LMS Route: Birmingham West Suburban Railway

Bournville Shed: mrb479a

A close up of the engines in image 'mrb479' showing No 124 which was a Kirtley designed '890' class 2-4-0, with six foot eight-and-a-half inch driving wheels, constructed in 1874. The class's single frames were an innovation, as Kirtley's engines were usually double framed, but he died in 1873 and it was left to his successor, Johnson, to continue development. In 1891 No 124 was rebuilt to Johnson's specification, reappearing from Derby looking more like one of his own designs as seen in the photo above. In 1899 it was renumbered 124A, but was restored to the main stock list in 1907 as No 120. It was still working in the Birmingham area in 1920 as one of the 19 2-4-0s allocated to Saltley. It was withdrawn by the LMS in 1930, still carrying the number 120. The engine behind it is a Johnson 4-2-2, popularly known as a 'spinner'.

Both types were well thought of in their day, but the 'spinners' had all been withdrawn by 1928 and the '890' class by 1938. Several period design features on both engines are worth drawing attention to. The chimneys are of a type which was to be replaced on all engines by 1917 and the smoke box doors, which Essery and Jenkinson describe as being "closed by a dart", were to be replaced by Deeley's type between 1905 and 1910. The continuous handrail was to remain a fitting for longer (see photos taken in 1919 and 1922). The brass number plates, universal at the time, were to be replaced by transferred gilt numerals from 1906 onward. The letters M and R on the buffer beams proclaimed company ownership.

John Dews

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