Wednesbury (15/10/1976)

I chose this shift because it was dominated by small engines, with just four Type 4s interrupting a steady flow of Type 1s and Type 2s.

Friday 15th October 1976  (13.50-20.50)
Train	Wednesbury	Loco	Comments
0V15	14.12	25117	0V15 was a regular light-engine move which ran to Great Bridge. The 25 was obviously going to work a train from Great Bridge bound for the Western Region. The register contains one entry which suggests that the ultimate destination is Severn Tunnel Jct. However this is the return working of 6M83 from Llandeilo Jct. Prior to October 1975 this train ran to and from Langley Green.
6E38	14.26	25204+25203	This is an oil train from Wednesbury to Ripple Lane (Barking). It's the return working of 6M31, which arrived at Wednesbury about 09.00 and was berthed in the Monway Sidings. The fuel oil was bound for the Patent Shaft steelworks. A pair of 25s was untypical on this train, which normally got a Type 4 (Class 45 or 47). However their allocation tells us something. In 1976 these were Cricklewood locos, and that suggests the train was routed via the Midland line to London (i.e. via Bedford). The Type 4s also tended to be Cricklewood or Toton locos. Something else of interest are the entries made in the register against 6M31 on occasions. There are at least two instances which say this: "Phoned in No 4 0940. Couplings loosened @ 0945". The times vary of course, but what's it all about?  Well the times and signal number show that the couplings were loosened before the train passed Wednesbury box, in other words while it was standing at the "home" signal on the main-line. I can only surmise that it may be something to do with 100-ton bogie wagons having to negotiate the tight curves in Wednesbury Exchange Sidings. Only a guess though.
0T20	14.28	24087	This loco had arrived light-engine via Princes End, and it went into the Exchange Sidings at Wednesbury. Earlier in the day 8T20 had passed Wednesbury at 11.10 en-route for Wolverhampton Steel Terminal via Priestfield.
0T30	15.02-15.04	20004+20139	This pair of 20s arrived light-engine from the Great Bridge direction. At Wednesbury they reversed, and set off towards Princes End.
0Z98	15.12	25296	Next was this light engine heading for Bescot.
6M60	15.15	47288	As usual a Thornaby-allocated 47 worked 6M60 Lackenby to Wolverhampton Steel Terminal, via Princes End. Prior to May 1976 this train ran to Brierley Hill rather than Wolverhampton, and after the switch some of the traffic that it detached at Wednesbury may have been tripped down to Brierley Hill. However on this occasion it didn't make a traffic stop at Wednesbury.
0X94	15.21	08356	This shunting loco can only have come from Bescot, and it was headed south towards Great Bridge. Evidently one of the Stourbridge area pilot locos was going to be swapped over. The "X" designation in the headcode signifies the special nature of this movement. Class 08s have a maximum speed of 15mph.
8Z50	15.48	20142+20183	This special was routed via Princes End. The locos re-appeared an hour later, so they didn't go far. Spring Vale or Wolverhampton Steel Terminal are the likely destinations, with the former being more likely given their speedy return.
0Z98	16.11	25294	Another light engine heading for Bescot.
8T30	16.34	20004+20139	The 20s return via Princes End. Bescot is the probable destination.
8T20	16.39	24087	T20 heads back to Bescot, but it wasn't finished yet.
0Z98	16.47	20183+20142	And a third light engine movement for Bescot.
0X98	17.25	08783	This shunter was Bescot-bound, and it's reasonable to assume this was the one that had been swapped with 08356. A friend of mine saw 08783 shunting at Kingswinford Jct (Brierley Hill) on Wednesday 13th October, so this was almost certainly the Brierley Hill pilot. By some odd quirk of chance 08783 could once again be found in the Bescot area in late July 2005 (when this page was being written). It's chances of surviving the intervening 29 years were pretty low given the carnage to the Class 08 fleet that's ensued in that period. That it should re-appear in the West Midlands is even more unlikely, but in July 2005 the out-of-use 08783 was moved from Old Oak Common to Bescot depot, given some mechanical attention, and then despatched to Hams Hall for shunting duties at the intermodal terminal. It made that Bescot to Hams Hall move on the back of a lorry, which is the standard practise these days. Crazy.
0Z94	17.40	25325?+08827	These two were heading towards Dudley. However I'm suspicious about the number of the Type 2. The signalman wrote 2532x (where x is indistinct, but could be a 7 or a 9). He then overwrote the indistinct digit with a 5 to make 25325. Underneath is written 08827, but this has been crossed-out, and subsequently sent as a separate entry. That second entry was sent at the same time as the 25, and belled as 2-2 (banking engine at rear), so the two engines were coupled when they left Wednesbury, but the 2-2 code suggests that 08827 may have been running under power with its own driver. In fact closer inspection of the register suggests that 08827 might have been attached at Wednesbury. The register entries sort of imply this, and 08827 was shunting at Wednesbury on Tuesday 12th. Either way I strongly suspect that this is the outbound working of the 9Z98 entry (below). As 9Z98 is unambiguously recorded as 25327 I'm inclined to believe that this was actually 25327 rather than 25325 - but it's not certain.
