THE GERALD R.WADLEY COLLECTION
Gerald Wadley was one of the founder members of the Worcester Locomotive Society and as Secretary he went on many of the early trips organised by the WLS Gerald kept detailed notes of his sightings on these trips and they make fascinating reading in this age when few locomotives linger for long on motive power depots.
This advert for the Worcester Locomotive Society appeared in the June 1966 issue of 'Railway World'
Gerald visited Worcester Locomotive Sheds on Sunday 1st November 1959, and the following is his master list of locomotives seen:
It is interesting to record the various sheds to which these locomotives were allocated and to speculate as to what insight this provides into workings at Worcester in 1959:
The following engines were all allocated to Worcester (85A):
Nos.3218; 4124; 6992 'Arborfield Hall'; 9466; 7338; 9486; 7920 'Coney Hall'; 3216; 4625; 8480; 4152; 3607; 5110; 3213; 6989 'Wightwick Hall'; 6820 'Kingstone Grange'; 3725; 4142; 5037 'Monmouth Castle'; 2253; 5996 'Mytton Hall'; 4664; 7777; 1661; 1629; 6807 'Birchwood Grange'; 9401; 7707; 8460; 7007 'Great Western'; 5071 'Spitfire'; 4088 'Dartmouth Castle'; 82008; 4113; 4109; 4680; 7005 'Sir Edward Elgar'; 78009; 6947 'Helmingham Hall'; 6950 'Kingsthorpe Hall' and 78008.
The visiting engine numbers were:
Nos.8718 from Kidderminster; 7236 from Landore; 6922 'Burton Hall' from Oxford; 7325 from Pontypool Road; 3846 from Stourbridge Junction; 48105 from Saltley; 1004 'County of Somerset' from Swindon; 5336 from Severn Tunnel Junction; 5017 'The Gloucestershire Regiment 28th, 61st' from Gloucester (Horton Road); 73155 from Sheffield (Millhouses); 43049 from Saltley; 75061 from Leicester (Midland) and 73026 from Shrewsbury. (N.B. 3846 is listed twice).
Although it might seem a long way from home the big 2-8-2 tank engines like No.7236 from Landore were regular visitors to Worcester on trains from South Wales as were engines from Pontypool Road and Severn Tunnel Junction. It was not uncommon to see heavy freight locomotives from Stourbridge Junction at Worcester and in South Wales. As an example the WLS recorded No.48430 from Stourbridge Junction at Neath shed on Sunday 18th November 1962. Swindon based engines including the 'Counties' were often seen at Worcester. Saltley engines were regularly recorded at Worcester. It is a bit of a surprise to note 'Castle' class No.5017 'The Gloucestershire Regiment' at Worcester as this was the pride of Gloucester shed and was rarely used on any duty other than the crack express trains through the Stroud valley. Shrewsbury based engines reached Worcester via the Severn Valley Railway line or Wolverhampton. The engine from Sheffield (Millhouses) was no doubt present to work the early morning Worcester to York passenger train that comprised of LNER stock. The Leicester (Midland) engine was a considerable distance from its home depot.
Amongst a couple of boxes of mainly Worcester Locomotive Society items loaned to the MIAC by Lyndon Knott were six issues of a previously unknown hand-written magazine called 'The Railway Times' edited by Gerald Wadley in 1957. Most of the photographs have been found amongst a further batch of donated material. In many ways it is a predecessor of the WLS's own 'The Big Four' magazine. The first issue and can be downloaded here. Issue No.2 is here . Issue No.3 is here.
