3rd November 2007

Vintage Trains
Pannier to Ironbridge

Route:
2Z66 : Tyseley Warwick Road to Birch Coppice
2Z67 : Birch Coppice to Ironbridge Power Station
2Z68 : Ironbridge Power Station to Tyseley Warwick Road

Source : Mike Harries (joined the train at Coleshill Parkway left at Walsall on the return)

Tour Review
(from Mike Harries)

At Ironbridge
I do not have a “Quail”, so I cannot be sure of the track designations; even those with “Quail” seemed to be having difficulty – presumably track has been re-organised since Quail was drawn up.
We pulled in on the leftmost track (the continuation of the single track of the branch), then crossed to the third track from the left, with one more track to the right; we then set back onto this rightmost track, which was “the Oil Siding”. Beyond it was a fence and the E-On Education Centre.
We had to stay on the train here. After watering, the loco ran round, but the “exit” from the siding ran into the “other” track, with a buffer stop before the bridge. So we set back again the way we had come in – we think that the continuation of the Oil Siding became the cripple siding; there was an HAA standing on it some way beyond the point we reached. Referring to the Ordnance Survey map, the line crosses the Severn at about 661037, running southwest; it then turns right (on entry) to run more or less north westwards. There are four cooling towers immediately to the south of it, and a road bridge over the railway at about 656039. The crossovers which we used were beyond the road bridge, but the Oil Siding is to the (south) East of this bridge. We did not get as far as the coal terminal, let alone the A4169.

We set back at 15:20, stopped at 15:23, started to run forward at 15:25

Comment
This was originally advertised as “Pannier to Ironbridge”, and when I booked I thought it would be a pleasant and not too long day. I gathered from talking to other passengers that several of them, at least, had felt the same. The Organisers added Birch Coppice to “give more value for money”, but I just could not get to Tyseley in time for this, and some people at least had to stay in a hotel the night before – arranged when the tickets arrived with the starting time. I was happy to find that the train was to stop at Coleshill Parkway, and decided that I would join there; when I was warned that it might not be platformed, I decided to go anyway to photograph it there – could get to Wolverhampton before it was due there, since not only is Sutton Park a slow and roundabout route, but there was also a water stop. In the event, I joined at Coleshill. I was also glad to be able to leave the train at Walsall – I got home at a much more humane hour. A good many others also left there, it was dark by the time the train departed.
I was happy – I got what I had booked for, without either the added expense of a hotel or having to get up at an unearthly hour. The company was pleasant, and unlike many others I had never been to Ironbridge by rail before.

Mike Harries

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Mike Harries)

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