Traffic Movements at Sedgeley Junction 1962-1963 (Part 10)

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. Saturday 20th April 1963

(1) 8175 with a grey S.R. brake passes on the down (off the 'Cuckoo'?).
(2) The 7.25 a.m. down is a 3-car DMU set 325. He's showing Empty Coaching Stock headlights on the rear!
(3) 8674 T47: 4910 T39: 28 equal to 32 Stourbridge with a LMR brake painted bauxite.
(4) Notice Dudleyport local going the wrong way! [Without the train register, I can't be sure what this cryptic note means. I suspect we pulled off to Horsley Fields for a down Dudleyport but the driver stopped whilst we got the road to Dudleyport and cancelled the train to Horsley Fields].
(5) Dudley stops the 'Western' turning out '47' then sends on '39' which is to remain.
(6) 3H47 goes up the Loop while the returning Dudley Port local rolls out of High Level. The down Stour Parcels is just arriving 'on top'.
(7) At 8.14 a.m. 46429 has run round his van [I think this means run round between the two crossovers to the Up Loop at Sedgeley Jn.] and puffs up to Dudleyport.
(8)'39' goes to 'The Port' early with six mineral wagons (2 with steel turnings, 4 with scrap) and an LMS brake.
(9)'39' comes off pushing two steel turnings and his brake. He stands on the Up Main, clear of the crossover while we wait for the Down Walsall to clear Horsley Fields.
(10) WR1 goes down behind 8415, BBC, low BBC(?), 6 tarpaulined wagons, BBC and a WR brake (BBC loaded with rods).
(11) 10.55 a.m. Parcels is two vans and a BG.
(12) T63, behind 4914 is "15=20 Dudleys", slowed by Dudley. (13) 8747 is going powerfully at the head of WR1 with 65 on - 2 mineral wagons of sand (one with 'Timken' axleboxes) odd wagons, Conflat, steel turnings, coal, a BR brake and T63 pounding at the rear. He's 'wired' "Round Oak and Stourbridge only".
(14) 8478 takes WR2 down, reported as 18=30 with Tube wagon, Plate wagon loaded with 4-inch square bars, 4 mineral wagons loaded with coal, one steel open painted (in amateur fashion) "To be cleaned before 6.44 loading" and a WR brake marked 'Bristol St. Phillips Marsh'.
(15) 8415 has ten 3-container wagons, tube wagons, loads of plate, bar, rods, ten coal wagons and a BR brake.

Liverpool & Manchester 180th Celebrations

'Planet' on a passenger train passes 'Rocket' waiting for its next working.

The Liverpool & Manchester Railway can claim to be the world’s first inter-city passenger railway. The original opening ceremony on 15th September 1830 was marred by an accident involving William Huskisson MP, a keen supporter of the new railway, now better remembered as "the world’s first railway casualty". The injured Huskisson was carried by 'Northumbrian' at speed to Eccles for treatment but died of his injuries. Notwithstanding this inauspicious start, the railway was a great success and still forms an important part of England's railway network.

The Manchester terminal station was in Liverpool Road and a number of the original buildings survive. Although rapid growth in passenger numbers required new facilities elsewhere and the Liverpool Road station closed to passengers in 1844, the site remained in use as an important Goods Depot until 1975. When the site closed, a group of far-sighted Mancunians set up the Liverpool Road Station Society to preserve the unique collection of buildings as a working steam museum. That initiative has now become the Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester which likes to be known as 'MOSI' (that always makes me think "Let's mosey on down to MOSI").

In 2005, the Liverpool and Manchester railway was 175 years old and MOSI hosted a 4-day celebration which they called 'Riot of Steam', featuring replicas of the contenders at the earlier Rainhill Trials. I was lucky enough to take part in this event, managing a drive on all of the replicas and giving a talk on the design of early locomotives. My 'Riot of Steam' pictures are here.

The 180th anniversary of the line in 2010 was marked in various ways. At Edgehill station, Liverpool, the Arts Group Metal provided an exhibition starting on the 15th September and going on until the 23rd October. Edgehill claims to be the oldest passenger railway station in the world still in use.

On 11th September, there was an open day at Eccles Station, organised by the Friends of Eccles Station, with street theatre, a brass band, family activities, refreshments and free return trips from Eccles to Patricroft.

At MOSI, the museum's 'Planet' replica was joined by the replica 'Rocket' with its own train. These locomotives gave passenger rides on the museum's line on the 11th and 12th September, the 15th September (the date of the original opening ceremonies) and the 18th and 19th September. I was 'Planet' driver during the afternoon of the 19th and, when we'd finished, I moved across to 'Rocket' as fireman. Charlie from the National Railway Museum let me drive the last passenger trip but, because the fire had been deliberately run-down prior to disposal, the low boiler pressure gave us some problems reversing at the ground frame.

'Rocket' has undergone a number of changes since I was last on her in 2005 - new trailing wheelset, new water barrel, new brake system, a handbrake added, new firebox, boiler tubes closer to the original design.

'Rocket', showing the driving axle and slip eccentrics. The transverse shaft is operated from the foot treadle on the footplate to change direction.

