Traffic Movements at Sedgeley Junction 1962-1963 (Part 5)

As described in Part 1, you can find the passenger timings here and the freight timings here. The original notes appear in italics with minimal editing, followed by my recent comments attempting clarification. The numbers in brackets have been added to assist in locating entries.

Sedgeley Jn. Sat 9th February 1963

(1) The ‘Cuckoo’ with a Class 5 and a banker goes up the Loop.
(2) We get Train Out of Section for 9V03 at 7.19 a.m.
(3) The banker off the ‘Cuckoo’ returns downhill, passing the Up Walsall.
(4) Dudley offers the Snow Hill as soon as we give ‘Train Out of Section’ for the banker and the train is almost stopped at our down Home before we can get him the road. The Snow Hill is DMU diagram ‘318’.
(5) The Down Walsall speeds by.
(6) On the Up, we get a ‘Special’ for Hartlebury making good time – 44873 off T34 with a train of slack, a BR brake and 48556 (off T39) banking.
(7) On the Down, a single unit (diagram ‘108’) forms the Dudleyport local.
(8) The Up ‘Western’ speeds by (diagram 312).
(9) Having banked the ‘Special’ to Dudley, 48556 (off T39) returns downhill light engine.
(10) The single car DMU rushes back to Dudley from Dudleyport.
(11) The Leamington follows Up to Dudley.
(12) The 8.15 Down to Snow Hill is diagram 312.
(13) The Up Walsall at 8.24 includes vehicle 56152.
(14) Because T47 is running late, the engine off T39 (48556) appears unexpectedly light engine on the Up, to pick up his train.
(15) The Walsall goes down.
(16) We take on the Up Walsall from Horsley Fields just as Dudleyport offers the Parcels. We refuse the Parcels.
(17) Dudley offers the Down ‘Western’. We accept the ‘1 pause 3’ and immediately offer him the Up Walsall ‘3 pause 1’.
(18) The ‘Western’ (diagram 108) speeds by down and the up Walsall is going well.
(19) Then we can bring the Parcels down from Dudleyport and get him the road to Dudley.
(20) On the down, we take on T39 engine and brake (1 pause 1 pause 3) for Great Bridge – with the road set towards Dudleyport, we’ve got the required clearance beyond our Home signal even with the parcels approaching.
(21) The parcels blasts up to Dudley with 46425, chimney leading, on two BG.
(22) T39 is almost stopped before we can set the road to Great Bridge and get him away. The brake van is an old, grey LMS type, apparently fully fitted.
(23) The Down Walsall runs by.
(24) Next, we have an up parcels – 46457 tender first dragging a BG and BR brake van. The Guard is not in the BG or the BR brake – he’s riding on the footplate.
(25) 8M37 (WR1) comes down. It’s a ‘Westernised’ class 8 with a variety of different wagons, and the usual loaded BBCs at the rear, heading for Norton Junction.
(26) A parcels is accepted on the down. Unsure of the destination, we offer it to Tommy Toombes at Dudleyport who does not take it immediately. As the train approaches, I notice the engine is facing Great Bridge so it’s apparently the last parcels on the up returning. We get the road down the main and away he goes, with the BR brake and the BG, apparently to be stabled at Great Bridge ready to form a parcels train on Monday afternoon.
(27) T47 goes up behind 48529 – open wagons, vans, plate wagons, Midland Tar Distillers tank wagons, a raft of coal wagons and an LMR brake. There’s an unusual banking engine on the rear – a Horwich ‘Crab’ brought out for banking duties today because there are three ‘Specials’ carrying slack to Stourport shown as additional:-
* 6.30 a.m. Great Bridge – Hartlebury
* 2.00 p.m. Great Bridge – Hartlebury
* 3.20 p.m. Hednesford – Hartlebury.
(28) The down ‘Western’ (diagram 328) comes to an impatient stand at our Home signal while we wait for the earlier Parcels to clear “down the bottom”. A little later, we learnt the reason for the delay by telephone. T39 was in Cashmores’, WR1 was at Great Bridge, being backed inside so as to let the Parcels through and the Parcels was held at Horsley Fields Junction. As WR1 was being shunted, it was noticed that the load of billets on a bolster wagon had shifted and was overhanging on the up side (so it was unlikely it would be seen at Sedgeley Junction, if the problem had already occurred before passing the box). It was decided that the offending wagon would be detached so that the train could proceed.