.Gerald made a further visit to Worcester engine sheds on Sunday 8th May 1960 and these are the two pages from his note book:
With the proviso that it is quite difficult to read some of the numbers and that therefore there may be one or two errors in interpretation an analysis makes interesting reading:
The following engines from Worcester's allocation were present:
Nos.7007 'Great Western', 9466; 3205; 3775; 75003; 6992 'Arborfield Hall'; 6817 'Gwenddwr Grange'; 6807 'Birchwood Grange'; 9401; 6950 'Kingsthorpe Hall'; 4142; 4996 'Eden Hall'; 3725; 6851 'Hurst Grange'; 7707; 6984 'Owsden Hall'; 2209; 8427; 78008; 4124; 1629; 7027 'Thornbury Castle'; 8496; 82008; 8460; 4109; 4907 'Broughton Hall'; 3607; W26W; 4614; 5081 'Lockheed Hudson'; 4613; 5179; 4088 'Dartmouth Castle'; 1647; 8480; 8460; 5226; 1661; 4680; 5245; W29W; W20W and D2139. The + sign alongside No.D2139 indicates the first time Gerald had seen this diesel loco that was barely two months old and had been transferred from Gloucester (Horton Road) becoming Worcester's very first diesel shunter.
The following were visiting engines:
Nos.3818 from Swindon; No.4988 'Bulwell Hall' from Severn Tunnel Junction; No.5950 'Wardley Hall' and 7323 from Bristol (St.Philip's Marsh); 3810 from Cardiff (Canton); 5396 (listed as 6396 but as this locomotive was withdrawn in 1958 it is clearly a mistake and Kidderminster's 5396 is more likely); 42327, 43013, 44004 and 45280 from Saltley; 6365 from Gloucester (Horton Road); 2894 from Newport (Ebbw Junction); 7336 from Shrewsbury; 7724 from Pontypool Road (most unusual sighting so far from its home depot); 5518 from Kidderminster; 75008 and 4103 from Oxford; 7024 'Powis Castle' from Old Oak Common and 73135 from Derby
Worcester Works contained seven locomotives:
Nos.7777; 7002 'Devizes Castle'; 9490 and 4625 (listed here on Gerald's master record as 3625 but this is a transcription error as Gerald's working notes list the engine as 4625) from Worcester; 6916 'Misterton Hall from Shrewsbury; 3609 from Gloucester (Horton Road); and 1142 (withdrawn).
No.3609 was presumably found to be beyond economic repair as it was withdrawn in July 1960.
No.1142 is an interesting pre-grouping locomotive built by Hudswell Clarke and Co. Ltd. for the Swansea Harbour Trust. Taken into GWR stock at No.943 and later re-numbered to No.1142 it was latterly allocated to Shrewsbury and used at the Clee Hill Quarry in Shropshire.
The Gerald Wadley notebooks contain lists of locotoivess that he saw which he needed so as time went by these notebooks became dominated by new diesel and electric locomotives. As they provide an incomplete record they provide a less than comprehensive picture but it is interesting to note the variety of locomotives seen in Worcestershire towards the end of steam operation:
In addition to some complete locomotive listings the Gerald Wadley notebooks contain lists of locos that he saw which he needed so as time went by these notebooks became dominated by new diesel and electric locomotives. As they provide an incomplete record they provide a less than comprehensive picture but it is interesting to note the variety of locomotives seen in Worcestershire towards the end of steam operation:
|
Loco Number |
