Redditch Model Railway Club
home of model railways in Redditch
Bromsgrove 1975
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The year began with a visit by the prototype high speed train (HST) numbered 252001, which arrived in Bromsgrove on test on Wednesday 29 January. The story was covered in the local newspaper : The prototype of the new British Rail High Speed Train stopped at Bromsgrove on Wednesday. It arrived at the station at 1122 and did a standing start up the 1 in 37 Lickey Incline on its way to Blackwell. Further instrumentation tests are being carried out, together with the training of crews, catering and maintenance staff before its intended introduction into passenger service in the Western Region in March. The 27 production HST's now being built should enter service between London and South Wales from next year, at an average speed of 87 mph and a top cruising speed of 125 mph. The train, which came from Bristol, returned to Cheltenham after stopping at Blackwell. It then returned and went straight through to Birmingham New Street station. Amongst the regular diet of Brush 4’s and Peak locomotives, the visits of Western diesel hydraulic types still provide considerable interest. Some of these visitors in the early part of the year were :
Other interesting events were also taking place. The 0740 Penzance to Liverpool diagram, involving a return working with the 1320 Liverpool to Plymouth, was worked by Class 50 locomotives on a number of occasions, some examples being Friday 21st March – 50043; Saturday 22nd March – 50011; Saturday 10th May – 50013 and Thursday 14th August – 50049 (now preserved on the Severn Valley Railway) Based on observations made beside the Lickey Incline in the Vigo Bridge area between March and June the following locomotives were seen on the line Besides numerous Class 45, 46 and 47 locomotives the following were observed 20010, 20038, 20060, 20063, 20167 (still in Green livery), 20168, 20173, 20187, 25025, 25030, 25040, 25051 & 25053 (working the Royal Train down the incline), 25065, 25077, 25081, 25084, 25106, 25118, 25120, 25121, 25126, 25132, 25135, 25136, 25159, 25160, 25164, 25189, 25203, 25207, 25211, 25251, 25298, 31109, 31115, 31120, 31134, 31144, 31167, 31195, 31205, 31213, 31232, 31244, 31274, 31299, 31306, 31323, 37165, 37209, 37215, 37299, 40143, 50011, 50030, 50038, 50047, 50050, 1030 & 1072 Bankers seen on the incline 25029, 37138, 37159, 37186, 37206, 37210, 37229, 37236, 37253, 37258, 37291, 37292, 37294 (now preserved on the Ongar Railway), 37295, 37296 & 37298 During these observations class 09 shunter 09024 was seen going down the incline in a freight train returning to it's home depot following an overhaul at Derby works Locomotives on the Redditch Stone Trains
Here are a few of the locomotives used on the afternoon return train with the reporting number 6V45
Class 40 diesels appear at Bromsgrove : A few appearances by class 40 locomotives were also noted. On Wednesday 26th March a southbound freight was noted passing Cheltenham behind 40059 on Saturday 10th May. The 0830 Manchester to Swansea was worked forward from Birmingham New Street station by 40011 'Mauretania'. On Saturday 5th July a southbound cement train was hauled through Bromsgrove by 40032 'Empress of Canada'. Another visit of this class took place later in the year on Thursday 25th September when 40081 arrived late at Bristol on the 0808 Newcastle to Bristol having perhaps replaced a failed engine en-route. During the summer months a few unusual locomotive workings occurred when locomotive availability was stretched :
End of the Devonian and Cornishman The one other event of the year was a rather sad one as from the start of the Summer timetables on Monday 5th May, the railway authorities decided to discard the titles of The Devonian and The Cornishman. The reason given was that these trains fell short of current standards and therefore did not warrant the publicity of titles. The Cornishman had only operated on the Birmingham New Street station to Gloucester via Bromsgrove route since 1962, but The Devonian had been a regular sight at Bromsgrove since 1927 so its demise was a very sad moment. Hereford & Worcester County Council first plan to re-instate the second Bromsgrove Platform On a brighter note a five year plan put forward by the Hereford & Worcester County Council entitled the Transport Policy Programme, incorporated a proposal to spend £50,000 at Bromsgrove on reinstatement of the second platform (This would take until 1989 to actually be built).  |
The High Speed Train arrives at Bromsgrove
During the 1970's the ARC stone terminal at Redditch
received regular deliveries of stone from their
Tytherington Quarry in Gloucestershire. These trains
ran up the Lickey Incline and to avoid running the
train around to gain access to the Redditch branch
they ran via the Camp Hill line through New Street
Station and back via the West Suburban line so that
they could run straight onto the Redditch branch.
Here are a few of the locomotives used on the
morning train with the reporting number 6M31.