(29) The [up?] Walsall rumbles by – now including vehicle 56155.
(30) The up ‘Western’ passes (diagram 108).
(31) A ‘Black 5’, 44827, chimney leading, passes on the down. It’s believed to be the engine off the ‘Cuckoo’ which went up as I arrived, turned at Stourbridge.
(32) The Horwich ‘Crab’ which banked T47 up to Dudley returns downhill. It’s 42859, absolutely filthy.
(33) The 11 o’clock down is the diagram 108 ‘Bubble Car’.
(34) The Walsall goes up and the ‘Western’ is offered behind but no sign yet of the Parcels from Dudleyport.
(35) The Leamington goes down as the up ‘Western’ approaches the Low Level.
(36) T65 heads up the loop with 45329, vans, open wagons, tube wagons, vans, coal, one ‘Hybar’, a BR brake and the ‘Crab’ banking.
(37) Right behind, T63 goes up with a Stanier 2-6-0 (42979), a loaded ‘Trestrol’, bolster wagons, loaded plate wagons, empty tube wagons and a BR brake.
(38) At last, the Parcels is accepted from Dudleyport. Dudley accepts it ‘Under the Warning’, so that he can get T63 out. We bring the Parcels ‘Under Control’ at the Home signal, pull it ‘Off’ and display our bright green flag outside the window. The driver acknowledges with a ‘poop’ and opens up. The driver of 46425 waves as he passes with two 4-wheel vans, a BG with the West Indian guard leaning out, and a GUV-type van (as used all morning) at the rear.
(39) Before long, the Parcels Engine is passing on the down, returning to shed.
(40) WR2 is right behind on the down – a ‘Western’ 8F 48450 with ‘15 on’ comprising 16-ton mineral wagons with some 20-ton mineral at the rear: a mixture of empties, dross and coal with a LMR brake at the rear. He’s batting along with such a light load!
(41) The down ‘Western’ is taken on as we ‘knock out’ for WR2 – it’s diagram 312.
(42) The up ‘Western’ at 12.20 is the ‘Bubble Car’ (diagram 108) again.
(43) Having disposed of its train, the Stanier 2-6-0 off T63 trips down to Great Bridge, “Engine and Brake”.
(44) On the down, we take on a ‘3 pause 2’. It’s a train of ‘Pools’ from the Western - 44873 off the earlier up ‘Special’ rushing away with a long train of empty mineral wagons with a browny-black LMR brake bouncing at the rear.
(45) The Walsall local goes up to Dudley.
(46) At 1 o’clock, the ‘Western’ ‘Bubble Car’ goes back to Snow Hill.
(47) The up ‘Western’ at 1.15 is diagram 328.
(48) The down Walsall passes.
(49) After the Walsall, 48529 off T47 goes down. He’s been turned and is dragging the same LMR brake van with the grab-handles freshly painted white he took onto the Western earlier. Control grumbles that he was supposed to have loaded back!
(50) The 2 o’clock down ‘Western’ is diagram 328. I give ‘Section’ to Horsley Fields just as he gives me ‘2’ for the Up local and the two bell signals clash.
(51) The ‘Bubble Car’ goes up to Dudley.
(52) The up ‘Special’ gets in difficulties “down the bottom” by Dudleyport Low Level. Eventually, 48734 on the front draws level. Both driver and fireman are young. They grin and point the blame at their banker. However, checking the tension of the couplings down the train, the train engine is pulling 12 slack wagons and the ‘Crab’, now in better circumstances, is pushing 15 slack wagons and the BR brake. The banker slips once, just for a moment, on the facing points leading to the loop.
(53) The 3 o’clock down ‘Western’ is the ‘Bubble Car’, once again.
(54) T65 [down] has a string of ‘Pools’, an LMR brake and a WR brake.
(55) WR1 on the up has 48459 with glands blowing, coal wagons, slack wagons and a grey-painted LMR brake. Once again, the ‘Crab’ is assisting and makes a slight slip just outside the box, much to the amusement of the fireman on the ‘Crab’.

