GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line
GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
Bordesley Station: gwrbg670b
Close up of image 'gwrbg670' showing Bordesley
station's cattle dock with two cattle vans and three open seven-plank wagons in
evidence. The open wagons are thought to contain feed or straw for the cattle.
There was an obligation placed upon Railway Companies, under various Orders of
the Ministry of Agriculture to water animals, within certain length of time
after commencement of a rail journey. The specified periods were as
follows:
| Horses, Asses
and Mules |
24 hours |
| Cattle |
27 hours |
| Sheep and
Lambs |
36 hours |
| Pigs |
27 hours |
There was no specific regulation which required
Railway Companies to feed animals, but the Protection of Animals Act (1911)
made it incumbent upon companies ‘to avoid undue suffering to animals in
transit’ and most adopted as a matter of convenience the practice of
feeding animals at the same time as they were watered. The cattle pens at
Bordesley were convenient located to serve the Birmingham Livestock Market in
Digbeth and there were kept busy with special trains from towns with regular
Livestock Markets. The following workings have been identified from the 1939
GWR Service Time Table (STT):
| Start
Time |
Origin |
Class |
Arrives at
Bordesley |
Comments |
| 3.20 p.m. |
Shifnal
Cattle |
C |
5.3 p.m. |
Alternate Mondays
Only |
| 5.20 p.m. |
Wellington
Cattle |
C |
8.12 p.m. |
Monday Only |
| |
Ludlow and
Craven Arms Cattle |
D |
1.59 a.m. |
Monday Only (Run
when Required) |
| 6.32 p.m. |
Shrewsbury
Cattle |
C |
9.5 p.m. |
Tuesday Only |
| 7.15 p.m. |
Kidderminster
Cattle |
E |
10.0 p.m. |
Alternate
Tuesdays Only |
| 6.30 p.m. |
Oswestry
Cattle |
E |
arr. Hockley 12.0
p.m. (extend to Bordesley when necessary) |
Wednesdays
Only |
| 5.40 p.m. |
Hereford
Cattle |
C |
9.25 p.m. |
Wednesdays Only
(Run when Required) |
| Start
Time |
Origin |
Comments |
| 10.35 p.m. |
Dept Bordesley
|
Cattle Empties
for Fishguard via North Warwickshire Line |
| |
|
Arr.
Stratford-on-Avon 12.28 p.m. |
| 1.0 p.m. |
Dept
Bordesley |
Cattle Empties
for Kidderminster via Stourbridge (Alternate Tuesdays) |
| 11.35 p.m. |
Dept
Bordesley |
Cattle Empties
for Hereford via Stourbridge (Tue Night) |
In addition there was a special (Tuesday to
Saturday inclusive) Cattle Train for the Irish cattle traffic, which was off
loaded at Fishguard. An engine, van and guard were required to be available at
Tyesley Carriage Sidings at 7:0 a.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays (inclusive) to clear
livestock for Bordesley Pens (and perishable traffic for Moor Street) brought
in by the 4.22 p.m. Gwinear Road to Oxley Sidings Class C Express Freight (via
Oxford, Banbury and Leamington) which arrived Bordesley 7.32 a.m.
In British Rail days there were detailed
instructions in the Sectional Appendix to the Working Time Table regarding the
working of Special Trains of empty Cattle Wagons for Fishguard from
Wolverhampton and Bordesley:
1) The maximum loads for the various group
engines should not exceed the following, if ‘C’ or ‘D’
timings is required to be maintained:
Group A ... 40 Empty Cattle Wagons
Group B ... 48 Empty Cattle Wagons
Group C ... 60 Empty Cattle
Wagons
Group D ... 60 Empty Cattle Wagons
Engines capable of
maintaining vacuum timing should always be provided and whenever practicable
29XX or 43XX types should be supplied.
2) C Head Lamps to be carried and run at the
standard point to point allowances for Vacuum Freight Trains shewn in Service
Book
3) Trains between Wolverhampton, Bordesley
Junction and Fishguard via Stratford and Gloucester to call at
Stratford-on-Avon for water, Gloucester and Port Talbot for examination and
water.
4) As far as possible trains to be worked from
Bristol and Birmingham Divisions with return South Wales Engines.
5) It is important that these trains shall
reach Fishguard before noon at the latest, in order to be available for live
stock arriving off the Irish boats.
Robert Ferris
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