| The Class 45s or "Peaks" were a daily sight around the Midlands, equally at home on passenger or freight work. Never the most glamorous of engines, they were nevertheless masters of just about any type of work, equally at home on Derby-St. Pancras or cross country expresses and heavy coal trains. Always common on Saltley workings, they became regulars on Bescot duties as well, especially following the demise of the Class 40s. Hopefully the following collection will give a flavour of the repertoire of work they performed around the Midlands and even a little further afield as well. |
45006 "Honourable Artillery Company" heads away from Toton on 19th February 1985, with 8G47, the 1117 to Three Spires Junc with coal for the Coventry Homefire plant. |
45007 backs 25 HKVs forming the 8L47 1400 trip from Llandudno Junc Yd into the reception sidings at Penmaenmawr on 21st October 1986. |
45009 was caught coming off the Nuneaton line at Water Orton on 22nd March 1986 with a Beeston-Cardiff special conveying scrap in MCV wagons. |
45/0s were diagrammed for a number of Birmingham area local trips during the '80s, working from both Bescot and Washwood Heath yards. Here 45015 passes Bromford Bridge on 8th July 1983 with the 8T50 1520 Bescot Down Yd-Tyseley Yard trip conveying empty Cartic 4s. |
45026 rounds the curve at Coventry South Junc on 7th May, 1985, with 6V19, the 0605 Bescot-Didcot Yd Speedlink. This train was booked a 47 but could produce anything Bescot had on hand from a pair of 20s to a 56 but Peaks were not unusual on it. |
45034 passes Washwood Heath No. 1 on 8th August 1983 with a 6T52 trip from Washwood Heath to the LCP Fuels Coal Concentration Depot at Small Heath. |
45037 comes off the Nuneaton avoiding line at Abbey Junction on 21st May 1987 with the 6M44 1135 Ketton Ward Sdg-Castle Bromwich Cement. |
45045 "Coldstream Guardsman" awaits it's fate at Lawley Street on 5th March 1983 following it's famous argument with Saltley Viaduct on 12th February that year. It was later towed to Derby Works and withdrawn on 9th May and broken up at Vic Berry's in November 1986. |
45048 "The Royal Marines" departs from Three Spires Junction on 12th August 1983 with 8D85, the 0918 empties to Toton, while 56065 arrives from Saltley for the 7V44 0939 MGR to Didcot Power Station. |
45056 shunts the Blue Circle terminal at Queens Head Sidings, Handsworth in Birmingham on 27th April 1985 having arrived with a 6Z26 1005 special from Earles Sidings |
Although rail traffic to Hams Hall Power Station had finished at the start of the 80s, the Sulphacrete concrete block plant was still rail served with a daily flyash train from Drakelow "C" Power Station. Here 45064 departs with the 6P53 1344 empties to Drakelow on 19th August 1983. This traffic finished about a year later. |
45068 crosses the the Erewash Valley main lines into Toton's Down Side with the 9T71 1453 Bestwood Park-Toton New Bank trip on 19th February 1985. These reception lines closed in a major rationalisation in 1986. |
