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Tyseley Locomotive Works

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Coordinates: 52°27′16″N 1°50′44″W / 52.4544°N 1.8455°W / 52.4544; -1.8455
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4936 Kinlet Hall and 71000 Duke of Gloucester pictured at varying stages of overhaul in the main shed at Tyseley Locomotive Works.

Tyseley Locomotive Works, formerly the Birmingham Railway Museum, is the engineering arm of steam railtour operator Vintage Trains, based in Birmingham, England. It occupies part of the former Great Western Railway's Tyseley depot. 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

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4965 and 7760 inside the main shed at Tyseley.

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, repaired the dilapidated tracks and restored two water columns to allow steam locomotives to take water 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 overhauled at the site.[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] Since then, the restoration and maintenance of steam locomotives has been an ongoing process and long term goal.[3]

Operation

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A fleet of ex-GWR locomotives positioned near the turntable at Tyseley.

Tyseley Locomotive Works stores, restores, overhauls and maintains Vintage Trains' fleet of steam and diesel locomotives for use hauling mainline railtours. It also undertakes contract work for third party companies, where their locomotives may be overhauled, restored or constructed using the locomotive works' facilities, this helps generate revenue to assist the works in upkeep costs and continued operation.[4] One notable project to emerge from the works is that of 6880 Betton Grange, which was primarily constructed at TLW.[5][6] Tours are also occasionally available, so that members of the public may tour the depot with a member of staff.[7]

Vintage Trains also operates railtours using hired steam and diesel locomotives such as 45596 Bahamas[8] and D1015 Western Champion.[9] These 'guest' locomotives may use Tyseley Locomotive Works as a temporary operating base,[10] but are not included in the listings below.

Locomotives

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Steam locomotives

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Locomotives listed here form part of the Tyseley collection except where noted.

Image Number Name Class Wheel Configuration Year Built Builder Status Notes
2885 - GWR 2884 Class 2-8-0 1938 Swindon Works Undergoing Restoration[citation needed] Privately owned[10]
4121 - GWR 5101 Class 2-6-2T 1937 Swindon Works Stored Privately owned[10]
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, Mainline Certified (2023-Ongoing) Boiler ticket expires in 2031.[11]
5080 Defiant GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 1939 Swindon Works Undergoing Ovehaul Overhaul being done to mainline standard.[12]
7029 Clun Castle GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 1950 Swindon Works Operational, Mainline Certified (2019-Ongoing) Boiler ticket expires in 2027.[13]
7752 - GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT 1930 North British Locomotive Co. Awaiting Overhaul[14]
9600 - GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT 1945 Swindon Works Awaiting Overhaul[15]

Diesel locomotives

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Loco numbers in bold mean their current number.

Pre-TOPS Number TOPS Number Class Name Livery Owner Status Mainline Certified Location Photograph Notes
D3029 13029 08 - BR Black Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational No Tyseley[10] Site shunter.
D6940 37240 37 - Transrail Grey Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational Yes Tyseley[10] Acquired in 2022.
D1755 47773 47 - BR Two-Tone Green Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational Yes Tyseley[10] Repainted in May 2021.
D433 50033 50 Glorious BR Blue Large Logo Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational No Kidderminster[10] On three year loan to the Fifty Fund.[16]

Former locomotives

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ "Reviving History with Precision: 3D Printed Superheater Header for the Locomotive Excellence". Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  4. ^ "TYSELEY'S MASTERPLAN: A new vision for Tyseley – laying down a legacy | The Railway Magazine". 17 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Gloucestershire home for steam locomotive 6880 Betton Grange". RailAdvent. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  6. ^ "New-build 'Betton Grange' to be based on GWSR". www.gwsr.com. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Vintage Trains to open doors to Tyseley depot with guided tours in 2023". RailAdvent. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Steam locomotive 45596 Bahamas to haul The Cathedrals Express". RailAdvent. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Class 52 locomotive to visit Plymouth this May". RailAdvent. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Middy, G (Autumn 2024). "Workshop and Stock Lists". Steam In Trust. No. 55. Tyseley: Friends of Vintage Trains.
  11. ^ "Vintage Trains Excursion (Birmingham Snow Hill - Didcot Parkway)". RailAdvent.
  12. ^ "The 5080 Defiant Club". Archived from the original on 14 September 2018.
  13. ^ "t0219p.htm". www.uksteam.info.
  14. ^ "7752". 17 June 2017.
  15. ^ "9600". 17 June 2017.
  16. ^ "The Fifty Fund - Class 50 Alliance acquires 50033 'Glorious' on three year loan". fiftyfund.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Main line future as Kolhapur leaves Tyseley for Carnforth". Trackside Magazine. No. 320. Horncastle: Transport Publishing Network Limited. July 2024. p. 8.
  18. ^ Corbett, Mike; Hughes, Michael (Spring 2024). "Workshop Report". Steam In Trust. No. 54. Tyseley: Friends of Vintage Trains.
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52°27′16″N 1°50′44″W / 52.4544°N 1.8455°W / 52.4544; -1.8455

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