17th June 1995

Branch Line Society
The Ruby Rover

Locos Used 47709 & 47715
Stock Used 99823+99829+99822+99831+99824+99821+99818+99826+99828+99827

Route : 1T50 throughout

Loco(s) Route (3)
47709 (?) London Euston - Oxford - Birmingham New Street
47709 (1) Birmingham New Street [P9] - Selly Oak - Longbridge - Down goods Loop to Barnt Green - Bromsgrove (up side) -  Bromsgrove Up Goods Loop by Oil Terminal
47715 (2) Bromsgrove Up Goods Loop - Barnt Green - Up Goods Loop past Longbridge - Northfield - Crossover to Electrification depot line - Kings Norton Yard
47709 (1) Kings Norton Yard - Halesowen Jn - Longbridge -  Rover branch (end of line)
47715 (2) Longbridge Rover branch - Longbridge - Five Ways - Birmingham New Street [P10]
47709 (1) Birmingham New Street - Lifford Curves -  Camp Hill - Saltley - (via Down and Up Goods Line from Washwood Heath No.1 to Water Orton West Jn) -  Whitacre Jn - Kingsbury - Kingsbury branch oil sidings (level with Oil Terminal)
47715 (2) Kingsbury branch oil sidings - Whitacre Jn -  Down Goods Loop from Washwood Heath No 1 to Saltley - Birmingham New Street [P9] - Sandwell & Dudley - Monmore Green - Wolverhampton Steel Terminal No 13 siding (end of line)
47709 (1) Wolverhampton Steel Terminal - Soho North (Up Through Siding) - Perry Barr West DGL - Newton Jn (via Up & Down Goods to beyond Bescot) - Darlaston Jn - Portobello Jn - Crane Street Jn (Down Branch to Up Branch x-over) - Wolverhampton [P3] - x-over to Down Main - Abbey Foregate Jn - Sutton Bridge Jn
47715 (2) Sutton Bridge Jn  - Shrewsbury Station [Down Main - Non Platform Line] - Gresty Lane Jn -  Salop Goods Jn - Manchester Down Independent -  Sydney Bridge Jn - Down Goods to Down Fast - Down Fast to Sandbach [P3]
47709 (1) Sandbach [P3] - Goods Line to  Sydney Bridge Jn - Manchester Up Independent - Up Independent to  Basford Hall  Jn - Stafford - Slow line to  Rugeley - Cannock -  Cannock Opencast Ground Frame
47715 (2) Cannock Opencast  Ground Frame - Mid Cannock Opencast (end of line)
47709 (1) Mid Cannock Opencast - Walsall - Goods Line to Pleck Jn - Bescot -  Soho East Jn - Soho South Jn - Monument Lane Loop - Birmingham New Street
47709 Birmingham New Street [P1] - South Stour tunnel - Up Main - Birmingham International [P4] - Coventry [P2] - Rugby [P8] - Long Buckby - Northampton Centre Line - Roade Jn - Up Slow to Up Fast at Hanslope Jn - Milton Keynes Central [P4] - London Euston

Notes :
(1) 47715 on rear.
(2) 47709 on rear.
(3) Booked route outward was : London Euston - (via Down Departure Line  and down through siding) - Camden Jn - Weedon - Rugby - Coventry - Birmingham International - Birmingham New Street but diverted on the day as per the following comments from Shayne Lewis : I attempted to join the tour at Milton Keynes Central however owing to severe OLE damage at Hemel Hempstead and consequent service disruption we were told that the tour [Reporting Number 1T50, 0710 Euston to Euston] was diverted via Acton Wells Jn, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington etc. I along with other BLS members travelled by service train to Birmingham to join the tour. The train arrived in Birmingham New Street [P9] at 0958 and departed at 1005. Confirmation of precise route is required, though it is known the train passed through Oxford.
(4) The main part of the tour was New Street to New Street, with Euston to/from New Street sections done as a "Supplementary" (with add-on fares), and as such, the mileage is only given from & back to New Street. Mileages given in tour brochure were wrote in the margin, they related to the underlined place name in the text, that is why not all mileages are given.
(5) W.R. (Bill) Lynch comments: Given the confusing layout and inconsistent use of terminology hereabouts (well, it confuses me, anyway!), I think it's worth clarifying that the Up Independent south of Crewe, sometimes called the Up Fast Independent, was the one that kept closest to the main passenger lines, not the Up Through Siding (sometimes called Up Slow Independent), which veered right partway along.  The Down Independents were different again:  they stayed together and followed the western boundary.

Sources : Trevor Cockram, Paul Griffin, Alan Sheppard
& Shayne Lewis (joined Birmingham New Street/ left Milton Keynes)

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Shayne Lewis & Alan Sheppard)

