5043: The "Red Dragon" Goes To Cardiff...

"5043 Hauls The 'Red Dragon' Railtour" (Pic - D.Chandler)

In the twenty first century, heads are still turned to meet the awe inspiring sight of a Great Western Castle Class locomotive thundering loudly through the countryside. Cameras are raised, hands are waved and the general feeling of nostalgia and the atmosphere of yesteryear is hard to shake. Today Tyseley's beautiful No5043 "Earl of Mount Edgcumbe" hauled the "Red Dragon" from Birmingham to Cardiff and back, returning the long way round via the Welsh Marches. The Castle put in yet another great performance, providing a mixture of noise and speed as she put several more miles under her belt. Having been at Tyseley yesterday helping clean the engine, I arrived today at the not so adorable time of 5:15am. The traditional McDonalds breakfast stop was desperately required...

Having devoured my breakfast, I unloaded my various pieces of kit from the car before heading down towards the loco shed. Out the back stood a simmering 5043, proudly wearing the "Red Dragon" headboard. The "Red Dragon" was a named express train which operated on the Western region of BR between 1950 and 1965. The express ran from Paddington to Swansea and Carmarthen and the Castle class engines were regulars on this working until the Britannia pacifics began to take over...

You can never help but feel that these main line steam trips are an adventure. Today the Castle would steam out of her home base at the former 84E with 10 coaches + the GUV (water carrier) behind the tender. Leaving Birmingham behind she would head out via Kidderminster to Worcester before steaming to Gloucester and on to Cardiff via Newport. The "Earl"s last shed allocation was Cardiff East Dock, where she was posted in September 1962. She was withdrawn from there in December 1963. Today would see her first arrival in Cardiff since that time. 54 years later, the "Earl" was going home...

The engine was on the train by 6:15am, simmering away and steam heating the stock. All seats on this trip were sold out and the many eager passengers began boarding in good time for the 7:03am departure. The Castle looked a real picture as she awaited right time at the head of the lengthy train. A good day was ahead...

Right on time, 5043 received the green and the "Right Away", leaving Tyseley upgrade in a cloud of steam. Accelerating away with Driver Ray Poole on the handle, the Castle got the weight moving towards the city centre as we approached the next passenger pick-up at Snow Hill. The echoing blast of the Castle's exhaust amidst the dim gloom of Snow Hill tunnel is always audible! Leaving Snow Hill the Castle steamed through the Jewellery Quarter and out towards Kidderminster. The chat aboard the support coach was the usual mixture of locomotive comparisons and generally putting the preservation world to rights. All the time, 5043 was making progress...

"The Castle Passes Hagley" (Pic - D.Chandler)

Kidderminster was soon approached at speed and we roared through the main line side opposite the terminus of the Severn Valley Railway. Onlookers there marvelled at the express 4-6-0 as she steamed by. The smaller 7802 "Bradley Manor" received a passing screech from 5043's whistle as she was sighted approaching from Bewdley. The crew aboard her waved a reply! With the SVR behind us the engine was well on her way to Worcester for the 30-minute service stop. As well as allowing the Support Crew to service the Castle, the stop allowed passengers to leave the train and admire the gleaming Swindon product that was doing all the work...

"Awaiting The Road at Worcester"

Worcester saw the tender topped up with water and coal. Additional coal (in several bags) is loaded aboard the train and the Support Crew can be found at water stops groaning backwards and forwards with them, gradually topping up the commodity of black stuff. You know you've done it once you get to your 20th bag or more! With the engine ready for the off, we awaited the road and the engine then steamed onward to her next stop at Gloucester. David Chandler caught her again leaving Worcester...

"Onward to Gloucester" (Pic - D.Chandler) 

Gloucester saw the same coaling procedure repeated, with passengers watching in awe at the amount of coal a provoked Castle can eat through in one sitting! Having said that, with the tight timings now imposed by the modern rail services you have to slot in between and the load on the draw bar, 5043's consumption is by no means unusual. This is the REAL world of steam. After Gloucester the engine sped on towards Newport before the final run to Cardiff. The pull up into Cardiff saw the Castle's loud bark turning many heads. A steam engine on the modern main line provides two very different reactions: some people turn and wave in complete awe, others don't look up from their newspaper. Its an interesting topic for the avid people watcher! 11:30am saw our arrival in Cardiff...

