LMS Route: Birmingham West Suburban Railway

Bournville Shed: mrb673

Ex-LMS 5MT 4-6-0 No 44813 heads at least eleven coaches southwards past Bournville shed on 5th September 1955. The coaches are uniform in livery and given the date it was almost certainly the then standard British Railway's "blood and custard". With so many of them in the train they were probably bound for Bristol. Completed in October 1944 at the Derby works of the LMSR, the engine entered service as that company's No 4813, and was duly renumbered under the British Railways scheme as No 44813 in September 1948. It was a Saltley engine throughout the fifties. It was withdrawn during week ending 3rd September 1966 from Stoke shed in Staffordshire and broken up at Great Bridge by J. Cashmore. Of interest in the view is the close up of the points in the foreground and the hand powered levers that operated them. The light engine to the right of them appears to be on the move. The one seen further back is probably a parallel boilered 4MT 2-6-4T.

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