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The Midlander

  • Thread starter Thread starter Neville Philpott
  • Start date Start date
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Neville Philpott

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Does anyone remember this named working 'The Midlander' Wolverhampton HL, Birmingham New Street

to London Euston?

What used to work this train?

regards Neville..
 
Hi Neville,

I seem to remember from the 1950s it used to be a Jubilee, a Scot or a Patriot.

Kind regards

Dave
 
In the 50's I spotted it many times at Stechford station, the return working about tea time, Jube 45688 was a common sight, crate as we called it, on this working.

Regards,

Pistonvalve
 
I have a Philip Hawkins print of 45688 Polythemus entering New Street with the down Midlander.

Was the train ever double headed does anyone recall?
 
I too can remember 45688 Polyphemus hauling "The Midlander" on numerous occasions. I used to cycle across the Cole floodplain from the Ritz cinema, Bordesley Green East, and watch it hurtle by along the embankment just 600 yards from Stechford station. Fond memories!! I feel sure it was occasionally double-headed because I seem to recall the discussions following the train's passing of the number of the second engine. Being near the top of the embankment for the pure joy of steam in our faces and the train's deafening roar, we were always far to close to get a good view of the second locomotive's number - reading its nameplate was nigh-on impossible due to speed and steam.

45688 Polyphemus The Midlander.jpg

db84124
 
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I thought it was occasionally double headed with either a jubilee/black five or a pair of black fives.

At Marston Green when the pair approached the crossing we used to agree who would get the 'first' and who would get the 'second'. It always seemed that everyone got the first and most
missed the second engine not trusting anyone else to spot it correctly. I suppose the headboard masking the front numberplate didn't help matters much either.

Any offers of more serious motive power on the Wolverhampton-Euston services, a Britannia or Duchess perhaps?
 
Neville,
Yes, I should have written, "reading the second engine's nameplate - if it had one - was nigh-on impossible due to ..... etc." because it was rare to see two named engines heading a train.
But, uhmm excuse me, aren't you confusing the headboards bearing the name of expresses - which were always well above the engine's number on the smoke-box door leaving it completely visible - with the number of excursion trains when the alphanumerical board was often sufficiently large to obstruct the spotting of the lead engine's number?
I can say I never saw a Britannia or a Duchess (nor a Coronation) at the head of "the Midlander". David
 
Yes you are right of course, as the picture in #5 shows the engine number would be clearly visible with the train headboard in place.

No i don't remember anything larger than a class 5 or a pair of them working 'the Midlander', but what about other Wolverhampton-Euston trains.

The artist Philip Hawkins has a work showing a Duchess at Rugby that he calls 'A Duchess in the night' which depicts 46228 on a Wolverhampton-Euston working.

Artistic licence perhaps?
 
Hello again, Neville,
I found this on the web :

.jpg
View attachment 49590

....... and you're absolutely right - I never doubted you were not - the caption says, "Duchess Of The Night" No. 46228 'Duchess Of Rutland' at Rugby Midland with a Wolverhampton-Euston train in the early 1960's".
I just wish I'd've seen her - or one of her noble sisters - thundering along between Adderley Park and Stechford. They were extremely rare on that stretch of line astride 1960. As I wrote in Post #7, I never saw a pacific hauling "The Midlander" and I'm very hard pushed to recall even ever having seen one at New Street. Why the fascinating attraction of Tamworth if ex-LMS pacifics frequented New Street? D.
 
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Hi there,

I lived alongside the line at Stechford in Frederick Road from 1951 to 1965,
with a panoramic view over the junction, and I never in that time saw a
Midland Pacific on the New Street line. Plenty using the Aston line on Sundays,
when I believe they were diverted from the Tamworth line during track work.
Although it has been mentioned before that there was not a problem with the
dimensions of the semi from negotiating the New Street tunnel, it was widely
believed among local trainspotters at that time that they could not, and this was
reinforced by their absence! Many said that it was due to the height of the locos,
but could it have been something else, - perhaps weight?

Kind regards

Dave
 
I have seen Duchesses in New Street, i remember 46251 on an RCTS special to Swindon and 46240 arriving from Glasgow Central some years earlier.

From memory i didn't ever spend long on New Street they always seemed to be more concerned with turfing spotters off the platform ends so i used to
get across to the more enthusiast friendly Snow Hill.

The story about tunnel access is interesting, i wonder whether the trackbed was lowered rather than the tunnel ceiling raised to accomodate them.

More likely they were more than fully employed on the West Coast main line and that is more likely the reason we didn't see them regularly.
 
A date for your diary. Vintage trains are running a steam special on 17th July from Birmingham New Street to London Euston via Coventry.

The train called 'The Midlander' is planned to be hauled by former Stanier 'Princess Royal' pacific 6201 Princess Elizabeth.

This will be the first steam working out of New Street for nearly forty five years.

Further details may be found on Vintage trains website...
 
I never saw a semi in New St either, I believe 46235 City of Birmingham did attempt to enter from the South during the centenary celebrations (London to Birmingham railway) but got stuck and damaged its chimney, they could enter from the North though. In the early 60's the tunnels to Proof House Junction were opened up to take the catenary, there after Semis worked in quite regularly but I am not sure these loco's were used on the 'Midlander'
 
Does anyone know what the maximum load factor would have been for a single class 5 engine before a pilot loco was attached?

I do have this information in a book somewhere but do you think i can find it?
 
It would seem that the down 'Midlander' used to run double headed on occasion, with the returning pilot locomotive from the 07.45 Wolverhamton HL to Euston.

The early up working would usually have a second engine attached at New Street, a Monument Lane 'Black 5' to assist the train engine, a Bushbury 'Jubilee'.

So i guess the down midlander was used as the balanced working to bring the Monument Lane 'Black 5' back home.
 
A little bit more information concerning 'The Midlander'. It was apparently inaugurated on 25th September 1950 the first service being in the hands of
'Royal Scot' 46140. From 1951 onwards the train was a regular working for one of the eight jubilees shedded at Bushbury (3B) to work Euston services.

They were, 45688 Polythemus, 45703 Thunderer, 45733 Novelty, 45734 Meteor, 45737 Atlas, 45738 Sampson, 45741 Leinster and 45742 Connaught.

The train as a named express was formally dropped with the introduction of the winter timetable in September 1959.

Still trying to find timings from Wolverhampton HL, Birmingham NS and Coventry, to complete my records.
 
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