With the passengers off the train ready for their day in the city, 5043 and her ECS steamed the short distance into the Cardiff Canton depot: the ex 86C steam shed. Steam engines left the depot in 1962 but today, once more, a Castle was back. 5043 had to go all the way back to Newport to turn before returning to us tender first...

Our return departure towards Birmingham wasn't due off Cardiff until 15:40 and so the afternoon was spent checking and servicing the 4-6-0 in readiness for her upcoming efforts. The tender was coaled with every last lump we had in the train resulting in a gritty and grimy Support Crew. For anyone that hasn't done it and thinks the work of this team is easy...think again! A day on an engine on a heritage railway can often be considered easy steam compared to humping several loaded bags of coal around from floor to footplate! All this has been a real eye-opener I can tell you. By 14:45 the Castle was serviced and ready for the return slog. The return route was an unusual one. Gauging had pushed the Castle from her outward bound path to a longer one around the Welsh Marches route to Shrewsbury. This route is much longer and would see the Castle working hard with her heavy train. Right on time we left Cardiff and began the journey home. Driver Andy Taylor was held in the middle road at Newport for some time, allowing a unit to get away first. Delighted onlookers snapped 5043 as she simmered away...

"Newport Middle Road" (Pic - M.Turner) 

From Newport the Castle steamed on towards Shrewsbury as the light began to fade. The engine marched homeward with a beautiful ease, strolling through the Welsh countryside. Its a beautiful route this one. Shrewsbury was passed at 18:22...

"An Evening in Shrewsbury" (Pic - R.Davies)

Our final water/servicing stop was a loop at Cosford, beside the main line. 5043 was watered for the final run towards Birmingham. She left Cosford in fine style, maintaining some smart acceleration upgrade with a very loud bark...

"On The Move" (Pic - M.Tattam)

The Castle marched at speed for mile after mile, slowing for Wolverhampton and then accelerating again on towards New Street. The exhaust sails neatly above the tender as the 4-6-0 pounds the rails, slipping in between modern rail services with her lengthy rake of coaches snaking along behind her: its just great. Passengers were dropped off at New Street before the final run to Tyseley, arriving home at the Warwick Road platform at around 20:40. Another grand day out for 5043 was complete...

Having been shunt released by the Class 08, 5043 was put to bed...

The "Red Dragon" had been another successful railtour for VT. I must admit it is an absolute pleasure to be involved with the Tyseley team and an even greater pleasure to experience main line steam in the form of 4965 & 5043. Its a real eye-opener. My kind thanks to the Tyseley lads for their continued hospitality and of course to the photographers who have sent in images for use in this post - I'm very grateful. The 84E gang are out again on the Welsh Marches with 5043 on March 25th but as this clashes with a prior engagement with Statfold I can't make that one. However, I plan to be there for the April 8th run to Salisbury. For a great video taken by a lineside enthusiast today - click here. Thanks all, Sam...

Tyseley: Cleaning The Castle...

Hi all. Today I was off work for an appointment in the morning and so, after that, I headed over to Tyseley. Arriving at just before 10:30am, I wandered down through the bustling engine shed (its a weekday remember!) to find 5043 crackling away in the yard. The Castle was warming through nicely and the cleaning procedures had already begun. Tyseley engines benefit from the care of a loving midweek cleaning crew, ensuring that they always go out immaculate. In addition to the usual routines, myself & Paul spent today further buffing up the 1936-built 4-6-0 ready for tomorrows outing to Cardiff. Having scaled the heights of the boiler barrel to Brasso up the safety valve bonnet, I continued with the brasses along the side of the engine. On a Great Western express engine like this, brass is not in short supply! When you're cleaning an engine, there is something quite satisfying about the resulting shine, not to mention the relaxing atmosphere on shed as the loco steadily brews up in preparation for the labours ahead...

Whilst we pushed rags around her, the Castle was raising steam all the time. Due to the early departure time of tomorrows trip (7:03am) almost all of the preparation would be performed today. Once the Castle was ready, it was time to go over for coal. The digger would soon be rudely awakened to fill the tender. The cab on 5043: much like the rest of her: is immaculate. The complete absence of the red regulator handle is a lovely feature of the Tyseley 4-6-0 locomotives - very posh...

As smooth as silk, 5043 hissed away from the shed frontage and out onto the demo line. The coal road is reached by travelling tender first down the 'middle road' and crossing the turntable. Meanwhile, condensate was expelled from the drain cocks...