4E43	18.00	47288	The loco off 6M60 heads back north with the return Wolverhampton - Lackenby empties. As with 6M60 it didn't call at Wednesbury for traffic.
8T29	18.05	20213+20007	These were Tinsley-allocated locos, and they were bound for Wednesbury Exchange Sidings. They'd been at No 4 signal since 17.47, and they were obviously waiting for 4E43 to pass before they could cross the path of that train.
0T20	18.14	24087	The T20 loco is back from Bescot for one last visit. It had been waiting at No 101 signal (the next signal back from No 4) since 17.49. In effect it was queued behind 8T29, which was itself waiting for 4E43.
0S50	18.17	47436	This is the light engine for the Dudley - Glasgow Freightliner.
8T58	18.21	25294	This loco had gone north to Bescot at 16.11. Now it was heading south towards Dudley with a trip freight. Note that this is the fourth southbound movement at Wednesbury within 20 minutes.
0T29	18.24	20007+20213	The Tinsley 20s didn't linger. They dropped their train and headed straight back north (to Bescot no doubt). In fact they were in such a hurry that the signalman noted "No tail light. Power Box informed.".
0Z17	19.01	47254	Not many clues here. A southbound light engine from Bescot, heading towards Dudley.
8T20	19.16	24087	T20 heads back to Bescot for the last time.
8T32	19.24	24133	This trip was bound for Wednesbury Exchange Sidings, and had been waiting at No 4 signal since 19.10. It had to wait for 24087 to depart from Wednesbury before it could be allowed in. This is the third trip working to or from Wednesbury inside 90 minutes!
4S50	19.28	47436	The Dudley - Glasgow Freightliner heads north.
0T32	19.39	24133	Loco and van according to the signalman's note. Straight back to Bescot no doubt.
8T69	19.43	24081	Yet another Class 24, this one on a northbound trip from the Great Bridge direction. As ever it would probably be Bescot bound.
8M68	19.49	45050	A Scunthorpe - Wolverhampton Steel Terminal train, routed via Princes End.
9Z98	20.31	25327+08765	This train was bound for Bescot, and had come from the Great Bridge direction. The 08 was dead. As I mentioned earlier I suspect this is the return of the 0Z94 working which went south at 17.40. As 08783 appears to have been the Brierley Hill pilot 08765 must have come from Round Oak or Kidderminster. 08765 would have been a bit unusual for one of the Stourbridge area shunts. It was one of Bescot's dual-braked and waterproofed locos, and it was more normally found at Oxley Carriage Sidings or Wolverhampton station. There were two duties for dual-braked 08s at Wolverhampton, with the third effectively a maintenance spare. The spare loco could, of course, have been used on one of Bescot's other duties - but that was relatively unusual as far as I recall.
0X05	20.33	08588	One of the Wednesbury pilot locos heads back to Bescot for fuel and stabling over the weekend. There were still two pilots at Wednesbury in 1976, their trip numbers were T05 and T51. They were both booked to return to Bescot at weekends, but sometimes only one seems to have done so (as here). The move, as I recall it from my youth, was the Wednesbury pilot(s) would go to Walsall, collect the 08 there, and then head back to Bescot. By 1976 this had changed and the Wednesbury locos were booked to return late Friday night, and the Walsall loco at 07:15 on Saturday morning. The pilot locos returned to Wednesbury early on Monday morning, they were usually the first southbound movement and appeared almost as soon as the box was re-opened at 06.00. In fact they invariably turned up attached to the T06 banking loco (usually a Class 25), as they were booked to. The shunter(s) would be detached at Wednesbury and the Type 2 would then head off south. Bescot's shunter duties in 1976
8T57	20.42	25272	A Bescot-bound trip from the Great Bridge direction.
0Z98	20.50	45050	The Peak off 8M68 returns light-engine to Bescot.
Statistics for this shift... Movements: There were 31 movements in this 7 hour shift, which is just over 4 movements per hour on average. All the shunter swaps were one reason why there were a lot of light engines amongst this lot, 16 in fact. That leaves 15 movements which were trains proper. The longest interval between trains was the 42 minutes between 19.49 and 20.31. Trips:  Seven different trip diagrams visited or passed through Wednesbury: T20 T29 T30 T32 T57 T58 and T69. Locomotives:  25 different locomotives appeared, from 6 different classes. The distribution of those locos was: 5x08 6x20 3x24 7x25 1x45 and 3x47. I've ignored 25325 as it seems dubious.

1976 - background and index