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Light engine movements around Banbury in the steam era

Banbury was quite a busy junction and with the marshalling yards and engine shed (and the station goods yard) either side of the passenger station, there were many light engine movements to and fro. Locos regularly came off the shed to work a freight train, or went on shed to be serviced. Most of the traffic served by the shed was freight, much less on the passenger side.

Most of the pictures were taken off the station platform, or from the footpath at Banbury South leading to the engine shed, and give a good idea what it was like to spend a while train spotting here. A few of the pictures were taken by the main yards alongside Banbury North Signal Box (completely out of bounds today, of course) by people who lived locally and were known to the staff. All the pictures are in chronological order.

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The last years of steam at Banbury were under the LMR and dominated by LMS designs, such as this Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 built in 1953 for use in Wales, and thus quite modern. No 46522 came to Banbury in 1966 but only stayed for half a year before being moved again, to Carnforth. Being so near the end it was photographed often and even tarted up with white paint on the smokebox door. The shed code was also painted on. Slide: author's collection.

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It's an awful picture which even NASA would not be able to repair. This is the result of several hours with Photoshop and I include it because of its historical interest. Ex-GCR "Directors" were used on the GCLE for long distance expresses betwen Manchester and Marylebone and were thus allocated to Neasden and Gorton (Manchester). To give the crews more variety, a Neasden top link loco was rostered for an overnight train to Leicester, returning with an Ordinary Passenger in the afternoon. Then there was the Dorrington Milk (Shrewsbury-M'bone) which was taken on from Banbury via Woodford and it was known for a Neasden Director to work out and back, usually arriving at Banbury tender first.

This view shows Neasden's D11 No 5510 Princess Mary running light engine past Banbury North signal box. The direction of travel cannot be identified but I would suggest that the loco has been turned and may be returning to Banbury to collect the Up working, which would be tender first to Woodford, run round the milk tanks and passenger brake van, and complete the main leg south chimney first.

This "Director" was at Neasden for the whole of the LNER period and I can only venture a date of sometime in the 1930s. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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A3 No 60104 Solario runs off the shed towards the station to take over a cross-country express onto the GC section. It was a Leicester (GC) loco at the time. It still had many years to serve but was clearly seeing little attention from from the shed cleaners if, indeed, it had any at the time. 17th April 1954. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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With apologies for a filthy print (somebody's darkroom needs a Hoover!), A3 No 60059 Tracery pauses in front of Banbury South signal box. It was a Leicester GC loco at the time and had probably worked in with a cross-country express and was heading to Banbury Loco to turn round before collecting a north-bound working or running light to Woodford Halse. 3rd April 1954. Photo: R.K. Blencowe Negative Archive.

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With apologies for another filthy print, ex-GWR "King" No 6018 King Henry VI runs towards Banbury Loco on another grey day, 30th March 1956. Photo: R.K. Blencowe Negative Archive.

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Riddles 9F No 92226 is on the move at Banbury South on 19th August 1958, and looking clean because this loco had been built less than three weeks ago and delivered new to Banbury. Photo: P.H. Groom.

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One of Banbury's light Pannier tanks used on the Banbury-Princes Risborough service, No 6429, looks like it's coming off the running lines to enter the engine shed. The picture is undated but the loco is known to have been transferred to Banbury from Croes Newydd w/e 13.6.59, leaving for Wellington w/e 7.10.61. My estimate for this picture would be summer of 1959, or one of the following two summers. Photo: John Tarrant Collection, Kidderminster Railway Museum, 23358.

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One of the better looking LMS designs of large 2-6-4T, Stanier's version was introduced in 1935 and is seen at Banbury South, possibly coming off shed to work a train back to Woodford Halse on 14th May 1960. It had been allocated to Woodford Halse on 6th February 1960, but transferred to Leicester (Central) soon after, on 19th March 1960 and is wearing that shed's plate, 15E. I suspect that it had been borrowed by Woodford to work a passenger over the Banbury Branch. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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An early Churchward 2-8-0 without a side-window cab whose number is hard to read, possibly "2846" passing behind the station platforms. If so, this was a Newton Abbott loco in its last year of service. Saturday 16th July 1960. Photo: S.V. Blencowe collection.

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A peaceful scene around 4 o'clock in the afternoon on Wednesday 8th June 1960 with Banbury's Collett 2251 No 2256 running light towards the shed. It had been a local engine since 1955 and was to be sent away in 1961.

On the left, a Gresley BG is being shunted, possibly a Woodford working. Photo: Author's collection.

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Sometime around 1960 a relatively early 2-6-0 No 7307 (87F Lanelly) is at Banbury South coming off the shed with a huge pile of coal. Author's collection.

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An undated picture of double-chimney 9F No 92224 at Banbury South. It may have been 1958-59 when this loco first came (newly built) to Banbury or during its second spell 1964-66. I suspect it was probably the latter, the few years in between having been spent at 6 different sheds: Laira, Southall, Oxford, Bath Green Park, Bristol Barrow Road, and Cardiff East Dock. Was it a poor runner, forever being dumped on other sheds? Photo: author's collection.