Down at the coal pile the digger did a sterling job of filling the "Earl"s high-sided Hawksworth tender. 5043 then steamed back over to the shed for the continuation of preparation. Tomorrow's "Red Dragon" trip will signal the "Earl"s first trip to Cardiff since her withdrawal from BR service in 1963 whilst resident at Cardiff East Dock shed. After that 5043 spent 10 unhappy years at Barry Scrapyard before being purchased by Tyseley in 1973. As many of you may know, 5043 was initially planned to be a spares donor for Tyseley's flagship 4-6-0 No7029 "Clun Castle" but thankfully, in 1996, plans changed and 5043 was offered a new lease of life. After a painstaking but beautiful restoration, the "Earl" returned to steam in 2008. As biased as I may be, I can quite honestly say that this is a beautiful engine, restored and cared for to the highest standard. I left Tyseley at around 4:30pm for home, looking forward to tomorrows outing to Wales. Cheers all, Sam...

The Castle Is Back - 5043's First Run In 2017...

"A Castle In The Night" (Pic - C.Baker)

Hi all. After two 'train free' weekends, today heralded a welcome return to Tyseley Loco Works. Its been a busy few weeks. As some of you may know we moved house just before Christmas and so the short winter evenings have brought with them an attack on the decorating. The last two weeks have seen the plasterer going about his merry work and I am happy to report that the downstairs of the house is now a dank, dark wilderness inhabited only by the odd power tool and a few items of junk mail. We are now heading into a good week of drying time in preparation for the next step of this DIY onslaught. Heading out today at the fairly pleasant time of 10am, I found my way over to the former 84E and included the traditional breakfast stop on route. This time it was the Tyseley Corner Cafe that provided the get up & go for the days tasks...

At the front of the shed on the running road stood an immaculate 5043. The Castle Class 4-6-0 would haul her first railtour of the year this evening, taking a circular route around the East Midlands. Departure time was scheduled for 5:55pm and so we would spend the afternoon around the shed doing odd jobs and generally making ready the train. 5043 had another little jaunt to go on first: a test run to Whitlocks End, planned for not long after lunch. Cleaned and polished, the Castle stood proudly awaiting the off. The tail-lamp was fitted as the 4-6-0 would run tender first on the outward leg of the test trip...

The engine is seen here through the cab window of the Class 08 diesel which was ticking over nearby ready to perform some shunting moves with the ECS...

At right time, the engine steamed triumphantly out of Tyseley light engine and headed off into the distance down the North Warwick line. Running tender first, the copper-capped beauty soon disappeared out of sight. The Support Crew meanwhile busied themselves with little jobs around the works: emptying pits, fixing one of the diesels and shunting the coaching stock. Soon enough, the Castle was back from her successful test trip and was simmering away at the head of the waiting stock. Driver Andy Taylor, of Rugby, would be on the handle for tonight's excursion...

It seemed a long day awaiting the off with the trip. Most excursions tend to start either early or ridiculously early and so the teatime departure was a bit out of character. The trip had initially been planned for the Saturday after Valentines but was rescheduled to today. The original intention of this evening main line saunter then gave the trip the name "The Belated Valentines Express". Right on time, 5043 steamed out of Tyseley with 7 + the GUV (water carrier) behind her Hawksworth tender. The engine accelerated away from a darkening Birmingham and up towards Nuneaton, after a passenger pick-up stop at Coleshill. She strode easily through a quiet Platform 7 at Nuneaton before storming through Hinckley and on towards Leicester. She was certainly blowing the cobwebs away! Passing slowly through Leicester, the typical Saturday evening revellers couldn't seem to believe their eyes. Their tanked up expressions were ones of shock as 5043 drifted through, breaking normality on this blustery winter evening. There was then a short servicing stop at Humberstone Road before continuing on our circular route. The Castle rushed through Loughborough, Castle Donnington and Burton-upon-Trent before setting down passengers at Coleshill once more.

The final leg of the run back to Tyseley was most audible, with 5043 letting her double-chimney tell onlookers she was there. Finally, after drifting through a desolate Small Heath station, we rolled back into the yard of the former 84E at 10:15pm. The "Earl" came to rest in the Warwick Road platform and the passengers soon alighted after a pleasant evening out. The engine had performed faultlessly and sounded a treat. I then recorded my typical "we've just got back" gricer shot...

