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The Railways

A great piece of memorabilia from our past Donbogen!! I remember in 1963, that the army, was put on standby for snow clearance, we did't, but I wonder if anyone else did??
 
Mark Tooze said:
When you have finished searching on Birmingham, try "Saltley" - loads of wonderful photos in high resolution of the Saltley Shed
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And then try searching on this:- 1738923948668.png
This gentleman has a vast collection of photos taken in the 50's and 60's before, during and after Beeching - not all West Midlands - the Selly Oak ones above are his. All full screen and good resolution.
 
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Photograph showing the Birmingham end of Bordesley engine shed with a locomotive standing over one of the ash pits. This shed was built in 1855 for the broad gauge locomotives that operated on the Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway, but was modified when the Great Western Railway converted its northern routes to standard gauge. This is why the door apertures appear so much larger than necessary. The shed was a brick structure with large round topped windows and had a gable style roof with central clearstory to assist ventilation. The shed was 327 feet long and 58 feet wide, but an office and store on the right hand side at this end meant the width at this point was 65 feet. The four roads ran the length of the building with 316 feet long pits under each. All four roads were accessible from both ends of the building. The attached store was sixty foot long by seven feet wide, while several separate adjacent buildings included; another store (36 feet by 20 feet), offices (48 feet by 15 feet), smithy (50 feet by 23.5 feet) and a sand furnace (16 feet by 23.5). There was also a Boiler House (20 feet, 7 inches by 18 feet, 4 inches and Pump House (16 feet by 16 feet). In 1902 a new 45 foot diameter turntable was installed together with a large covered coaling stage, these replaced existing facilities. The Bordesley engine shed closed in June 1908 following the construction of the new facilities at Tyseley.


Robert Ferris
 
mw0njm. said:
View attachment 199356
Photograph showing the Birmingham end of Bordesley engine shed with a locomotive standing over one of the ash pits. This shed was built in 1855 for the broad gauge locomotives that operated on the Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway, but was modified when the Great Western Railway converted its northern routes to standard gauge. This is why the door apertures appear so much larger than necessary. The shed was a brick structure with large round topped windows and had a gable style roof with central clearstory to assist ventilation. The shed was 327 feet long and 58 feet wide, but an office and store on the right hand side at this end meant the width at this point was 65 feet. The four roads ran the length of the building with 316 feet long pits under each. All four roads were accessible from both ends of the building. The attached store was sixty foot long by seven feet wide, while several separate adjacent buildings included; another store (36 feet by 20 feet), offices (48 feet by 15 feet), smithy (50 feet by 23.5 feet) and a sand furnace (16 feet by 23.5). There was also a Boiler House (20 feet, 7 inches by 18 feet, 4 inches and Pump House (16 feet by 16 feet). In 1902 a new 45 foot diameter turntable was installed together with a large covered coaling stage, these replaced existing facilities. The Bordesley engine shed closed in June 1908 following the construction of the new facilities at Tyseley.


Robert Ferris
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I always like the broad gage.........still think it's better but I didn't get to vote :)
 
Richard Dye said:
I always like the broad gage.........still think it's better but I didn't get to vote :)
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There's a short length at Didcot (Great Western Society Museum) but the one working locomotive, 'Fire Fly', is out of service awaiting a boiler overhaul. It would be nice (but horrifically expensive) to build a Broad gauge heritage railway somewhere, where there could be full length trains and locos capable of pulling them between two stations a few miles distant.
 
not bham i know but Irland has a broad gauge track.one of the first thing i noticed when i was there:)

the Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846, which specified 4 ft 8.5 in (1.435 m) for Great Britain, 5 ft 3 in for Ireland
 
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Radiorails said:
It was probably due to the northern parts of Britain that the narrow gauge was adopted over the broad gauge - being a product of frugality and other things but I couldn't possibly comment. :rolleyes:
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Not quite frugality - more a case of "Is it necessary?" Speeds in excess of 60 MPH were not under consideration, and standard (narrow to the GWR) gauge had proved capable for the task in most other railway constructions, so GWR were literally put out on a limb.
 
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