LMS Route: Stratford Midland Junction - The Shakespeare
Route
SMJ Miscellaneous: smjsa231
A motorised trolley used by the Permanent Way gang is being
manhandled across the running lines at Byfield in 1958. The hut on the right is
where the trolley was stored between use. A similar arrangement was employed at
Kineton as is evident from the post 1925 plan of
Kineton. Nick Meredith wrote on the SMJ Society's website. 'I have
recently been transcribing the 1949 Freight Working Time Table for the
SM&JR route from copies taken of the volume in the National Archives into a
spreadsheet, with the intent of merging this with the Passenger WTT for the
same period so as to get a full picture of regular movements on the line in
that period. (Rail 912/8 Freight WTT BR LMR Midland Division, May 23rd to
September 25th inclusive 1949) Several of the time tabled movements refer to a
motor trolley, running as follows:
Up Train 7 (a.m.) Byfield dep. 8.5 Woodford West
Junc dep. 8.10 Blakesley arr. 8.27 Blakesley dep. 8.29 Towcester arr.
8.39
Up train 9 Q: Runs when required Kineton dep. 8 20 Burton
Dassett arr. 8.28 Burton Dassett dep.8.30 Fenny Compton arr.
8.40
Down Train 9 Q: Runs when required Kineton dep.
8.53 Ettington 9.01 Clifford Sidings 9.12
Down Train 11 Q: Runs
when required Byfield 9.15 Byfield Ironstone Sidings arr.
9.30
Alwyn Sparrow also commented as follows, 'I have S&T
Documents dated 24th February 1942 relating to proposed widening of the
Stratford-on-Avon to Clifford Sidings section of line which show Kineton as
home station of the 'Flying Gang', the term used for the Permanent Way gang. So
at this period the trolley was based at Kineton. At what date the Motor
economic system continued to I don't know but the Gangers Key Occupation
instruments were still around at closure. The sections went from Kineton
Station in each direction so two occupation instruments were provided. Also I
seem to recollect that a hut was provided for the trolley at Kineton'.
Dick Bodily noted that 'during the war if not later there
were still 'linesmen' daily walking sections. I recall regularly seeing the
little motorised trolley passing Blakesley in the 50s. Often it had two or more
PW men aboard. I got the impression that they were being taken to whereabouts
they were working but could have been wrong. I never actually saw a loco hauled
inspection train myself but other people did'. Barry Taylor also commented,
'I'm sure that earlier, and less substantial, trolleys could just be lifted
on and off the line anywhere as required to allow trains to pass, but
presumably these motorised versions would have been too heavy for that, so must
have been parked up in sidings when the line needed to be cleared? I seem to
recall reading somewhere that the LMS introduced these motorised trolleys onto
the SMJ in the 1930s, so Dick's mention of hand propelled versions still being
used in the 1950s is interesting - perhaps they were used on shorter distance
jobs?'
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