Arrival back at Tyseley signals the beginning of a familiar routine: the engine has to be shunt released, turned on the turntable and returned to the shed once the 08' has put the stock back in the platform. 5043 always looks a picture under the cover of darkness on Tyseley's turntable, echoing memories of the days when the shed was a day to day centre of Great Western steam. I was glad to ride the short distance over to the shed on the footplate of 5043, taking in the sights and sounds of her in action. She is a beautiful machine and a credit to the team who restored her at Tyseley. I arrived home at around 11:30pm after a most pleasant outing. I'm looking forward to next week - the Castle is off to Cardiff! I guess it'll be "croeso y cymru 5043" once again. The route looks very interesting and offers a return over the Welsh Marches - can't wait. Cheers all, Sam...

Tyseley: Frost, Sleet & The Chill Wind...

Hi all. I awoke this morning to some hideously cold conditions which included a wonderfully chilling mixture of sleet and drizzle. It took some serious self motivation to drag my sorry carcass out into the freezing morning air and defrost the car. Phil and the lads had already arranged a breakfast meet up at the Tyseley Corner Cafe (on route to the former 84E just a few streets away) and this is really what drove me to get out. Heading over to Tyseley the landscape was a picture of the usual British winter driving experience, with churned up grit and slush mess everywhere. After a hearty breakfast and a cuppa' at the cafe: and of course having put the preservation world to rights: we continued to a dormant Tyseley. There was plenty going on, with work surrounding "Clun Castle" indoors whilst jobs on one of the resident steam rollers continued in the elements outside. The engines were up to their usual tricks of hogging any semblance of heat that managed to claw its way into the shed. Winter frosts enjoyed in the comfort of any engine shed see you protected from the biting wind but do little to protect your bones from the inevitable ache. Its like a dead cold, coursing through you and providing a physical and emotional drain. Ahh well, onwards and upwards. The muscular Castle Class 4-6-0 No 5043 was resting at the foot of the shed as usual. She has lots to do this year...

The upcoming Tyseley trips are now fully released and can be found here. As well as the day excursions there is the popular "Shakespeare Express" which returns once again during the high summer months. If I could recommend a trip I reckon the Shropshire one to Chester and back in September is a great choice. This goes out via the WCML and returns via Chirk and Shrewsbury. I had a great time on that one last year. After a pleasant day at Tyseley talking steam engines and helping out once again with 7029, I headed for home at just before 5pm. The welcome revitalising warmth of the shower was appreciated beyond all belief! Many thanks all, Sam...

Evesham Vale: A "Monty" Fine Day...

Hi everyone. Today I was rostered to drive at the 15" gauge Evesham Vale Light Railway - my first turn in Worcestershire for 2017. I rose this morning to murky conditions; rain and fog in a stifling abundance. My drive along the A46 towards Evesham was pretty good considering and I arrived at the EVLR base of Twyford Station not long after 8am. The traditional McDonalds breakfast was then enjoyed: can't do without it...

Stepping into the Mess Room I found the appropriate keys before walking into the engine shed to find the loco for the day: "Monty". I was quite relieved to have the red 0-4-2 over "St Egwin" as the forecast for the remainder of the day was anything but promising. With the shed door opened, I pushed No300 out into the damp morning air. Still warm from yesterdays efforts, it wouldn't take long to get "Monty" up to pressure. I cleaned the grate and checked the tubes and fusible plug. The smokebox was also checked: bone dry as normal. With 1/3 of a glass of water in the boiler all was well in readiness for lighting up. Some paraffin soaked rags were then employed to do the honours...

The draw from the warm chimney soon turned the rags into a blaze...

With the rags burning away on the grate, I added a selection of wood from the nearby bucket. The telling crackling then began and a lethargic trail of smoke rose steadily skyward from the chimney. The coal in the bunker was the usual open cast stuff from Ffos y fran and so I employed my usual method of blacking out the orange flames with a level covering. The artificial draft was provided by the trusty airline and the fire was then left to get on with it. It was then time to set to with the cleaning implements: Peek for the brasses, Pledge for the paintwork. The oiling/greasing process on "Monty" takes next to no time at all. She only has a couple of oiling points for the motion oil, plus a mechanical lubricator to feed the cylinders. The greasing is a quick job undertaken with ease. The hard labour that is often experienced with standard gauge machines is not missed on 15" gauge. The atmosphere on shed is fairly stress-free...

