Tyseley Locomotive Works facts for kids

Old GWR trains at Tyseley

Trains 4965 and 7760 inside a shed.

Tyseley Locomotive Works is a special place in Birmingham, England. It used to be called the Birmingham Railway Museum. This workshop is where old steam trains are fixed and kept running. It's part of a group called Vintage Trains, which runs fun train trips.

The works are located at an old train depot built in 1908. This depot was originally for the Great Western Railway. It helped manage the many trains in the West Midlands, especially with the new North Warwickshire Line opening.

Tyseley Locomotive Works not only helps Vintage Trains keep their trains running, but it also has a huge collection of steam engines. These range from small industrial trains to famous Great Western Railway 'Castles' and 'Halls'. There are also large old diesel engines here.

How Tyseley Locomotive Works Started

Parts of Kinlet Hall and Duke of Gloucester trains

The story of Tyseley began in 1966. A man named Patrick Whitehouse bought a special train called No.7029 Clun Castle. He needed a place to keep it safe and fix it up. He found space at the old Tyseley train depot. So, he created a company called 7029 Clun Castle Ltd to own the train and use the depot.

Later, in 1968, another train, No.5593 "Kolhapur", was bought. At this time, many old trains were being taken out of service across the country. People who loved trains wanted to save them. So, they set up the Standard Gauge Steam Trust. This group became a charity to save and show off steam locomotives.

The trust managed to get a long-term lease for a big part of the Tyseley site. They created the Tyseley Collection to own the trains and other railway items. The depot then became known as the "Birmingham Railway Museum."

The trust worked hard to clean up the site. They fixed old buildings and broken tracks. They even repaired two water columns so steam trains could get water. In 1968, an old coal loading area was turned into a shed with a pit for checking trains. This shed could hold the two trains they had bought. In November 1966, Clun Castle was taken apart and carefully put back together.

In 1999, the trust achieved a big goal. They started running regular steam train services on the main railway lines. This service was called the Shakespeare Express. It ran between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon. Because they were now running trains, the trust felt "museum" wasn't the right word for them anymore. So, they split their work into three parts: Tyseley Locomotive Works (for fixing trains), Vintage Trains (for running trips), and the Tyseley Collection (for owning the trains). Since then, they have continued to restore trains with great skill.

Train Trips with Vintage Trains

Vintage Trains, which is part of the trust, runs exciting train trips. These trips are also part of their educational work.

The Shakespeare Express Train

The Shakespeare Express is a popular trip run by Vintage Trains. It travels between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon.

In 2004, the trust bought land near Stratford-upon-Avon station. They plan to use this area as the Stratford Railway Tourist Centre. It will be a place to service steam trains at the end of the Shakespeare Line. They are also thinking about adding a small museum there.

As of October 2023, the "Shakespeare Express" trains still run on certain Sundays throughout the year. You can get on the train at Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Tyseley, and Stratford-upon-Avon. From 2007, there was also a stop at Henley-in-Arden. This allowed passengers to take a round trip through Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham Snow Hill. However, this stop ended in 2021.

It was also announced in October 2023 that the "Shakespeare Express" trains will have more trips in 2024. They will include new starting points from Derby, Worcester, and Leicester. The trips from Worcester are even expected to have steam trains going up the steep Lickey Incline.

Special Steam Excursions

In May 2012, Vintage Trains ran their first multi-day trip. It was called "Castle to Scotland" and lasted three days. The train 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe made the journey. On Sunday, May 27, there was an extra trip from Linlithgow to Stirling. Another multi-day trip is planned for May 10-11, 2024. This trip will celebrate the 60th anniversary of a famous train journey. It is planned to feature train 7029 Clun Castle. On Friday, the trip will go from Birmingham to Plymouth, passing through Oxford and Bristol. On Saturday, the tour will return from Plymouth to Birmingham, going through London Paddington.

The year 2023 was special because it marked 100 years since the Castle Class trains were first introduced in 1923. To celebrate, an event took place at Didcot Railway Centre. It featured trains 4079 Pendennis Castle and 5051 Drysllwyn Castle. On March 4, 2023, trains 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe and 7029 Clun Castle traveled together. They went from Birmingham Moor Street to Didcot Parkway for the event. Once they arrived at Didcot, both engines were displayed next to 4079 Pendennis Castle and 5051 Drysllwyn Castle. Train 7029 led 5043 on the way to Didcot. Then, 5043 led 7029 on the way back to Birmingham. This was the first time these two special "double chimney" Castle trains had traveled together in preservation. Both trains also ran together on another trip on June 10, 2023. This trip was from Birmingham to Hereford and was called "The Castle Centenarian." Again, 5043 led 7029 for this journey.

The Polar Express Train

The "Polar Express" train runs four round trips each day. These trips happen every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in November and December.

Locomotives at Tyseley

Tyseley Locomotive Works is home to many amazing trains. Here is a list of some of them:

Image	Number	Name	Class	Wheel Layout	Year Built	Builder	Current Status	Notes
	2885	-	GWR 2884 Class	2-8-0	1938	Swindon Works	Being Restored
	4121	-	GWR 5101 Class	2-6-2T	1937	Swindon Works	Stored
	4936	Kinlet Hall	GWR 4900 Class	4-6-0	1929	Swindon Works	Being Overhauled	Being fixed to run on main lines.
	4965	Rood Ashton Hall	GWR 4900 Class	4-6-0	1930	Swindon Works	Waiting for Overhaul
	5043	Earl of Mount Edgcumbe	GWR 4073 Class	4-6-0	1936	Swindon Works	Running, Certified for Mainline (2023-Ongoing)	Boiler certificate expires in 2031.
	5080	Defiant	GWR 4073 Class	4-6-0	1939	Swindon Works	Being Overhauled	Being fixed to run on main lines.
	5164	-	GWR 5101 Class	2-6-2T	1930	Swindon Works	Stored
	5551	The Unknown Warrior	LMS Patriot Class	4-6-0	20##	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Being Built
	5593	Kolhapur	LMS Jubilee Class	4-6-0	1934	North British Locomotive Co.	Waiting for Overhaul	Waiting to be sold to a new owner.
	5952	Cogan Hall	GWR 4900 Class	4-6-0	1935	Swindon Works	Stored
	6880	Betton Grange	GWR 6800 Class	4-6-0	20##	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Being Built
	7029	Clun Castle	GWR 4073 Class	4-6-0	1950	Swindon Works	Running, Certified for Mainline (2019-Ongoing)	Boiler certificate expires in 2027.
	7752	-	GWR 5700 Class	0-6-0PT	1930	North British Locomotive Co.	Waiting for Overhaul
	7760	-	GWR 5700 Class	0-6-0PT	1930	North British Locomotive Co.	Waiting for Overhaul	Waiting to be sold to a new owner.
	7802	Bradley Manor	GWR 7800 Class	4-6-0	1938	Swindon Works	Being Repaired	Based at the Severn Valley Railway
	9600	-	GWR 5700 Class	0-6-0PT	1945	Swindon Works	Waiting for Overhaul
	71000	Duke of Gloucester	BR Standard Class 8	4-6-2	1954	Crewe Works	Being Overhauled	Will be based at LNWR Heritage, Crewe after repairs.