’ is reported as “40 equal to 42 for Round Oak”. He comes up behind 48256 with 3 mineral wagons, 4 container wagons, an open wagon, two more container wagons, a lot of open wagons and a Western brake. T39 is slogging away at the rear.
(6) After some delay, the Parcels goes up to Dudley behind 46429 with one GUV and one Full Brake.
(7) The light engine on the Down is 90585 off the ‘Cuckoo’, turned and Right Away Burton. Nice to see an ‘Austerity’ but we just stop the following 'Western' at our home signal.
(8) WR1 goes down with 48459, brake van, open wagon, open wagon full of spoil, brake van, open wagons of spoil, foundry rakings, scrap, one open wagon with 'Experimental Macgregor Sliding Roof and an LMR piped brake.
(9) T39 follows, tender first, with four mineral wagons of scrap and a BR brake.
(10) The Down Parcels at 10.08 a.m. comprises one full brake.
(11) Parcels Up is one GUV (again) and a full brake.
(12) T65 is '32 equal to 38' Stourbridge, hauled by 44910 with Container Flats, Vans, Scrap, ASMO (?), 20 coal and a BR Brake. "Duck 8" 49406 is banking - tender first!
(13) The Parcels Engine returns to Bescot on the Down.
(14) The engine off the 'Special' (48674) does down behind the Parcels Engine.
(15) There is to be a Sunday turn the following day: 9 loads of pigs coming from Heysham, due to arrive Heysham 6.30 p.m. Saturday. So Palethorpe's must be cleared of empties on Saturday. Control say use T63. T63 up is the 'D' 49406 tender first arriving with flats, vans, open and a BR Brake. We go down with him to pick up three Cattle Vans which are attached to the front of the train before he departs for Dudley.
(16) WR2 passes on the down, 48402 with 4 mineral wagons loaded with coal, 5 nearly empty and a BR brake van.
(17) There's a '1-1-3' following WR2 - T63's engine propelling his brake van at a fantastic speed.
(18) Next, 48256 (off T47) belts down the bank, tender first.
(19) 44910, having worked T65, speeds downhill. He hasn't bothered to turn, either.
(20) WR1 goes up "32 equal to 40 Stourport" with 48459 on the front, LMS fitted brake on the back and the 'D' making real music as he struggles to assist the train.
(21) 1X46 is a Swindon 3-car set, displaying '1X46' in (my) top left window and with an 'LCGB' headboard on (my) right buffer. An interesting conclusion to my period of observation!
