“Arrow Express” trundles into the station
THERE was a time when the Black Country was criss-crossed by railway lines and little trains, like the one in this picture, trundled their way between the stations, picking up a few passengers here and there.
Here we have the Wolverhampton to Stourbridge service waiting at Brettell Lane Station sometime in 1961, not long before this service ended for good.
This was an autotrain service – the tank engine is coupled to an autocoach that had a set of controls at the rear. That meant the driver could control the engine from the rear of the coach, doing away with the need for the engine to ‘run-around’ to the other end of the carriage for the return journey. From the carriage the driver controlled the regulator, brake and whistle when driving the train ‘in reverse’. The fireman remained in the cab of the engine, maintaining the fire and releasing the brakes when needed, as the driver could only apply them.
The locomotive is 6418, an EXGWR 6400 Class pannier-tank engine, one of 40 designed by Charles Collett for autotrain services. 6418 was built at Swindon and first entered service in December 1934.
By the time this picture was taken 6418 was based at the Stafford Road Shed in Wolverhampton. The crew at the depot have mockingly chalked “Arrow Express” on the smokebox door – this service would certainly not be breaking any records.
Number 6418 ended its days here in the Black Country. In August 1962 it was transferred to Stourbridge Junction. From there it was withdrawn from service on November 26, 1962. It was then taken to John Cashmore’s yard in Great Bridge and scrapped in 1963.
Brettell Lane Station opened in 1852 on what was originally the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway. On the evening of
August 23, 1858, one of the most notorious railway accidents in our region’s history occurred here. A heavy excursion service pulled into Round Oak Station, where a coupling broke and the rear section of the train careered down the hill towards Brettell Lane. There the runaway carriages smashed into the following train – actually the second half of the excursion, which had earlier been split in two. 14 were killed and 50 injured.
The line was predominantly used for freight and passenger numbers declined after the Second World War. The line was closed in 1962, although parcel and freight services continued. Today there is very little trace of the station left. The platform and buildings have been removed and industrial units cover much of the site.
This 1961 photograph shows the station as it was shortly before its demise. In the background is a large brickworks – can anyone identify it? We can also see several parcels waiting for the next service in the opposite direction.
This photograph is taken from the book Black Country Steam Western
Region Operations 1948-1967 by Dorney and the author has kindly given us permission to reprint it. Paul’s book, published by Pen & Sword Transport at £25, has more than 200 photographs taken at 30 stations
Paul
across the Black Country and is an invaluable record of the final days of the steam age in our region. For more details of the book visit www. pen-and-sword.co.uk