The 'Rocket' replica has Slip Eccentric reversing. This type of motion was also fitted to the 'Planet' class. It was a few years before Gab motion became common and this was quickly superceded by Link motion which not only gave reliable reversing but offered variable cut-off for more efficient working.

'Rocket' - Note rectangular valve chest mounted underneath the LH cylinder; transverse shafts with valve setting levers pointing downwards at 'five o'clock'; Eccentric rods terminated in burnished handles with semi-circular recesses engaged with round bosses on valve setting levers

The set-up of the Slip Eccentric motion on 'Rocket' is more straightforward than on 'Planet' because the cylinders on 'Rocket' are high up at the back, next to the driver. The levers for manually setting the valves drive through transverse shafts. Locking the valves to the (rather splindly) extended eccentric rods is also simpler. Each eccentric rod has a semi-circular recess which is engaged with a round boss on the valve setting lever so that the extended eccentric rod imparts the required motion to the valve setting lever and (through the transverse shaft) the valve. To start the engine manually, the driver knocks the extended eccentric rods out of mesh with the valves, works the valves as required and then re-engages the extended eccentric rods with the valve bosses. Link motion, when it appeared, with its distinctive curved, slotted expansion links was a massive improvement! The simple 'semi-circular recess and boss' method of disengaging the eccentric from the valve can be seen on many stationary engines.

The day I was there, the weather was rather indifferent (it rained intermittently and was cold) but I think the public and the railway operating staff still enjoyed themselves - I certainly did.

My pictures of the 180th event.

Two 'Cromptons'

On the left D6586, on the right 33021 in the North Yard at Shackerstone.

The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon 'Type 3' diesel electrics became 'Class 33' but were often referred to as 'Cromptons' after the manufacturer of their electrical equipment, Crompton Parkinson.

My first 'hands on' experience with a 'Crompton' was on the Mince Pie Specials at the Battlefield Line with 33019 'Griffon' on 1st January 2008. That locomotive is still at Shackerstone but, for the recent Diesel Gala, two more 'Class 33' visited the line. Before these visitors left, it was decided to put them in service on the weekend of 25th and 26th September 2010. That meant that I was not needed for my rostered DMU turn on the 25th, but I was asked to turn up as a 'Conductor Driver' so that a driver from the owners' group could drive his '33' later in the day.

I arrived just as Simon was 'striking up' one of the vistors, 33021. Simon explained that the other '33' was being used for the service trains on Saturday but that a battery charge would be needed before we attempted an engine start. A new set of batteries were already on order and would be fitted before the locomotive left Shackerstone. With the two visitors coupled together, 33021 drew D6586 down to the charging point and Simon placed the locomotive on charge. With the handbrake on D6586 firmly applied, I then 'split' the two engines and drove 33021 through the station to the south end. The signalman had just arrived so Simon made arrangements for us to carry out the Line Inspection with our 'Light Engine'.

Simon invited me to drive, so we set off for an uneventful run down to Shenton where we changed ends and I drove back to Shackerstone. I seem to remember this dyed-in-the-wool steam enthusiast muttering "I could get used to this" at some point in the journey. Having signed off the line as fit-for-service at the signal box, we returned through Shackerstone station and buffered up to the waiting D6586.

The Sulzer 8LDA28 engine in the '33' is arranged for 'air start', like a number of main-line diesel electric designs. This means that the batteries are used to drive the Pre-Start Compressor to charge the main air receiver and this compressed air is then used to 'crank' the engine for starting. Simon showed me how another locomotive (in this case 33021) can be 'piped' to provide air for starting. Very soon, D6586 was started so it only remained to 'park up' 33021 ready to work the service on the following day and put D6586 on the waiting train (six coaches including the visiting Observation Car E1719E).

This took me a little longer than it should have done but we were ready to take the 11.30 a.m. service out a few minutes late with the cheerful secondman and Pete as a supernumary. We had a good trip down to Shenton, the presence of a number of permanent way restrictions making the driving more interesting.

At Shenton, once the locomotive was 'hooked-off', I drew forward into the headshunt and changed ends. When running round with a main-line diesel on the Battlefield Line, the driver always changes ends so as to be at the front of the movement. This involves changing ends three times for each run-round. It's possible to change ends by walking through the engine room although it's noisy and the gangways are narrow. On D6586 the engine room is clean, but I've been on some locomotives that are swimming in oil, so passing through the engine room in such cases is definitely not recommended. Most drivers prefer to avoid passing through the engine room so, when changing ends, they'll climb down at one end, walk along the ballast and climb back up at the other end.

Once attached to the train, I created the vacuum, watched for the temporary drop in vacuum as the guard carried out his brake continuity test and waited for the secondman to relay the Guard's 'Rightaway'. It was a bright, sunny morning so we had a pleasant trip back through the Leicestershire countryside, meeting numerous pheasants along the way who scurried along the track ahead and, as always, seemed very reluctant to move to a place of safety. Somehow, they always appear to escape unhurt. Ian, from the owners' group, was on the platform by the time we arrived back at Shackerstone, so I turned the locomotive over to him for the rest of the day and had a fairly easy time in the right hand seat.

For once, I was glad of an easy turn as I was faced with an 11-hour shift on the footplate of 68013 at Peak Rail the following day.

My pictures are here.