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City of Birmingham

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
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The Coronation Class train City of Birmingham which was built in 1939 designed by Sir William Stanier

180px-Stanier.jpg

Sir William Stainer​

Withdrawn from service in 1964 here it is (I think) Next to the Museum of Science and Industry Newhall St
 
Now is this Train the same as the one above (need the train experts to tell us)
 
cromwell said:
Now is this Train the same as the one above (need the train experts to tell us)
Click to expand...

I don't think it is, First it has no smoke deflectors but I know they did not have them when built, I also think that the engine in the picture has only two cylinders. The inside piston rodes had covers which were just above the Buffer beam and has much has I try I cannot see them.

[ame="https://www.flickr.com/photos/g1ulz/2907118792/"]City of Birmingham on Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2907118792_226103d1f6.jpg?v=0@@AMEPARAM@@2907118792@@AMEPARAM@@226103d1f6[/ame]
 
Last edited:
cromwell said:
The Coronation Class train City of Birmingham which was built in 1939 designed by Sir William Stanier

180px-Stanier.jpg

Sir William Stainer​

Withdrawn from service in 1964 here it is (I think) Next to the Museum of Science and Industry Newhall St
Click to expand...


We must always remember that he was trained at Gods Wonderful Railway Swindon and he changed the Midland / LMS small engine policy.
 
Thats what I thought Alf, City of Birmingham had oval buffers so if the Holiday Express hasn't got a Black 5 then it could be a Jubilee class. They both had the round buffers. As a last resort maybe an 8F but those didn't do so much passenger work.
 
Did you get the Video to work?

We use to collect Princess Class numbers as kids at Wolverampton Low level in the school Hols, happy days.:)
 
Alf,
Super video, I was wondering at what point the cameraman/woman was going to jump clear.

To play the video click on the writing on the top.
 
There is something wonderful about the sound of a steam train passing by... I was a boy again while watching that. Magical :)
 
Alf said:
Did you get the Video to work?

We use to collect Princess Class numbers as kids at Wolverampton Low level in the school Hols, happy days.:)
Click to expand...

Cracking video Alf. My childhood days were often spent at the side of the old Somerset and Dorset line watching the double headed expresses to Bournemouth storming up the 1 in 50 out of Bath or the goods trains with a banker on the back. At one time I lived within close earshot of the line and would lie in bed at night hearing the goods engines crowing the whistles in Bath yard then going hell for leather at the 1 in 50. Bath is located in a natural bowl so the line was on a climbing curve. In the quiet of the night the labouring locos could be heard until the train dived into the Combe Down tunnels. (The banker would detach and run back tender first to Bath and again because of the quietness you could hear the rods clanking). I can still hear it all now in my mind.
Mike
 
I went to Arley on Saturday and you are quite right ,there is nothing like the sound of a steam train to transport you back to your youth,WONDERFUL.
 
We use to collect Princess Class numbers as kids at Wolverampton Low level in the school Hols, happy days.
Click to expand...

City of Birmingham was not a Princess Class locomotive, it was a Coronation Class locomotive.
 
Stanier locomotives had a very strong family resemblance, and Black 5's & Jubilees were very similar, especially head-on. My money would go on the special working being a Black 5; at any event it's certainly not the Coronation class Pacific (for some reason we always referred to them as "Semis" in my locospotting days.....)

Lord, I spent some time at the railside in the 50s and early 60s- New Street, of course, and Snow Hill - now that was a lovely station before "rationalisation" - occasionally Moor St, most frequently my local stations at Duddeston & Saltley, sometimes Aston and now and then, when finances would stretch to it, a day out at Tamworth Low Level, where we used to thrill to the passage of Princesses & Coronations at full chat, and where I saw both the prototype "Deltic" in its pale blue livery and the LMS diesel pair 10000 and 10001. Does anyone remember the old Blue Pullman, by the way? Probably the forerunner of today's HST....

Graham
 
A little question with regards to the various classes. Jubes, Pates, Prinees, Coronation Class, Brits etc. We used to call the Coronation Class 'Semis' but why, Semis?
 
Yes I remember the Blue Pullman on the Paddington - Birmingham - Wolverhampton run, even rode it once B'ham to Wolves Low Level. Amazing to think that such a modern set of trains were all scrapped after a comparatively short life (July 1960-May 1973), but the about-to-be-introduced Inter-city 125 units offered improved levels of ride comfort and the Pullman units were problematical to maintain and generally non-standard.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Pullman_(train) for more detailed descriptions and history.

Here's a film of one on the Manchester - London service.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXeVVEdQmWc"]YouTube - The Blue Pullman[/ame]
 
beamish said:
A little question with regards to the various classes. Jubes, Pates, Prinees, Coronation Class, Brits etc. We used to call the Coronation Class 'Semis' but why, Semis?
Click to expand...

Actually, it's a misquote. The real 'Semis' were the ex-streamlined locos which retained the sloped smokebox, angled to allow the pre-war streamlined casing a smooth shape at the front. So, "Semi-streamlined".
This EH Morten picture shows such an engine.
 
Hi, our dad used to be the fireman on the City of Birmingham during the 60's, his name is Ken O'Neill. i think he was based at Vauxhall?

Jen
birmingham lass
 
beamish said:
A little question with regards to the various classes. Jubes, Pates, Prinees, Coronation Class, Brits etc. We used to call the Coronation Class 'Semis' but why, Semis?
Click to expand...

I can hear it now the disappointed shout of " Pate " from us kids on New Street as it approached the platform.
 
The Tornado the first steam loco to be built in 50 years leaves Darlington and arrives in London at 2oclock to-day:)

Mau-reece
 
Darby said:
I can hear it now the disappointed shout of " Pate " from us kids on New Street as it approached the platform.
Click to expand...

But do you remember the day an eastern region V2 was station pilot? The grapevine worked and every kid in Birmingham with an Ian Allan 'ref' of just a notebook turned up!
 
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