LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt84

Ex-London Tilbury & Southend Railway 2P 4-4-2T No 2105 'Charing Cross' stands on one of Saltley shed's stabling roads with one of the shed's many coal stacks behind on 11th September 1937. Prior to mechanical handling the process of managing the coaling of locomotives was very labour intensive. On delivery it would be unloaded and stacked by hand in the manner seen above, only to be reloaded when required into wagons which were then taken to the coaling station to be again unloaded into small trucks to be then tipped into the tender or bunker.

Built to the LTSR's class 51 design by North British Locomotive Company in June 1903, No 2105 still had ten years left in service at the time of the photograph was taken and was the first of the class to be withdrawn from service from Plaistow shed in London in November 1947. The introduction of Stanier's 3 cylinder 2-6-4T tanks in the mid-1930s resulted in their displacement to various locations throughout the Midlands, with Saltley being one such recipient.

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