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5th June 1986
Set: TS620
Tyseley's class 116 T620 (presumably 53849 + 59606 + 53878) was photographed near Smethwick West on 5 June 1986 with a Birmingham to Worcester fast service. The shot nearly didn't make the cut because of the poor framing caused by me pressing the shutter release too late! The redeeming feature was the information board in the central cab window telling the public that this train was an express. Peter Tandy.
29th August 1986
Set: TS621
This isn't the greatest shot of Smethwick West signal box but I was keen to have a few pictures of trains passing it as even in 1986 there were reports of its closure. This finally happened in 1990 when the line was resignalled. Here is my only picture of a DMU passing the box with T621 (presumably 53837 + 59604 + 53919) passing by on a Birmingham New Street to Great Malvern service on 29 August 1986. I once spoke to a relief signalman who worked the box on occasions and was told that the frame interlocking area had a large population of rats in residence and that the relatively isolated location made it a target for vandals from the surrounding area. Few signalmen mourned its passing. Peter Tandy.
October 1986
A mish-mash DMU (a 116 with probably a 127 TS) is seen between Langley Green and Smethwick West in the Black Country in October 1986 while working a Stourbridge Junction to Birmingham New Street service. There was, and still is, a 15 minute service frequency on this line so any number of pictures could be taken in a variety of locations. I particularly liked this area because of the industrial backdrop. Peter Tandy.
2nd July 1990
Set: T021
Set T021 led by 53021 arrives at Smethwick West with the 14:55 Stourbridge Junction - Birmingham New Street on the 2nd July 1990. Gazza Prescott.
6th May 1991
Set: T412
Tyseley's four car sets were mostly formed of class 115, 116 and 127 as was the case on 6 May 1991 when I photographed T412 (53055 + 59446 + 59591 + 51867) passing the now demolished Smethwick West signalbox with a Hereford to Birmingham New Street train. The class 47 waiting at the signal was 47813 working a railtour that had just visited Handsworth in the days before the line was re-opened through to Snow Hill. Just behind the camera the Handsworth line crossed the Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton route. This is now the site of Galton Bridge Station interchange where passengers can change trains between the two lines thus making the old Smethwick West station redundant. It's worth noting that any train leaving the Handsworth branch including this railtour had to run wrong line as far as Rood End Yard between here and Langley Green. Peter Tandy.
8th June 1991
Set: T319
51149 + 59756 + 51129 (T319) arrive at Smethwick West with the 12:41 New St - Stourbridge on 8th June 1991. Gazza Prescott.
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