Sedgeley Jn. An Evening in February 1963

(1) 50460 Dudley end of local.
(2) 6.30 p.m. Wolverhampton – Burton is a 2-6-0 tender first with a British Rail 1st/2nd Composite and an ER Brake/2nd Composite! I don't understand this working at present.
(3) The up ‘Western’ is a single unit.
(4) T34 passes on the down – a Class 8 tender first with 8 Vans (including one Long Wheel Base) and a BR Brake.
(5) The Leamington Parcels rushes uphill at an unaccustomed speed.
(6) The 7.0 p.m. down Snow Hill is a 3-car set.
(7) The down Parcels is a 2-6-0 chimney-leading with two ‘BG’.
(8) The up Snow Hill at 7.30 p.m. is the ‘Bubble Car’.
(9) The down Snow Hill at 8.0 p.m. is the ‘Bubble Car’ returning.
(10) T47 really blasts the sky with his exhaust, making noise and with the drain cocks open. The train is vans, ‘Conflats’, empty mineral wagons, another van, coal empties, various loaded coal wagons, an empty ‘Hybar’, a long wheel base tube wagon and an LMR brake. A ‘Class 8’ is assisting.
(11) The Parcels Engine follows up and stands at our up Home for a moment before we can get him away to Dudley.
(12) The ‘8F’ bank engine off T47 returns downhill to Great Bridge.
(13) A ‘Class 8’ takes T63 up – vans and eight open wagons with a BR brake.
(14) As T63 plods uphill, the Parcels Engine takes a single short utility vehicle down to Dudleyport. Soon, the Parcels Engine returns and we get him away to Bescot Light Engine, holding a down Engine and Brake for a moment.
(15) The Engine and Brake is T63, propelling his brake to Great Bridge.
(16) The single unit ‘Western’ goes down.
(17) The Walsall grinds up to Dudley, re-appearing on the down soon after.

Traffic Movements at Sedgeley Junction 1962-1963 (Part 4)

As described in Part 1, you can find the passenger timings here and the freight timings here. The original notes appear in italics with minimal editing, followed by my recent comments attempting clarification. The numbers in brackets have been added to assist in locating entries.

Sedgeley Jn. Sat 29th December 1962

(1) The first two Down ‘Westerns’ are 3-sets.
(2) The LM Parcels goes Up with a Class ‘A’ headcode
(3) Walsall goes Up.
(4) Parcels goes down, with a red electric tail lamp on the right and a white light still lit on the left. (No headlamps on, of course).
(5) Walsall goes down.
(6) Dudleyport passenger goes down.
(7) Busy at 8.11 a.m. ‘Is Line Clear?’ from Horsley refused while we take the Local off Dudleyport, but then accept a ‘1-3-1’ off Horsley.
(8) We take a LE off Dudley, then offer him the Dudleyport local. The LE is a Stanier 2-6-0 with a Fowler tender, tender first to Great Bridge, reported as T39.
(9) The late ‘Western’ follows the light engine down.
(10) The parcels, 3H47, scoots by on the Up.
(11) Last Up ‘Western’ was ‘Swindon’; 8.0 a.m. was a different 3-set.
(12) T47 is offered on the up although the following Walsall has already departed.
(13) First the parcels comes off the Dudleyport branch with the 2-6-0 dragging one short, panelled LMS bogie parcels vehicle.
(14) T47 comes up ‘in the teeth of’ the Walsall, 44914 on the front priming badly with the young fireman at the controls. He rumbles past, the engine losing its feet occasionally, dragging 3 sheeted mineral wagons, 5 Conflats with cement containers, 1 sheeted mineral, 3 Conflats with cement containers, 2 sheeted wagons, 2 mineral wagons of coal, 2 open wagons, wooden, sheeted, one 20ton double side-door mineral wagon (empty), 2 more wooden sheeted wagons, 13 Midland Tar Distillers tank wagons of various designs, 1 low steel wagon, 1 open wagon, brake van and 42957 on the back (T39 on a banking turn).
(15) The Walsall comes Up right behind the freight and shortly returns to Walsall.
(16) T39 passes tender-first for The Port with 1 mineral wagon loaded with scrap, 2 4-wheel vans and a WR brake. Having detached, T39 returns from Dudleyport propelling one and the brake. He stands on the Up Main, holding up the Up Walsall, while the Parcels engine with one ‘BG’ goes down to Dudleyport. Then we get T39 away to Great Bridge allowing us to pull off for the Up Walsall.
(17) After a break, the Walsall comes up and the ‘Western’ goes down.
(18) ‘Western’ goes Up with the Parcels hard behind, 46456 with a BR bogie full brake and a panelled full brake, getting in a bit of difficulty. Having left its train at Dudley, the Parcels Engine returns light to Bescot.
(19) T65 is put on the block, reported as “31=45 Stourbridge” The train passes with 48514 slipping like mad at the front and the banker 48256 propelling almost the whole train on occasion. It’s a long train of coal with an LMS brake van at the rear. The crew on the banker have tied a bit of sacking across the cab side sheeting on the driver’s side as a ‘dodger’, to keep out the worst of the cold wind.
(20) The ‘Western’ goes up at 12.18 without a Line Clear (Thank you Dudley East!). I presume this means he acknowledged the 'Is Line Clear?' but forgot to 'peg' 'Line Clear'.
(21) T47 returns downhill on a long train of empties.
(22) 48478 takes an LMR brake down – reported as WR2.
(23) 48430 takes a long train of empties – WR1 running out-of-path with an LMR long-wheelbase brake van painted in Bauxite.
(24) Following the Down Local, T65 rushes past with a long train of ‘Pools’ for Norton Junction with a WR brake van (although he’d earlier gone up with an ‘LMS’ brake van).
(25) Dudley had suggested running T65 in front of the local but in the end the passenger was despatched first.
(26) The Up Western is a single car ‘Bubble Car’ dragging (and multipled with) half a twinset.
(27) ‘WR2’ (8V06) comes up with about 25 Slack. 48478 is on the front and 48256, working well, is banking.
(28) The Up Walsall is right behind 'WR2' and is slowed but not stopped.
(29) The 3.0 p.m. Down to the Western is the half twinset and Bubble Car.
(30) T63 comes up with 6 Dudleys, a ‘H.D. Brake’ (whatever that is) and a BR Standard Brake (the Banker had no tail lamp).