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A more modern 2-8-0 with side window cab No 3828 (89B Croes Newydd) drifts through the station on a fine late sunny afternoon on Friday 5th May 1961. Photo: S.V. Blencowe collection.

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An ex-LMS "Black 5" and and ex-GWR "Prairie" tank appear to be approaching on the Down main line. At the time, No 44830 was a Leicester GC loco and 5167, Banbury, so it's hard to tell where they may have been going... The date was 24th June 1961. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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My apologies for yet another horror... V2 No 60863 comes off Banbury Loco on another miserable day, this time on 10th June 1961. This too was a Leicester GC loco, now carrying the 15E shedplate. Photo: R.K. Blencowe Negative Archive.

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Another view at Banbury South as one of Banbury's side-window 2-8-0s No 3855 heads towards the yards. Just visible behind the tender is Merton Street. 10.2.62. Photo: S.V. Blencowe collection.

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One of the crew climbs aboard (or is he actually jumping off?) ex-LMS "Royal Scot" No 46141 The North Staffordshire Regiment in front of the signal box at Banbury South. A much travelled engine, it was a Saltley loco when seen here on 5th May 1962, apparently about to run into the engine shed after working a freight into the north yard. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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A dishevelled-looking Riddles 5MT was captured on the Up Goods Loop. The date on the back of the print is "1962" but a shedcode of 5E Nuneaton was being carried, where this loco was allocated in 1965 before transferring w/e 19 June 1965 to Banbury (it stayed until w/e 30 April 1966) and I would suggest that the picture was taken not long after arrival in June 1965. What looks like a summer-flowering elderberry would fit too. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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Seen by the stationmaster's house on 10th August 1963 is quite a relic from 81C Southall, No 2873 with neither side-windown cab nor external steam pipes. Remarkably, this one didn't succumb for another couple of years. Photo: R.K. Blencowe.

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Standing in No.1 platform while acting as station pilot and looking quite tidy is "Modified Hall" No 6979 Helperly Hall. It had come to Banbury brand new in 1947 and spent its entire working life here. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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Another view from the summer of 1964 with B1 No 61218 (Ardsley) running through the station, to the yards or to Woodford Halse? To the left acting as station pilot is Banbury's "Hall" No 7912 Little Linford Hall. It was a relatively late arrival to Banbury, transferred from Tyseley in April 1962 and serving until withdrawal in October 1965. Meanwhile, a green-liveried DMU waits in the NW bay. 8th August 1964. Photo: R.K. Blencowe Negative Archive.

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A fine view taken on 23rd September 1964 of Tyseley's clean No 6853 Morehampton Grange at Banbury South as it comes off the shed. Author's collection.

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Another 4-6-0 from Tyseley at Banbury South backing off the shed toward the station and yards, "Hall" No 6926 Holkham Hall. 30th March 1963. Author's collection.

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The ex-LMS Ivatt light 2-6-0 was introduced in 1946 and this one, No 46457, in plain black is seen on 12th April 1965 by the main yards with a low evening sun slanting across. It was a Leamington Spa loco and had probably just worked in. Note the open cover to the water tank on the rear of the tender. Photo: F.A. Blencowe.

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An outrageously dirty ex-SR "Battle of Britain", No 34077 603 Squadron, on which only the name plate and crest have been kept clean, is passing in front of Banbury North signal box. It was an Eastleigh (70D) loco and may have arrived with a cross-country express, such as the Bournemouth-Newcastle, and having uncoupled, is about to set back along the Up line to the engine shed for servicing and turning. I have several pictures of this loco at Banbury, not all taken on the same day. This was sometime in May 1965. Photo: Alan W. Donaldson.

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Passing Friswells and the gas-holder on 14 September 1965 is WD 2-8-0 "Austerity" no 90699. It was a 55E Normanton loco (between Leeds and Wakefield) and would have brought a long distance freight up from Yorkshire. Photo: M.L. Boakes.

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Another Ivatt 2-6-0 at Banbury, this time a well established WR loco in lined green livery. Under a high midday sun, No 46522 is running tender first along the Up line from the yards to the engine shed. I have no date for this picture but would suggest summer between 5-3-66 and 16-7-66 when the loco came to the Midlands and alternated between the sheds at Tyseley and Banbury, possibly the latter in this view after working in from the south and now returning to the depot. Curiously, the tender tank cover is open here too. In the distance an 08 is shunting in the main yard. Photo: Author's collection.

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The quality's better with this view although there is a texture because it was printed on stippled paper, the use of which I have never understood because you can't put a magnifying glass on it and it often scans like a snowstorm. Otherwise it's a pleasing view of one of Banbury's 9Fs, No 92213. It had been built in 1959 and almost immediately sent to Banbury where it served almost all of its short life until November 1966, not long before the shed was closed, when it was moved to Carlisle and promptly withdrawn.

Undated, alas, but clearly early to to mid-1960s and no photographer's name either. Photo: Author's collection.

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To be continued...

Banbury station pictures are here.

Banbury yards and freight pictures are here.

Banbury express passenger pictures are here.

Banbury loco shed pictures are here.

Banbury signal box pictures are here.

Banbury Merton Street station is here.

Ardley-Greaves Siding limestone traffic pictures are here.

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