With a cleaned, polished and oiled engine ready to go, it was time to take "Monty" off shed. The former "Markeaton Lady" moved gingerly from her shed road, expelling varying amounts of condensate from the drain cocks. Leaving shed as cautiously as possible gives the engine a chance to get rid of some of that potentially harmful water whilst also protecting your cleaning efforts from a cough of mess from the chimney! The engine was taken steadily to the mouth of the yard where the usual blow-down procedure was undertaken. Though the boilers run on treated water, this daily blow-down helps release any deposits left by the water during evaporation. The valve is situated on the throat plate and its opening lets rip a violent roar of steam...

"Off Shed With Exmoor No300"

With the blow-down complete, "Monty" was backed onto the waiting 10:30am train. With 15 minutes to go, I opted to have another cuppa'. It didn't look like the first trip would run but some passengers turned up last minute. We steamed out into the calm of Evesham Country Park with "Monty" throwing white steam over her shoulder. The load was a modest three coaches and No300 took them easily around the circuit. The 11am trip was a little more well loaded and is seen here at Evesham Vale...

Departing Evesham Vale in a cloud of steam, we were homeward bound...

"The Road Ahead"

Days at Evesham tend to go on much the same: pleasant and calm. The passengers are mostly young families though you do see an enthusiast or two from time to time. By the time the 12:30pm trip rolled around I had opted to light the lamp as the weather was coming in darker all the time. The rain became constant though it wasn't heavy enough to be a real bother. "Monty" was steaming fine...

It was a steady day for the EVLR. The post-Christmas winter months are never the most prosperous for the steam railway sector and a fluttering of passengers, particularly on a damp day like today, is all you can really expect. Prior to our departure with the 13:30 trip it was time to enjoy my lunch by the fire-side. One thing you are very rarely short of on "Monty" is warmth - a good engine for today... 

The attractive headlamp was burning brightly as the rain continued to fall...

I was having a very pleasant, if quiet, day on the former "Markeaton Lady". The engine steamed well and pulled well as normal. Its an effortless machine. As long as you keep the fire light and bright she'll steam like no tomorrow and you can't help but want to put three or four more coaches behind her. She's a very nice engine to be on...

"A Desolate Play Fort With 'Monty' On The 14:00 Trip"

Returning to Twyford ready for the 14:30 train, Mike the Guard spun us on the turntable. Passengers often gather to watch us spin...

The photographs don't really do justice to how dark it was. The light seems to fill the camera but in reality it was quite a dark day. "Monty" was still going well as we awaited departure with the return run of the 14:30 from Evesham Vale...

Back at Twyford the traditional EVLR 'Tea & Cake' was delivered to the engine: a vital uplift during a wet day like this: "Yum"...

Due to lack of interest the 15:00 train didn't run. In reality we enjoyed our nice hot cuppa' and our cake in the cosy covering of the booking office. It was decided that "Monty" would run one more trip and then the diesel engine "Cromwell" would be summoned to work the last train of the day, allowing the 0-4-2 to go on shed for disposal. The arrival of some passengers saw us preparing for the off and we soon departed with a 15:20 departure. "Monty" had a light fire ready for her final run...

"Once More Unto The Breach, Dear Friends, Once More"

The object of the last run of any day on steam is to run the fire down and prepare the engine for disposal as much as you can. There is little sense in pulling back on shed with a whopping great fire, pressure on the red line and boiler filled to the whistle. Naturally you can't run with no fire at all but the lesser the better as long as you keep the welfare of the firebox and tubes in mind. Too much cold air through a fire bed that is too thin will result in a chill. By the time we arrived at Evesham Vale "Monty" had 130psi on the clock and 1/2 a glass of water on a thin but bright fire - just what we want...

The exposed nature of the boiler tubes can be seen in the firebox...

Trotting casually over the hill back to Twyford with the final train of the day, "Monty" coasted easily down towards the station. We turned her once more on the turntable and she was then watered on the column whilst "Cromwell" meandered out of the yard. The diesel backed down onto the 3-coach train whilst I prepared to take "Monty" on shed. This pair were once a common feature at Markeaton and both are now reunited at Evesham. I believe the Markeaton Park Light Railway was closed and pulled up at the back end of last year and is now just a memory. Happily, the engines live on...

"Markeaton Engines Reunited at Evesham"

Steaming back from the yard mouth through the groaning point work, "Monty" was stopped outside her shed whilst the tail disc of the 16:00 train - hauled by "Cromwell" - slipped into the distance. It was then time to dispose...

