Railways in Worcestershire

RAILWAYS IN WORCESTERSHIRE
Go to content
Worcestershire's Railways 1960-1962

WORCESTERSHIRE'S RAILWAYS FROM 1960 TO 1962


1960

Worcester Shunting Duties

The table above is taken from the Summer 1960 freight timetable and shows the five scheduled shunting duties in the yards at Worcester. It is interesting to note that four of these duties are continuous operating for up to 145 hours in a week including Sunday.

The last workers' train from Longbridge to Birmingham New Street ran on 1st January 1960.

The local passenger train service from Honeybourne to Cheltenham was withdrawn on 7th March 1960 and the remaining stations were closed.

On 8th May 1960 Worcester shed contained: 1629, 1647, 1661, 2209, 2894, 3205, 3607, 3725, 3775, 3810, 3818, 4088, 4103, 4124, 4142, 4180, 4613, 4614, 4680, 4907, 4988, 4996, 5179, 5226, 5245, 5281, 5378, 5950, 6365, 6396, 6807, 6817, 6851, 6950, 6984, 6992, 7007, 7024, 7029, 7323, 7336, 7707, 7724, 8427, 8460, 8480, 8496, 9401, 9466, 43013, 44009, 42327, 45280 73135, 75003, 75008, 78008, 82008, D2139. W20W, W26W, W29W. At the Works were 1142 (en route for scrap? – RNP), 3609, 3625, 6916, 7002,7777, 9490 (Source - Gerald Wadley notebooks)

As noted by Gerald the first class 03 diesel locomotive to be allocated to Worcester (No.D2139) had arrived from Gloucester (during the period from 25/4/1960 to 5/5/1960). By August 1960 it had been joined by sister engines Nos.D2131 and D2132 which arrived from Exeter.


1961

Bristol (Bath Road) depot received an allocation of ten Sulzer 'Peak' class diesel locomotives (Nos.33 to 42) from new in August 1961 and these were soon regularly seen at Worcester on inter-regional services to Derby and the north-east of England. They were soon joined by Midland Region based examples of the same class.

The Evesham (WR) Engine Shed which was on the north side of line at east end of Evesham (GWR) Station was closed in June 1961.

The line from Upton upon Severn to Ashchurch was closed on 14th August 1961.


1962

The Tenbury & Bewdley Railway (Wyre Forest line or Woofferton branch) to Tenbury Wells, which straddled the border of Worcestershire and Shropshire, was closed to passengers on 1st August 1962.

The line from Redditch to Evesham and the stations at line Studley for Astwood Bank, Coughton Alcester, Broom Junction - this was the junction for The Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway, Salford Priors, and Harvington were closed from 1st October 1962.

During 1962 the remaining GWR railcars withdrawn were W21W, W25W, W29W, W30W, W31W, W33W and W38W (period ended 4/8/1962 per Railway Observer 79/1963) and W20W, W22W, W23W, W24W, W26W and W32W (period ended 6/10/1962 per Railway Observer 79/63).

No.92215

On 21st July 1962 BR Standard class 9F 2-10-0 steam locomotive No.92215 of Banbury Shed hurries through a rainy Droitwich Spa with a mixed freight train from the Birmingham direction. Photograph from the MIAC collection; photographer unknown.

From 30th July 1962 the local passenger train service from Stourbridge to Priestfield (Wolverhampton) was withdrawn.

On 23rd September 1962 Stourbridge shed contained: 0-6-0 Pannier tank engines: 3745; 4630; 4646; 4665; 4687; 4696; 6403; 6418; 6422; 7430; 7432; 7435; 7449; 8742; 9614; 9624; 9646; 9733 and 9782; 0-6-2 tank engines: 6646; 6678; 6683 and 6692; 2-6-2 tank engines: 4114; 4140; 4167; 4168; 5192; 2-6-0 tender engines: 7312; 2-8-0 tender engines: 3809; 4-6-0 'Castle' class engine: 5015 - 'Kingswear Castle'; 4-6-0 'Grange' class engines: 6811 - 'Cranbourne Grange' and 6842 - 'Nunhold Grange'; 4-6-0 'Hall' class engines: 4964 - 'Rodwell Hall'; 5988 - 'Bostock Hall'; 6986 - 'Rydal Hall'; 6989 - 'Wightwick Hall' and 7922 - 'Salford Hall'; Ex LMSR design class 8F 2-8-0 tender engines: 48330; 48424; 48430; 48459; 48460; 48474; 48475 and 48724, and Diesel Shunters: D3004; D3029; D3115; D3518 and D3980. (Source: Mick Rock)

On 3rd December 1962 No.78001 (85A) was used on the last passenger train on Kingham to Chipping Norton branch line.

Back to content