LMS Route: Birmingham West Suburban Railway

Bournville Shed: mrb480a

Close up of image 'mrb480' showing Bournville shed's standard Midland Railway designed brick built two-storey coaling stage. The two storey design reflected the unlimited amount of cheap labour during the Victorian era, indeed up to the outbreak of World War One. The design was not at efficient with coal being double handled, sometimes more, before it was finally tipped into the locomotive's bunker or tender. First it would be loaded into the wagon at the coal mine, then it would be shipped to the shed and stored in one of the sidings at the rear before being shunted up the ramp and into the coaling stage where it would be unloaded by hand into coal tubs. At many sheds coal would be delivered and then stacked in rows alongside sidings before being reloaded into wagons to be shunted up the ramp. This was often undertaken when coal was either very cheap (during the summer) or when strike action, or similar, might lead to shortages.

John Dews

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