"Part of the reason that the heritage site had gained this multi-purpose persona, was the relatively new overlap between preservation and service operations."
An exemplar of the "vintage stock, modern uses" ethos which placed Tyseley high in the modern rail enthusiast's consciousness. Class 31, No. 31190. Independently owned, restored to main line spec by hire company Fragonset, and by centenary weekend in June 2008, exhibiting as part of Network Rail's structure gauging train.
If you grew up after the steam age, chances are you never regarded Tyseley as a Holy Grail of railway pilgrimages. Even post-kettledom, railway fans have tended to favour locomotives over multiple units. So whilst the West Midland spotters of the 1970s and 1980s would plan to visit the locomotive depots at Bescot and Saltley, Tyseley's DMU facility would almost invariably get the cold shoulder.
But times change, and through the first half of the 2000s there was a notable redistribution of interest. As the privatised railway began to heavily modernise, Bescot and Saltley became less interesting to fans of classic traction. Tyseley, simultaneously, became more interesting. Tyseley's newfound zeitgeist would culminate in a phenomenally successful, packed-to-the-rafters, queues-down-the-street centenary event in June 2008. In this pictorial, I'm going to document the period leading up to that event, and then the event itself...
RISE OF THE 'DIESEL YARD'
In addition to its major multiple unit depot, Tyseley had retained a dedicated locomotive base ever since the steam depot was saved from obliteration in the 1960s. But for many years this was an incontrovertible heritage site. A steam centre, for steam fans, existing as a totally separate world from the current scene. It was called the Birmingham Railway Museum, and that's exactly how it functioned. As a museum. A facility preserving the past, purely for the sake of preserving the past.
A vision typical of the mid 2000s within Tyseley's 'heritage compound'. Faded, obsolete liveries on withdrawn diesel locomotives. In the foreground, Class 20 No. 20177. More distant, 47596 and 47524 in Res postal livery.
But by the 2000s, Tyseley's heritage site had forged a strong association with service operations. The now multi-functional compound encompassed a service-spec locomotive works, storage for separately-owned or withdrawn locos, an outdoor 'museum' display, etc.
At the doorstep of the decade. The site in 1999, with Alan and Tracey Lear's 33021 in Post Office red, Fragonset Class 31 acquisitions arriving from EWS, and even recognisable remnants of Tyseley's diesel mechanical unit stock still lingering as a legacy reminder.
Part of the reason that the heritage site had gained this multi-purpose persona, was the relatively new overlap between preservation and service operations. Or, perhaps more accurately in this case, the use of British Rail's life-expired locomotives in everyday traffic.
Some of the Class 31s acquired by Fragonset saw no further active use, and remained dormant at Tyseley Locomotive Works until they were finally taken away to await disposal. 31462 had been static at Bescot since its withdrawal from EWS stock in the first half of 1998, then moved to Tyseley about a year and a half later. It's seen here in June 2005 at Tyseley Loco Works, with final fate drawing near.
On 19th June 1997, the new spot loco-hire business Fragonset Railways had moved their first Class 47s to Tyseley for overhaul to main-line spec at the heritage centre's locomotive works. Why Tyseley? The engineers were renowned for their experience, high quality work and friendly demeanour, and the Birmingham base location was perfect for a spot-hire operation seeking to maximise business opportunities.
Fragonset was run by people who already straddled the divide between current operations and preservation. Whilst Commercial Director Martin Sargent had a finger on the pulse of the contemporary rail business, he also, for example, owned a 'Rat' and a 'Peak'. The die was cast.
33021 was subsequently 'branded in' to the Fragonset fleet with the Fragonset black livery.
As part of the Fragonset stable, separately-owned locos 33021 and 47701 - both belonging to Alan and Tracy Lear - were relocated to the Tyseley heritage site with a goal of main line certification and employment. Was this preservation? Was it simply a continuation of service? It was both. And as preservationists more widely began forwarding select museum pieces for hire to main line TOCs, the line between preserved stock and current stock wore thinner and thinner. By the dawn of the 2000s, 15 of the 37 diesels in Fragonset's fleet were essentially preserved artefacts, initially purchased out of enthusiasm rather than due to business need.
Even the 'Deltics' were no strangers to Tyseley Locomotive Works. This is 9016 Gordon Highlander.
Although Fragonset shifted their heavy maintenance work to the former APT project premises at Derby, Tyseley's heritage site - alias the Birmingham Railway Museum - continued shaping into a microcosm of the "vintage stock, modern uses" ethos. Various owners' diesels could be found camping out within the compound at one time or another. Whether you were a 'Hoover' fan, a 'Tractor' fan or a 'Deltic' fan, if you kept visiting, you'd be rewarded in the end.
In a lineup of withdrawn Class 47s, original InterCity Executive 47471 sits next to Network SouthEast 47547 in 2004.
And as the restoration work continued, a collection of parts-donating unserviceables amassed alongside the restored machines. By the middle of the 2000s, this had created something akin to a diesel yard, and best of all it was publicly accessible as part of the 'museum' arrangement.
It wasn't just diesels. Withdrawn electrics could be found at Tyseley Loco Works in the noughties too. Here's former Virgin sparky 87031.
Post-1997, the overall site was more commonly referred to as Tyseley Locomotive Works, as the maintainance wing dramatically increased in relevance, gained a TOPS association, etc. But it continued to encompass a public display - even if it was often hard to tell which locos were exhibits, and which ones were simply dumped. For £2.50 admission in the mid 2000s it could make for a great value photo session on a sunny Saturday. There was little left to photograph at the lineside by then, so on some Saturdays the choice would make itself.