Location |
Date etc |
|
92054 |
Defford |
12/9/1959 (Wellingborough shed) |
|
44156 |
Malvern Link |
15/9/1959 (Coalville shed) |
|
44195 |
Worcester |
21/9/1969 (Nottingham shed) |
|
44124, 44552 |
Worcester |
23/9/1959 (Burton shed) |
|
51218 |
Worcester |
23/9/1959 (on transfer to Western Region) |
|
48638 |
Worcester |
25/9/1959 (Toton shed) |
|
44586 |
Worcester |
20/10/1959 (Stourton shed) |
|
43130 |
Malvern Link |
21/10/1959 (Leeds Holbeck shed) |
|
92231 |
Bromsgrove |
1/11/1959 (banking engine) |
|
48060 |
Worcester |
28/12/59 (Westhouses shed) |
|
42896 |
Worcester |
28/12/1959 (Burton shed) |
|
1663 |
Stourbridge |
20/3/1960 (recent transfer) |
|
48220 |
Worcester |
31/3/1960 (Saltley shed) |
|
9490 |
Malvern Link |
2/4/1960 (recent transfer) |
|
43948 |
Worcester |
2/4/1960 (Burton shed) |
|
75055 |
Worcester |
2/4/1960 (Leicester shed) |
|
73167 |
Worcester |
2/4/1960 (Stourton shed) |
|
44420 |
Worcester |
6/4/1960 (Derby shed) |
|
5789 |
Worcester |
6/4/1960 (Pontypool Road shed) |
|
9794 |
Malvern Link |
14/4/1960 (Pontypool Road shed) |
|
3853 |
Malvern Link |
16/4/1960 (Newport Ebbw Junction shed) |
|
44337; 73160 |
Defford |
25/7/1960 (Normanton shed) |
|
1647 |
Worcester |
25/4/1960 (recent transfer) |
|
61138 |
Malvern Link |
5/5/1960 (Sheffield Darnall shed - class B1) |
|
D2139 |
Worcester |
8/5/1960 (new) |
|
2288 |
Malvern Link |
24/5/1960 (Bristol St Philips Marsh shed) |
|
73158 |
Defford |
25/7/1960 (Leeds Holbeck shed) |
|
48006 |
Defford |
25/7/1960 (Kirkby-in-Ashfield shed) |
|
45351 |
Defford |
25/7/1960 (Derby shed) |
|
8498 |
Malvern Link |
9/8/1960 (Wolverhampton Stafford Road shed) |
|
42400 |
Malvern Link |
15/8/1960 (Stafford shed) |
|
42415 |
Malvern Link |
5/9/1960 (Saltley shed) |
|
42814 |
Malvern Link |
10/9/1960 (Longsight shed) |
|
4167 |
Malvern Link |
15/10/1960 (recent transfer to Worcester) |
|
48184 |
Bromsgrove |
16/10/1960 (Toton shed) |
|
4906 |
Worcester |
2/12/1960 (St Blazey shed) |
|
42934 |
Stourbridge |
11/12/1960 (Longsight shed) |
|
D3995, D3981, D3996, D3997, D4002 |
Stourbridge |
11/12/1960 (new) |
|
1639 |
Worcester |
4/2/1961 (transfer to Worcester) |
|
D77 |
Defford |
5/8/1961 |
|
44728 |
Malvern Link |
8/8/1961 |
|
D37 |
Worcester |
8/11/1961 |
|
7762 |
Stourbridge |
14/1/1962 |
|
D35 |
Worcester |
3/4/1962 |
|
D123 |
Abbots Wood |
24/8/1962 |
|
D58 |
Worcester |
26/8/1962 |
|
D41, D114 |
Abbots Wood |
31/8/1962 |
|
4133 |
Worcester |
2/9/1962 (Tyseley shed) |
|
D23 |
Abbots Wood |
7/9/1962 |
|
D3982, D3980 |
Stourbridge |
23/9/1962 |
|
D72 |
Bromsgrove |
23/9/1962 |
|
D6536 |
Malvern Link |
21/2/1963 |
|
D7076 |
Malvern Link |
13/5/1963 |
|
D7065 |
Malvern Link |
14/5/1963 |
|
D7029 |
Malvern Link |
15/5/1963 |
|
D7030 |
Malvern Link |
16/5/1963 |
|
D7034 |
Malvern Link |
24/5/1963 |
|
D7069 |
Malvern Link |
6/7/1963 |
|
D7063 |
Malvern Link |
17/7/1963 |
|
D7083, D7004, D7010 |
Malvern Link |
19/8/1963 |
|
D7089 |
Malvern Link |
21/8/1963 |
|
D7066 |
Malvern Link |
27/8/1963 |
|
D7038 |
Malvern Link |
28/8/1963 |
|
D7087 |
Malvern Link |
10/9/1963 |
|
D7071 |
Malvern Link |
11/9/1963 |
|
D7035 |
Malvern Link |
1/10/1963 |
|
D7056 |
Malvern Link |
6/10/1963 |
|
D7098 |
Malvern Link |
7/1/1964 |
|
D7092 |
Malvern Link |
11/1/1964 |