23rd March 1957

Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midland Area)
(Stafford - Bromshall Jn Last Train)

Route : Reporting Number W711 (throughout?)

Notes :
(1) Contemporary sources quote: The train started from Birmingham and arrived on the Down side, from where the station staff wanted it to leave for the (GN) branch. The participants however, wanted to travel over the whole of the branch so far as possible, which included leaving from the Great Northern bay proper; and at the insistence of the organiser, W.A. Camwell, the train was eventually backed into the bay. It has however been confirmed that the tour tickets covered travel from/to Stafford only - the information sheet for the tour commented that 'passengers desiring to travel on the train from Birmingham or Wolverhampton should book their own day tickets to Stafford'...does this imply the stock was used to convey passengers on purchasing of an ordinary ticket? Times were given from Birmingham New Street and back to Wolverhampton/Birmingham New Street.
(2) Route & loco confirmation required (above taken from ticket). Train seen at Chartley & Stowe, traversing the former GNR branch to Stafford and known to have called at Grindley on the return working from Bromshall Jn to Stafford (GN Bay).

Sources : John Clifford, Eric Oates, Peter Darke & Ian Clark (SLS)

Photo Review

The special at Ingestre and Weston (photo: The John Debens Collection)

Time for a family 'seminar' shot! (photo: The John Debens Collection)

The same children are seen in this shot (photo: The John Debens Collection)

The tour at Chartley & Stowe (photo: The Bob Mitchell Collection)

Captioned: 'After the trip at Stafford' (photo: The John Debens Collection)

From the John Debens ticket collection
(originally supplied by Andrew Fairholm)

Timings (Booked Only)
(from Eric Oates)

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