Sedgeley Jn. Sat 12th January 1963

(1) 43112 goes down to Dudleyport light engine, holding the down 2-car DMU at our home.
(2) Because of poor communications, we first pull off for the DMU Walsall direction but eventually sort it out and send the DMU to Dudleyport.
(3) The Walsall local goes Up, followed by a Western 3-car DMU.
(4) 48680 goes down at 8.06 a.m.
(5) The Dudleyport local makes its way back to Dudley, followed by the Walsall Parcels.
(6) The Parcels comes from Dudleyport very late.
(7) 45146 (the engine off T39) goes down.
(8) Anxious to get the Up Parcels moving, we incorrectly turn the Parcels Up the Loop before the Up Leamington has come to a stand. Oops!
(9) The parcels is 43112 tender first with one 4-wheel Fruit Van, two 4-wheel vans, one Long Wheel Base Van and one 4-wheel van – no accommodation for the Guard!
(10) The Up Walsall is 56158 at 9.03 and he goes Down at 9.13.
(11) 56160 is the Up Walsall at 9.19, Down at 9.27.
(12) The Walsall is followed by a light engine happily toddling along two and a half hours late for Wolverhampton via Dudleyport!
(13) The ten o’clock Down is a 3-car set.
(14) 56160 appears again at 10.16 on the Up Walsall.
(15) The Up ‘Western’ is a single unit, trailing half a twin.
(16) ‘47’ comes up with 48769, cement opens, loaded Plate wagons, coal and sundries, LMS Brake and T39 banking, the whole train going very slowly. As he goes away from us, the train engine whistles and opens up but as the rear of the train passes the box, the Banker’s still just plodding along.
(17) 48515 at 10.58 is the engine off the ‘Cuckoo’, heavily frosted up at the front end.
(18) The following Western is a single car DMU.
(19) The 11.0 Walsall is 56160 again.
(20) On the Down, T39s engine is tender first with five Brake Vans, six Single Bolster wagons, two Mineral Wagons carrying turnings, a Bolster wagon and LMR Brake.
(21) T65 goes Up with a ‘Black Five’, a mixed train with coal wagons and a brake van carrying a tail lamp. (not sure why the tail lamp is commented unless it means tail lamp but no side lamps).
(22) The Up Parcels is a 2-6-0 tender first with one Long Wheel Base 4-wheeler and two ‘BG’.

