• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Sutton Coldfield to Stirling Motorail Car Sleeper

Hi Timbo 90.
Welcome to the forum, nice to here from an ex-astonian. I was only there for just under 3 years & really enjoyed my time there. Hope we can chew the fat a bit about the old days.
Best wishes Phil Gloster.
 
Up untill a few years ago they used to run special troop trains, for all sorts of military personnel, they were often kept quiet untill maybe the day before the train ran, for obvious reasons. I'd guess it was similar in steam days which is probably why you are struggling to find any info
 
Hi Mike(pistonvalve)----------I did all that bunking sheds as well, Aston wasn't ease to bunk because you only had one small entrance off long Acre, down all those steps passed the Foreman's office. Grand days. I also have vivid memoirs of the Sunday diversions on the Stechford branch the Drivers and Firemen hated them because they added so much time on to there days work and trains were hours late at their destinations. As for your Saturday specials I have no knowledge of them at all they must remain a mystery.
Brian
 
I would love to speak to anyone who remembers the stirling sleeper and or aston sheds . its inconceivable that no photos exist of the shed during the sixties when so many brits were there. I saw a post on here from an aston fireman but trying to message him proved impossible . I would gladly pay for any photos of the shed and of course postage etc etc
 
Just read through your link to Aston Sheds Jenny and found it so interesting, I did visit them once (late 50's) for train spotting reasons as a very young chap, and was escorted off site by the railway police, and told not to trespass. the articles brought back many memories, thanks for posting as I missed first time around. paul
 
In 1959, I went with a local rail enthusiasts club from New Street Station to spend a week 'shed bashing' around Scotland. We left Brum on the 23.45 train to Edinburgh Haymarket station. We left on the Friday night. The same night, my Aunt and Uncle put their Ford Anglia on the overnight service from Sutton Coldfield to Stirling. Arriving at Edinburgh at about 06.30 and with no time for breakfast or a wash and brush up, we were bundled onto a coach to begin our first days shed bash. We got to Stirling at about 08.00 and there was the Sutton car ferry on a siding near Stirling Station with the passengers enjoying a 'sleep in'. I suppose the coming of the motorways killed off the overnight train ferry.
 
Being close to Aston shed 3D, visiting (bunking) often and remember the brits. arriving in the early 60's most were ex GW 'stars' and in a very poor condition and used mainly on pick-up freights. I witnessed many on the Aston- Stechford line pulling a few trucks, what a climb-down from the 50's where they were used on class A passenger diagrams. Same thing at Saltley 21A, when the Scott's arrived.

Mike.
 
While we are discussing Aston Shed and the Erdington line, I recall one of those moments that, because of the surprise nature of the event, I have never forgotten it. Having failed my 11+ I attended Erdington Abbey Sec. Mod. which overlooked the railway line. There were only a handful of rail enthusiasts and most of my class was very sniffy about our interest. Walking home one afternoon to catch the 28 bus, I had with me one of my sniffy class mates and as we were passing the station, the signal from Gravelly Lane direction came off.
I persuaded my friend to stop and see what was due convinced that it would be a fowler tank on a stopping train to Lichfield. Imagine my surprise when along came 45500 PATRIOT on a very long freight. This would be about October 1954. Goodness knows what its home shed was in those days but it was one of those moments that I could never forget.
 
I think there was at one time a motorrail service from Kings Norton probably to the West Country. Can anyone confirm this ?

I didn't know that there was a Motorail terminal at Kings Norton, however the goods yard was used as a loading facility for cars from the Austin at Longbridge.
 
IM used to see the stirling pass through erdington most times and it was normally 70047 or 70048, i used to spend lots of time at aston shed and the brit that was there most of the time was 70046 ANZAC I did take pictures but someone at the abbey school pinched my little camera, i would love to see any pictures of anzac, im also trying to locate any cine film of aston and erdington sheds too as saltley was another place i used to visit a lot of times, my friend tommy murphys dad was station master at new street station too.

