More visions from Birmingham's haven of classic traction in the first decade of the new millennium...
Although I packed an absolute vault of photos into the Tyseley Locomotive Works in the 2000s info-pictorial earlier this year, there were so many shots left over that I'm now publishing a Part 2 - and there's easily enough for a Part 3 too. However, I'm leaving the original article as the info-base, and focusing on the images in this addendum.
Heading the post, is a shot of Loco Works resident 50049 Defiance, leaving Tyseley behind 31105 and 31285, as the 0Z32 loco positioning move to Bristol, via Oxford, on Saturday 2nd June 2007. All three diesels would partake in the following day's Bristol Coal-Stone Haul railtour.
A scene typical of the early 2000s, when derilect diesels sat dumped among the parts and general rubble, awaiting their fate. In this monochrome, 'Dutch' liveried 31549 appears in the foreground, in front of plain engineers' grey 31462, and an NSE liveried DMMU car.
I dropped a shot of the 'Coronation' liveried 50017 in Part 1, but it has a companion here: 50021 Rodney. On this occasion in summer 2006, the former Laira-based partners in crime were irresitibly posed around the turntable.
In its faded InterCity colours, 31422 was a pretty good bet to be sitting against the buffers next to the Maintrain works through the course of the mid 2000s. This Fragonset loco would be used as a stationary generator, but was fully operational.
When 37264 arrived it wore a very faded 'Dutch' livery, and was protected by the tarpaulin so familiar on salvageable but badly weathered locos destined to spend long periods in outdoor storage. Here's how the 'Tractor' looked on 2nd April 2005.
At the other extreme, Class 47 No. D1755 displays its BR green livery at the Tyseley 100 event of June 2008. The loco was in EWS red livery and pretty good external condition when it arrived as 47773. Even in terms of external detail, the restoration is not particularly obsessive, as the cab-front 47/7 jumpers remain fitted. This was not the case with 47732, which Tyseley restored, much more accurately, to its guise as 47580.
Although Electric Blue 86259 took part in the Tyseley 100 event, this shot was taken a couple of weeks earlier. Also in the shot you can see London Midland's 153365, and behind the 86, red and cream 'Bubble Car' 55034.
Speaking of which... In a 2004 study, 55034 shows off its highly attractive livery in something close to ex-works condition.
Fragonset's need for Class 31 parts resulted in a fair presence of Brush 2 donors, which were eventually carted off to the scrapyard in the 2005-2006 period. Here's another of them. Wearing the engineers' 'Dutch' livery, 31558 languishes next to the turntable in June 2005 - shortly before its removal and prompt disposal.
50033 Glorious was minus its nameplates when it appeared at the Tyseley 100 event in 2008. Two weeks after the open weekend, the loco had still not moved from its position in front of the Maintrain works.
Faded out to pale pink, this Cowans Sheldon railway crane made for an interesting vision during an August 2003 visit to Tyseley Locomotive Works.
Especially pre-2005, the tight packing of locos and stock into a relatively confined space could make things difficult to photograph. In February 2004, the composition of this image of 50050 Fearless pretty much dictated itself.
Looking almost the same as it had in 2007, this is Class 20 No. 20059, as captured in July 2008.
As one of the GWR steam locos sometimes used on the Shakespeare Express, 'Hall' Class 4936 Kinlet Hall was not at all a surprising find at TLW. Here in front of the locomotive works itself, the 4900 basks in the hot sun of 17th June 2006.
Another 'Bubble Car' - this time route learner 960014, wearing Rail Blue livery and advertising Wrexham & Shropshire services, at the Tyseley 100 event. This was the former 55022 - sister unit to 55034 in the Class 121 fleet.
Another common vision at Tyseley Loco Works in the 2000s, Class 47/4s and 47/7s in ageing Res or Postal livery could usually be found in some measure. Here at the Birmingham end of the Warwick Road platform, 47770 makes for a colourful sight, with a semaphore adding the finishing touch.
By summer 2008, work on 37264 was gaining momentum, and the loco, whilst nothing like finished, has clearly made significant progress since the 2005 shot. To the right of the 'Tractor' is Class 87 No. 87027 - still in de-branded Virgin red and in use for training.
20177 also appeared in the main article for Tyseley Loco Works, but this shot from April 2007 shows the faded and derilect Type 1 from the cab end.
The background information to Tyseley Locomotive Works and its association with diesels in the 2000s, appears in the main Tyseley article, along with many more photos.