Sedgeley Jn. Sat 26th January 1963

(1) The Derby – Bristols comes Up at 7.2 a.m.
(2) The ‘Cuckoo’ is still in the Up Loop at Dudley and WR3 is held at Great Bridge.
(3) T65 runs downhill with 55 empties. No sign yet of the Parcels Engine.
(4) 48725, with a tiny ‘Fowler’ tender, backs gently Down at 7.40.
(5) The Down Dudleyport Local is a Western 3-car set.
(6) The Down Walsall at 8.12 is the 7.37! (Up?).
(7) WR3 comes Up from Great Bridge and goes Up the Loop, 48424 blowing steam, frozen power station slack, LMS piped brake, banked by 48725 with worn motion clanking away.
(8) The Up Western is Diagram ‘105’.
(9) Our somewhat late Parcels Engine follows – 2-6-0 46421 with a full tank of water [presumably slopping everywhere] bustling Up to Dudley to pick up his guard.
(10) The 8.30 Down ‘Western’ is the 3-car unit which worked the Dudleyport service earlier and labelled Diagram ‘345’.
(11) Up Parcels goes by at 8.58 with two 4-wheel vans, one Long Wheel Base van, one BG and another Long Wheel Base van.
(12) 310 goes Down – he’s just coming round the corner as we get the home off.
(13) T47 goes Up with 48734, 34 for Round Oak, 7 for Stourbridge a BR Brake Van with a spare tail lamp because 44714 off T39 is banking. [The tail lamp of the main train should have been removed to indicate to signalmen that there was a bank engine]
(14) The Walsall Parcels follows Up and comes to a stand. We draw him up to the box at 49, then get him away to Dudley.
(15) Engine on the Down is T39.
(16) The ten o’clock ‘Western’ is a ‘Swindon’ 3-set.
(17) Diagram ‘310’ goes Up behind the Walsall at 10.21.
(18) Down engine at 10.44 is 61018, off the ‘Cuckoo’!
(19) 48410 (balanced drivers and modified for WR) takes a dozen wagons (including two BBC loaded with steel) and a BR Brake Van downhill.
(20) The 11 o’clock DMU is diagram ‘310’. We didn’t get the distant off for him because Dudley East seems to be forgetting to send ‘Section’ for Down trains, for some unknown reason.
(21) 48255 goes Up with vans, Conflats, scrap, coal, vans, coke and an LMR Brake painted Bauxite and 48529 (T63) banking.
(22) The parcels is offered to Dudley on the Up Main but he takes it ‘Permissive’up the Loop (2 pause 4 pause 2) although it sounds more like ‘4 pause 2’. The train is two 4-wheel vans, a ‘Siphon’ and a BG. He goes up the loop ‘Under the Warning’.
(23) The late-running Walsall follows up the Main.
(24) The ‘8F’ off T63 returns downhill, light engine, passing the up Walsall.
(25) The next Up freight is accepted permissive up the Loop (this time we get ‘2 pause 4 pause 2’) after just coming to a stand at our Home. It’s 48259 with three mineral wagons of scrap, one mineral wagon with coal, three plate wagons, two tube wagons, two vans, private owner coal [?] and an SR brake van.
(26) The Down ‘Western’ is cancelled and a ‘1-4’ freight is put on the block. It’s the engine off T47, scurrying to Bescot with about 15 on, including loaded bolsters.
(27) The following ‘Western’ is diagram ‘302’ and, like most of the ‘Westerns’ today, is a 3-car DMU.
(28) ‘WR2’ passes with 48450 (another ‘Westernised’ class 8) and a WR ‘Gondola’ Brake Van.
(29) Meanwhile, diagram ‘310’ goes up at 12.27.
(30) The Parcels Engine passes on the Down for Bescot, with T63’s engine right behind.
(31) The second Up ‘Western’ is a 3-car DMU, made up of two ‘Swindon’ driving cars sandwiching a WR suburban DMU trailer.
(32) The 1 o’clock Down is Diagram ‘310’.
(33) The Up ‘Western’ at 1.18 p.m. is a single-car DMU, diagram ‘108’.
(34)48265 (off T65) nearly comes to a stand behind.
(35) The 2 o’clock down is diagram ‘108’.
(36) The Up ‘Western’ is diagram ‘310’.
(37) ‘WR1’ goes Up, 48410 with power station slack and an SR brake, banked by T63.
(38) The following Walsall is stopped for a while.
(39) The following ‘Western’ (the single unit, diagram ‘108’) is slowed.

More Notes follow in the next part of this series.