M.C (4) Location Booked Actual
? London Euston 07.10d ?
? Camden Jn 07/15 ?
? Willesden West London Jn ? ?
? Harrow & Wealdstone 07/24 DIV
? Milton Keynes Central 07.56a ~ 07.57d DIV
? Rugby 08.39a ~ 08.40d DIV
? Acton Wells Jn DIV ?
? Reading DIV ?
? Didcot Parkway DIV ?
? Oxford DIV ?
? Leamington Spa DIV ?
? Coventry 08.52a ~ 08.53d ?
? Birmingham International 09/05 ?
? Proof House Jn 09/13 ?
0.00 Birmingham New Street 09.15a ~ 09.32d 09.58a ~ 10.05d
3.31 Selly Oak 09/40 10/12
? Lifford West Jn ? 10/15
5.04 Kings Norton 09/43 10/16
7.37 Longbridge 09/48 10/20
? Crofton Sidings (Down Goods) 09/52 10/24
10.03 Barnt Green ? 10/25
10.65 Blackwell ? 10/30
13.55 Bromsgrove Platform 1 ? 10/33
? Bromsgrove Up Goods Loop ? 10.34 ~ 10.36
? Stoke Works Jn (Signal C167) 10.02 ~ 10.05 DIV
? Blackwell ? 10/41
? Barnt Green (onto Up Goods) 10/11 10/44
19.73 Longbridge (via Slow Line) 10/21 10/51
? Northfield ? 10/53
? Kings Norton No 1 Goods Line 10.26 ~ 10.31 10.59 ~ 11.04
? Longbridge Rover Branch 10.38 ~ 11.10 11.21 ~ 11.21
? Longbridge ? 11/29
? Selly Oak 11/21 11/35
28.02 Birmingham New Street [P10] 11.28 cc 11.32 11.44 ~ 11.50
? Selly Oak ? 11/56
32.63 Lifford West Jn 11/42 11/59
38.48 Bordesley Jn ? 12/08
39.01 St Andrews Jn ? 12/09
39.27 Landor Street Jn 11/53 12/11
40.62 Washwood Heath No 1 11/59 12/14
43.51 Castle Bromwich Jn 12/12 12/25
44.63 Water Orton West Jn 12/15 12/28
47.63 Whiteacre Jn 12/21 12/33
51.61 Kingsbury Branch Jn 12/29 12/44
? Warwickshire Oil Company No 2 Oil Road 12.31 ~ 12.46 12.51 ~ 12.54
? Kingsbury Branch Jn 12/48 12/58
? Whiteacre Jn 12/55 13/05
? Castle Bromwich Jn 13/05 13/13
? Washwood Heath No 1 13/10 13/18
64.15 Landor Street Jn 13.14 cc 13.19 13/21
65.11 Proof House Jn 13/21 13/24
65.68 Birmingham New Street [P9] 13/23 13/28
? Soho EMUD ? 13/33
78.73 Monmore Green Jn 13/41 13/46
? Wolverhampton Steel Term. 13.51 ~ 14.21 13.53 ~ 13.59
? Monmore Green Jn 14/36 14.01 ~ 14/04
88.38 Soho North Jn (Up Through Siding) 14/48 14/24
88.60 Soho East Jn ? 14/26
90.67 Perry Barr West Jn (onto Dn. Goods Loop) 14/53 14/30
91.16 Perry Barr North Jn (DGL) ? 14/31
94.66 Newton Jn (Up & Down Goods) 15/02 14/40
95.57 Bescot (U/DGL) 15/06 14/42
96.72 Darlaston Jn ? 14/45
101.19 Wolverhampton [P3] 15/16 14/57
? Oxley ? 15/00
120.78 Wellington (Telford West) 15/36 15/15
130.22 Abbey Foregate 15/50 15/30
? Sutton Bridge Jn S.B. 15.53 ~ 15.58 15.34 ~ 15.35
130.75 Shrewsbury (Down Main) 16/01 15/40
162.63 Gresty Lane Jn 16/39 16/13
163.20 Salop Goods Jn 16/42 16/15
164.25 Sydney Bridge Jn 16/46 16/20
168.22 Sandbach [P3] 16.56 ~ 17.01 16.33 ~ 16.39
? Sydney Bridge Jn 17/11 16/51
173.24 Salop Goods Jn ? 16/54
174.28 Basford Hall Sorting Sidings Middle 17/21 16/58
174.73 Basford Hall Jn 17.24 cc 17.26 17/03
192.27 Norton Bridge 17/41 17/17
197.38 Stafford No.5 17/49 17/23
197.52 Stafford [P4] ? 17/23
203.71 Colwich Jn 17/55 17/30
206.39 Rugeley North Jn 18/00 17.33 ~ 17.35
207.77 Brereton Sidings SB ? 17/41
215.13 Mid Cannock Colliery GF ?? ~ ?? 17.53 ~ 17.58
? Mid Cannock Disposal Point 18.31 ~ 18.56 18.10 ~ 18.11
? Mid Cannock Colliery GF ? 18.14 ~ 18.20
220.05 Walsall [P2] 19/11 18/37
220.76 Walsall PSB ? 18/40
? Perry Barr North Jn 19/21 18/50
229.14 Soho South Jn 19/27 18.56 ~ 19.00
? Monument Lane Loop Entrance 19/36 19/02
? Monument Lane Loop Exit ? 19/04
231.16 Birmingham New Street  [P1] 19L38a ~ 19L45d 19.06 ~ 19.21
? Birmingham International [P4] 19/56 19/33
? Coventry 20.07a ~ 20.08d 19.46 ~ 19.48
? Rugby 20.20a ~ 20.28d 20.01 ~ 20.03
? Northampton Centre Road ? 20/22
? Roade ? 20/29
? Milton Keynes Central 20.57a ~ 20.58d 20.37 ~ ??.??
? Watford Jn ? -
? Harrow & Wealdstone 21/54  
? Willesden Jn ? -
? London Euston 22.05a -


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