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LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Nuneaton

Stockingford Shed: mrs1902

MR 0-6-0 No 646, a member of the 700 Class wearing its pre-1907 number, forms the background to a group photograph

MR 0-6-0 No 646, a member of the 700 Class wearing its pre-1907 number, forms the background to a group photograph. For many years I was under the impression that the Stockingford Colliery sidings on the Stockingford branch were shunted solely by the MR, and that colliery wagons were drawn down to the exchange sidings by 12 large Clydesdale horses. A driver with his long nosed oiling can be seen on the running plate, his fireman with a shovel. Various shunters with their shunting poles and colliery workers in their aprons. All anonymous today. Looking at photos of the rickety track in the colliery yard I can well imagine that horses were better at negotiating the rail joints than industrial steam locos, but in recent years there has been suggestions from good sources that Stockingford Drybread Colliery did indeed have its own locomotives but their identity is not known. The MR, however, kept their locos well out of the colliery yard otherwise the re-railing team would have been kept in business up the Stockingford branch. It looks a cold day here as snow is lying on the ground.

Peter Lee

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