Talk:Locomotives used on the Severn Valley Branch in commercial service

This page is still a bit of a work-in-progress. Any additional types, information on classes, example loco numbers and relevant pictures would be appreciated. Plus proof reading of course! --Robin (talk) 16:03, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

2251 and Manor I've seen photos, plus Sellick has Class 116s. --Patrick Hearn (talk) 17:49, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

Thanks - I've added those. I reverted the last of your edits which I think (or hope!) was just formatting changes moving references after punctuation, which is correct practice on Wikipedia but causes problems on this Wiki due to a conflict with the 'Lingo' terminology add-on. There are some notes about it on my user page. --Robin (talk) 22:26, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

Yup. I went to undo them but they were already undone thanks!--Patrick Hearn (talk) 22:54, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

I'm assuming BRBritish Rail or British Railways DMUs on the Kidder-Bewdley specials don't count?--Patrick Hearn (talk) 22:54, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

The draft guidance I put in the introductory paragraph was "...used regularly on scheduled passenger and freight services" so I guess they probably don't count as not being that regular. The same would apply to things like incoming bank holiday specials in the 50s and 60s - somewhere in SVRSevern Valley Railway News is a Cam Camwell photo of an LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Crab passing Foley Park with one which would certainly have been a good one for spotters at the time. Mind you I don't own the page - it's a Wiki so anyone can add whatever they want (within reason!). --Robin (talk) 23:29, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

Diesels, I ponder? Did 25s etc make it onto the branch for coal traffic at Alveley or Stourport?

Done (while you were asking I was already typing!), although there may have been other classes in addition to the 2 listed. I'll keep an eye out as I keep checking various books. --Robin (talk) 17:04, 5 November 2020 (UTC)

The ex-ROD 2-8-0s should get a listing as they're mentioned. I'm not clear when they were used, was it the GWRGreat Western Railway 3000 Class or other ex-RODs?

Smith simply refers to them as ex-ROD 2-8-0s but gives no other details, and I haven't as yet found any other reference to them. I assume they would have been based at Shrewsbury in order to work to Ironbridge via the Branch. There is an useful page of shed bashes at Shrewsbury between 1957 and 1967 but although the key refers separately to ex-ROD and ex-WD locos, I can only find the latter listed. Can't add much else at the moment. --Robin (talk) 17:04, 5 November 2020 (UTC)

The BRBritish Rail or British Railways database brings up a blank. This shows the GWRGreat Western Railway 3300 loco withdrawn from Shrewsbury in '53 and this confirms the allocation but notes say they'd gone by 1956, hence none on the 1957 shed bash. But no evidence there of work on the SVRSevern Valley Railway branch, or whether there were non-GW examples too.--Patrick Hearn (talk) 20:45, 5 November 2020 (UTC)

After a bit more digging, WebbFrancis Webb, Locomotive Superintendant/Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Western Railway 1871-1903 (2006) includes a copy of a 50s BRBritish Rail or British Railways-era weight restriction table which confirms that GWRGreat Western Railway 28xx 2-8-0 and ROD 2-8-0 were permitted between Shrewsbury and Buildwas (and Hartlebury to Bewdley) but otherwise banned. I have no evidence to confirm this, but I'm wondering if they were actually some of the ex-LNER WD 2-8-0s. The 1946-56 Shed bash shows 3012, 3013, 3025 and 3026 at Shrewsbury at different times and refers to them as ROD (although I would have called them WD). It looks from the shed codes as though they were not necessarily shedded at Shrewsbury at the time, but of course the coal may have been coming from some distance away. 3043 was photographed at Shrewsbury but was shedded at Woodford Halse at the time the loco carried that number. --Robin (talk) 23:29, 5 November 2020 (UTC)

I presume BSCBritish Steel Corporation, or British Sugar Corporation Foley Park is in scope? Kidderminster yard (I seem to remember a 40 there?)? Or am I overthinking this!--Patrick Hearn (talk) 20:48, 5 November 2020 (UTC)

Practice for many years was for the main line locos to drop the wagons at Kidderminster yard and then a shunting engine would take them down to the factory. I don't know if Class 40s would have done the same? --Robin (talk) 23:29, 5 November 2020 (UTC)

I found this image of a 2600 Class at Kidder. Is there any record of these on the branch (or loop)?--Patrick Hearn (talk) 17:47, 18 November 2020 (UTC)