GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill Station: gwrbsh1692

Great Western Railway 0-4-2T 517 class No 1466 with auto-trailer No 70 on the Dudley Dodger in bay platform 4 on 4th September 1934. The single red lamp in the centre of the buffer beam indicates that this is the rear and that the auto-train has arrived trailer first. Note that stabled on the same line behind the auto-train, under the wind screen of the main part of the station, is a brake van. Locomotive No. 1466 was built in the Great Western Railway's Stafford Works in Wolverhampton in January 1883 as part of lot M2. The locomotive was modified several times during its life, in August 1908, the wheelbase was extended by six inches at Swindon Works, in 1914, an extended smokebox was fitted at Swindon Works (It was speculated that this was to accommodate trial superheaters, but there is no evidence that these were ever fitted).

In January 1921, No. 1466 was known to have been allocated to Exeter shed (EXE) and in May 1922 was at Newton Abbot shed (NA). Originally built with an open cab this was modified to a ‘Collett’ type closed cab with an enlarged rear coal bunker in the late 1920s. No. 1466 also received a belpaire boiler (BR4s type) in August 1928. In September 1931, No. 1466 was modified for auto-train working and Automatic Train Control (ATC) equipment was fitted around the same period. In January 1934, No. 1466 was recorded as allocated to Swindon Works and was finally withdrawn from Weymouth Shed (WEY) in June 1935. Auto-trailer No 70 was built to diagram L in February 1908 as part of lot 1143 at a cost of £1,252.

These trailers were 70 foot long and 9 foot wide and could accommodate 76 passengers in two open compartments either side of a central vestibule. Initially the smaller passenger compartment was allocated to smokers and the larger to non-smokers, but this arrangement was reversed in September 1930. There was a short driver's compartment at one end and a 7 foot long luggage compartment with barred windows at the other. These windows were painted black in February 1935 and subsequently plated over to avoid damage during coaling operations. Auto-trailer No 70 had sand boxes fitted in April 1927 following a report into an incident at Snow Hill Station and chain communication apparatus was installed in August 1930. Automatic Train Control was fitted in July 1940. Auto-trailer No 70 was condemned in October 1956.

Robert Ferris

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