The fire was cleaned and deadened, the ashpan was emptied and the boiler filled before I backed "Monty" into the shed on her remaining breaths of steam. The engine was then dried and polished, as is the EVLR practise of keeping things nice. "Cromwell" soon returned and marshalled the stock for stabling until next weekends services. It had been a pleasant day once again at the EVLR and I must thank Adrian & Sandra for their continued hospitality. I always have a nice day there. Cheers all, Sam...

Tyseley: A Free Running Exhaust...

Hi all. Today I was over at Tyseley again for their weekly volunteer working party. Efforts once again centred around 7029 "Clun Castle" and a good team turned out. I joined Phil & Nathan for a lovely breakfast at the Tyseley Corner Cafe on route (rude not to!) and this contributed to the start of a pleasant day. Work in the afternoon involved fitting parts of the exhaust system and blast pipe. 7029, like 5043, employs the later double-chimney arrangement of the Castle class and thus has a large, double blast-pipe casting. Its quite a thing and is a good four-man lift. Its interesting to study, whilst this work is ongoing, the exhaust abilities of these four cylinder machines. A free running exhaust is often key to the success of a steam engine. The freer the engine can run, the better she'll go. I've known powerful engines in the past to be restricted by their exhaust abilities. Its a fascinating subject and I look forward to seeing 7029 in action on the main line when that time comes. Today was also the first time in around 12 years that I didn't have my annual outing to the GCR's Winter Gala. I thought about it - and they had a great show on offer - but the thought of countless cold, wet enthusiasts bashing me half out of conciousness with their rucksacks all day again put me off. Cheers all and thanks for reading, Sam...

Tyseley: Braving The Cold - A Bleak Mid-Winter...

"In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan" - words from the 1872 carol penned by English poet Christina Rossetti. Today was certainly an echo of a bleak midwinter as I headed over to Tyseley. Rising early to see the frost heavily settled on the neighbours cars I couldn't wait for the dulling chill that would no doubt be the case at the former 84E. When in steam these imposing main line machines have an almost herculean ability to provide heat but during their seasonal rest period they become warmth robbing heat fiends! Every ounce of temperature enhancing energy is absorbed by these metal entities as they slumber peacefully in their respective positions. After a visit to the local Toby for a breakfast with Phil, we proceeded in convoy over to Tyseley. I met up with the gang in the warmth of the office before we set to work on "Clun Castle". I'd opted for a reasonable half a dozen layers today and found the cold fairly tolerable. Its always a pleasure to help do the odd bit on 7029 as she slowly draws ever-nearer to a return to steam. Down the shed, sister ship 5043 was waiting in the wings, having been cleaned up by the midweek cleaning team. She always looks a treat after their visit...

Behind 5043 stood the Tyseley representative of that oh so numerous class of Great Western 4-6-0 that flooded the Midlands district of the Western region: the humble Hall Class 4-6-0. No4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" is Tyseley's 'Shakespeare' engine. The two operational GWR ten wheeler's always provide an impressive sight as they await their next turns on the main line. Upcoming tours can be viewed here. 4965 is a striking machine and a beautiful example of the level of engineering work carried out here. There are Halls...and then there is this one...

I spent another very pleasant day at Tyseley helping out on various tasks surrounding the Drivers side of 7029. Bit by bit the engine is coming back together! I left the former 84E shed at just before 5pm for the journey home, taking in the various intoxicating smells of the countless Sheldon takeaways on route. The dark of the Winter evenings is counteracted here by the blaring lights of pizza parlours and chip shops. By the way, I have a new book; the main focus being the steam era goings on in Birmingham...

The book is "Birmingham Footplatemen", penned by Fireman Dennis Herbert who served his time on the footplate at Tyseley shed. It provides the essence of the romance of steam coupled with the grimy mixture of soot and elbow grease that was the harsh reality of the profession at the time. Gone were the glory days of the 1930's and here was the decline of steam on the main line...or so they thought! The book is a good read, although I'm only part way in so far. Having enjoyed Colin Jacks' book "Through The Links at Tyseley" I felt another Birmingham based book of memoirs would also be enjoyable. I'll see how I get on. Many thanks for reading once again folks. Next weekend already has one day booked: Sunday: I'm off to Evesham. Cheers all, Sam...