LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt1969

A copy of a British Railways Saltley shed's fireman's weekly payslip dated 28th July 1962. The rate was 188 shillings for a 44-hour week. This was a busy week, all at night, culminating in a shift starting at 10pm on a Saturday evening and ending at midday on Sunday. We took an 0-6-0 4F locomotive down the Evesham line to Gloucester. I managed to nearly cause a stall in Redditch tunnel with a green and heavily smoking fire. With burning lungs, we proceeded to Gloucester where we were told to return light engine to Saltley with a withdrawn former GWR pannier tank No 5779. With nothing but dust in the bunker we could not get No 5779 to steam. We had to call for a banker to help us up Lickey bank. We got a British Railways Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 to assist. The laughing 9F crew kissed us off at Barnt Green at speed. We could have rolled the rest of the way to Saltley. We were told later that No 5779 was on its way to Wigan for scrapping.

Trevor Bennett

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