GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Hall Green Station: gwrhg3002

Ex-Great Western Railway 0-6-0PT 8750 class Pannier No 9753 being rerailed by members of the Tyseley Breakdown gang in 1962. Typically this would involve the use of a 20 ton traversing jack. The location is the head shunt switch at the trailing connection from the Up line to the Goods Yard.

Pannier Tank No 9753 was built in May 1935 at Swindon Works as part of lot 285. Designed for shunting and light freight duties, the 8750 class was a development of the 57xx class with an improved cab, rectangular spectacles (front windows), plus sliding side shutters and hinged doors to prevent draughts. All were fitted with Automatic Train Control (ATC). The group 20, class PJ boiler operated at 200 lb and produced a tractive effort at 85% of 22,515 lb - Power Group C. The maximum axle weight was 17 tons which restricted the class to Main Lines and some Branch Lines – Route Colour Blue, but in 1950 this restriction was relaxed due to their negligible hammer blow and the class was allowed to operate over Yellow Routes (for more information on the Great Western Railway classification system see 'Engine Map'). The pannier tanks had a capacity of 1,200 gallons and the bunker could hold 3 tons, 6 cwt of coal. No 9753 was initially allocated to Tyseley Shed (TYS) and remained there until withdrawn thirty years later in May 1965.

The Tyseley breakdown train is in the Goods Yard, including at this end; an ex-Great Western Railway four wheeled Mess (also called Tender or Travelling) Van and a bogie Tool Van. A number of these Mess Vans had been built in the early 1900s on the underframes of retired coaching stock with typically a 19 foot wheelbase (see also 'gwrhj100a'). The following description is given in Swindon Engineering Society Lecture No 110 (28th November 1911) – ‘The travelling van consists of a four wheeled vehicle (34ft 8in x 8ft 1in) of about 11 tons weight, divided into two compartments, separated by a central vestibule with sliding doors each side. One end is fitted up with seats along the sides, the space under which is used for drawers and a locker to keep lamps and other articles. There is a table for writing, a steam radiator and a washing basin and tank. The other end also has lockers forming seats; a stove for boiling coffee, and cooking if necessary, and a cupboard for stores such as biscuits, coffee, sugar, ambulance case, etc; a framed copy of the standard load gauge, a print of the valve gear for four cylinder engines, with instructions for uncoupling, and a stretcher are hung on the walls of these compartments, both of which are illuminated by incandescent gas lamps.'

Robert Ferris

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