Here's a pic I found of Anzac
https://www.nwrail.org.uk/jh-0718-70046+D179.jpg
 
I have just received my copy of the Railway and Canal Historical Society bulletin for Sept-Oct 2015. In it Richard Maund writes about the car sleeper services from Sutton Coldfield

...their post 1958 history (all services were summer-seasonal) was briefly as follows:

Service became tri-weekly from 1961, extended to also serve Inverness from 1961 but reverted to tri-weekly Stirling only from1964, becoming quad-weekly from 1970. Weekly trips added to Newton Abbot (from 1967), St Austell (from 1970) and Inverness (1972 only) Branded as Motorail from 1967. The final season was 1972 and had been tri-weekly to Stirling only (11 Sep), and weekly to Stirling and Inverness (15 Sep), Newton Abbot (16 Sep) and St Austell (17 sep) (these latter were separate services), the dates being last arrivals back at Sutton Coldfield. Hence the last service arrived back on Sunday 17 September 1972.
 
I have just received my copy of the Railway and Canal Historical Society bulletin for Sept-Oct 2015. In it Richard Maund writes about the car sleeper services from Sutton Coldfield

...their post 1958 history (all services were summer-seasonal) was briefly as follows:

Service became tri-weekly from 1961, extended to also serve Inverness from 1961 but reverted to tri-weekly Stirling only from1964, becoming quad-weekly from 1970. Weekly trips added to Newton Abbot (from 1967), St Austell (from 1970) and Inverness (1972 only) Branded as Motorail from 1967. The final season was 1972 and had been tri-weekly to Stirling only (11 Sep), and weekly to Stirling and Inverness (15 Sep), Newton Abbot (16 Sep) and St Austell (17 sep) (these latter were separate services), the dates being last arrivals back at Sutton Coldfield. Hence the last service arrived back on Sunday 17 September 1972.

Thanks for the gen, it's a shame that the service is gone, but it probably wasn't profitable, and cars nowadays are generally more reliable, so there'd be less need for its return.
 
Think we left Newcastle central station about 10pm and arrived Newton Abbott about 6.30am, good journey on the way down but dreadful on the return due to the train being left in the sidings all day before leaving in the evening, the heat was indescribable with neither my Wife or two young children being able to sleep in the bunk beds on the return.
 
Aston Loco had an engine driver called Teddy Higgs nickname "Buttons" because he had a large collection of Railway uniform Buttons,he later became a foreman at Aston shed. Now he was a very keen Photographer and took thousands of railway photos , I am sure these photos must have survived, I have seen some published in Railway books. His house used to back on to the Sutton line at Erdington and he had a Railway signal in his garden that you could see from the trains when passing.
 
Yes it was Sutton Coldfield. I travelled to Edinburgh in Spring 1959 from New Street to Edinburgh (I think on a Friday night) with the South Birmingham L.S.C. We left New Street at 11.15pm and arrived at Edinburgh (Haymarket) at about 06.00am. Ushered onto a coach for our first days shed bashing, when we eventually arrived at Stirling, the SC sleeper was in the sidings and breakfast was being prepared. My Aunt and Uncle who lived in Great Barr where on board preparing for a weeks holiday.
 
Yes it was Sutton Coldfield. I travelled to Edinburgh in Spring 1959 from New Street to Edinburgh (I think on a Friday night) with the South Birmingham L.S.C. We left New Street at 11.15pm and arrived at Edinburgh (Haymarket) at about 06.00am. Ushered onto a coach for our first days shed bashing, when we eventually arrived at Stirling, the SC sleeper was in the sidings and breakfast was being prepared. My Aunt and Uncle who lived in Great Barr where on board preparing for a weeks holiday.

I was also a member of the SBLSC, about 1954-58 and went on many coach trips around the country, from shed to shed, always on Sundays, wonderful days.
 
Thanks Timbo90 Great to see mention of the old South Birmingham L S C which was run by Ron Murray. What great times I had with them, I could write a book. I was part of the great coach crash on our return journey from Swindon Works and shed on the 17th January 1960. Are there any other members out there that were involved in that incident?
There was also the Bromford Club but I had little to do with those lads apart from the two Rogers and also Clive and Tony. Sadly Roger S died only about two years ago.
 
Back
Top