Tyseley Locomotive Works

Tyseley Locomotive Works, formerly the Birmingham Railway Museum, is the engineering arm of steam railtour promoter Vintage Trains based in Birmingham, England. It occupies part of the former Great Western Railway's Tyseley depot, built in 1908 to accommodate expanding operations in the West Midlands, particularly the opening of the North Warwickshire Line as a new main line from Birmingham to Bristol.

ex-GWR locomotives at Tyseley
4965 and 7760 inside a shed.

As well as supporting the trust's operating wing Vintage Trains, it is home to an extensive collection of steam engines, from small industrial builds to Great Western Railway 'Castles' and 'Halls', and large ex-mainline diesel engines.

Background
bits of Kinlet Hall and Duke of Gloucester

Following the purchase of GWR Castle Class No.7029 Clun Castle in January 1966 by Patrick Whitehouse, the locomotive needed a base close to its central West Midlands supporters' base. Whitehouse found space available at Tyseley, on the site of the former GWR depot, and formed 7029 Clun Castle Ltd to own both the locomotive and the rights to stable it at the depot.

In October 1968, 7029 Clun Castle Ltd purchased LMS Jubilee Class No.5593 "Kolhapur". With further locomotives and railway artefacts available as a result of the Beeching Axe, the supporters established the Standard Gauge Steam Trust as a registered educational charity, to preserve and demonstrate the steam locomotives. Following negotiations the trust acquired a long-term lease on a large part of the Tyseley site, and established the Tyseley Collection which still owns the locomotives and artefacts via the limited company; the depot site became the "Birmingham Railway Museum".[1]

The trust cleared buildings and repaired the dilapidated tracks, and two water columns were repaired to allow steam locomotives to stay at the site. In 1968 the old coaling stage was converted into a two-road shed with an inspection pit to hold both acquired locomotives. In November 1966 Clun Castle was stripped and restored.[2]

In 1999 the trust achieved its long-held objective of running a regular steam train service on the national main line railway network: the Shakespeare Express between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon. At this point the trust felt that the term museum was inappropriate for its new status, and hence separated its assets and operations into two new organisations, Tyseley Locomotive Works and the operating arm Vintage Trains, with the third arm remaining the Tyseley Collection.[1]

Shakespeare Express

As part of its educational programme the trust's operational arm Vintage Trains runs the Shakespeare Express between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon.

In October 2004 the trust announced the acquisition of a site adjacent to Stratford-upon-Avon railway station for future use as the Stratford Railway Tourist Centre and Steam Locomotive Centre. This will provide a steam loco servicing centre at the southern end of the Shakespeare Line. A small museum is also being considered.[3]

Locomotives
Image Number Name Class Wheel Configuration Year Built Builder Status Notes
 2885 - GWR 2884 Class 2-8-0 1938 Swindon Works Undergoing Restoration
4121 - GWR 5101 Class 2-6-2T 1937 Swindon Works Stored
4936 Kinlet Hall GWR 4900 Class 4-6-0 1929 Swindon Works Undergoing Overhaul Overhaul being done to mainline standard.[4]
 4965 Rood Ashton Hall GWR 4900 Class 4-6-0 1930 Swindon Works Awaiting Overhaul
5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 1936 Swindon Works Operational Boiler ticket expires in 2031.[5]
 5080 Defiant GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 1939 Swindon Works Undergoing Ovehaul Overhaul being done to mainline standard.[6]
 5593 Kolhapur LMS Jubilee Class 4-6-0 1934 North British Locomotive Co. Awaiting Overhaul[7]
5952 Cogan Hall GWR 4900 Class 4-6-0 1935 Swindon Works Stored[8]
6880 Betton Grange GWR 6800 Class 4-6-0 20## Tyseley Locomotive Works Under Construction[9]
7029 Clun Castle GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 1950 Swindon Works Operational Boiler ticket expires in 2027.[10]
 7760 - GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT 1930 North British Locomotive Co. Awaiting Overhaul[11]
7802 Bradley Manor GWR 7800 Class 4-6-0 1938 Swindon Works Under Repair[12] Based at the Severn Valley Railway
 9600 - GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT 1945 Swindon Works Awaiting Overhaul[13]
71000 Duke of Gloucester BR Standard Class 8 4-6-2 1954 Crewe Works Under Overhaul[14]

References
  1. "Birmingham Railway Museum". Archived from the original on 20 November 2004. Retrieved 14 November 2004.
  2. Nabarro, Gerald (1972). Steam Nostalgia: Locomotive and Railway Preservation in Great Britain. Routledge. pp. 39–42. ISBN 0-7100-7391-7.
  3. "Stratford Steam Locomotive Centre for the Shakespeare Express". www.shakespeareexpress.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2006.
  4. 4936 set for comeback in 2023 Heritage Railway Magazine issue 301 December 2022 page 60
  5. https://www.railadvent.co.uk/events/vintage-trains-excursion-tyseley-didcot Private Shareholder Special to Didcot
  6. Defiant Club Archived 14 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine The 5080 Defiant Club
  7. https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/45593-kolhapur-lms-5593-br-45593/
  8. Holden, Michael (18 March 2021). "Tyseley to become permanent home for steam locomotive 6880 Betton Grange and 5952 Cogan Hall". Rail Advent. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. https://www.railadvent.co.uk/tag/gwr-grange-no-6880-betton-grange
  10. 7029's light test runs
  11. https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/7760-2/
  12. "July 2019 Update". Erlstoke Manor Fund. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  13. https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/9600-2/
  14. https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/8p-71000-4-6-2-br-standard-duke-of-gloucester/
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