Class 50 No. 50017 had had its Railfreight grey livery replaced with this rather ill-fitting 'Coronation' colour scheme when assigned to VSOE work from September 1999. But the loco struggled to find work after being unexpectedly dropped by VSOE in autumn 2000, and it eventually ended up among the stored diesels at Tyseley.
The long-term peak of traction volume around Tyseley Locomotive Works came through 2004 and 2005, when the facility still had plenty of old wrecks sitting around, in liveries encompassing Res, 'Dutch', Trainload grey, Network SouthEast, and even the original InterCity executive.
The unsalvageable diesels steadily disappeared from the middle of the decade as Fragonset merged with Merlin to form FM Rail, and then passed into history altogether. But there was to be an epic revival of excitement in June 2008, when Tyseley hosted a one-off Centenary event.
THE "TYSELEY 100" CENTENARY EVENT
Around the turntable at Tyseley Locomotive Works during the June 2008 Tyseley 100 event... 7029 Clun Castle, 4936 Kinlet Hall, and 4965 Rood Ashton Hall.
Steam traction was always going to be a core component in an event honouring the full depth of the Tyseley site's railway history. But there was also a strong recognition of the more recent diesel-related buzz which had built up post-privatisation.
A packed Maintrain site at Tyseley 100 on Saturday 28th June 2008.
The open event majored on Saturday 28th June 2008, and continued on Sunday 29th with reduced access/spectacle and a reduced admission price. It was divided into two sections: steam, and post-steam. Post-steam included diesel and electric traction, as well as multiple units.
And not a spare standing space to be found for Pannier 9644's freight working onto the turntable - Saturday 28th June 2008.
Steam traction was given command of the former steam depot and turntable area, whilst the 'modern traction' was crammed, almost buffer to buffer in places, into the Maintrain yard next door. There was some crossover, but that's broadly how it was laid out. Saturday's £10 entry fee gave access to both the steam and post-steam environments, as well as limited access to CrossCountry and London Midland unit maintenance in the Maintrain works itself.
The event was held at a time of transition. Many CrossCountry 170s were still in Central Trains' adaptation of Midland Mainline teal, with CrossCountry branding. And many London Midland DMUs retained their their Central Trains green liveries. Here in the Maintrain works is 170108.
Numerous 'kettles' were in steam, and usage incorporated both passenger and freight haulage, turntable operation... Nirvana for steam fans, although finding a vantage point could be a severe challenge, such was the size of Saturday's crowd.
The nameplate of 5029 Nunney Castle during its stop at Warwick Road station on passenger duty.
Guest exhibits heavily bolstered both sections of the heritage display. Some resident diesel locos - namely 20177, 50017 and 50021 - were moved right out of the publicly-accessible area to accommodate the steam event, and were not part of the Maintrain display.
For the contemporary unit spotters, 150001, 150003, 150108, 170108, 170110, 170397, 170501, 170520 and 170632 could be observed in the Maintrain works.
Pannier 9600 was one of the steam locomotives offering passenger haulage.
The steam exhibits included 4936 Kinlet Hall, 4953 Pitchford Hall, 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, 5029 Nunney Castle, 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, 5080 Defiant, 7029 Clun Castle, 5593 Kolhapur, 4110, 4121, 7760, 7752, 9466 and 9600.
The Puffing Billy replica proved popular with haulage-seekers. Good job it didn't pour with rain.
There was also a supporting assortment of less authoritative steam locos like Cadbury's Bournville shunter No. 1, 2004 Percy, 2168 Edmundsons, 71480 Fred, and a Puffing Billy replica, which was active and giving rides from Warwick Road station.
86259 Les Ross was attended by its real life namesake on Saturday 28th.
The same loco could be found in its Virgin Trains livery three years earlier, among the range of resident notables at the Locomotive Works.
The modern traction on display included 08616, 20059, 31190, 33021, 33202, 37264, 40118, 47580 County of Essex, 47770, 47773, 47828 Joe Strummer, 50033 (minus its Glorious nameples), 57307 Lady Penelope, 86259 Les Ross (complete with Les Ross in cab), and 87031. Units in the modern traction display included 153354, Bubble cars 55034 and 960014, and Parry People Mover 139001. There wasn't really room for anything with more than a single car.
The naming of 47580 (1pm, Saturday 28th) was the culmination of a restoration project which began in April 2007, with the arrival, at Tyseley, of Res-liveried 47732, from Healey Mills. The plan was to return '732 to its former identity as a 47/4, wearing the rare variant of large logo livery worn only by this loco and its one-time Stratford stablemate 47170. Other large logo Class 47s had wrap-around yellow cabs. I charted the progress of the project with photos from the loco's arrival, through early work, to the repaint, and eventually the naming itself. I've compiled some highlights above.
47828 Joe Strummer was a fitting exhibit, as its operator - Cotswold Rail / Advenza - perfectly mirrored the kind of small indie hire ethos which had brought such interest back to Tyseley.
Rail blue 33202 had even more of a connection. Not only had the Hastings gauge Crompton been working for indie hire company Cotswold Rail - it had also previously been part of the Fragonset fleet.
Virgin's 57307 Lady Penelope was open for cab visits.
Aside from being great entertainment and top value, the Tyseley 100 event proved educational for people on both sides of the steam/modern divide. I found myself taking much more interest in the steam operations than I'd expected to, and it was clear that many of the steam fans spent considerable time roaming the 'modern traction' exhibits too.
It's sometimes hard to know how to conclude an article like this, but when it comes to diesel traction at Tyseley Locomotive Works, there's one constant which surely everyone will remember... Class 40 No. 40118...
There's now a pictorial addendum to this post, featuring a range of shots that couldn't be squeezed in here... Tyseley Locomotive Works in the 2000s - Pictorial Addendum.