Tyseley Locomotive Works facts for kids

Kinlet Hall, Duke of Gloucester and other locomotives being fixed at Tyseley Locomotive Works

Tyseley Locomotive Works is a special place in Birmingham, England, where old trains are fixed and kept running. It used to be called the Birmingham Railway Museum. This workshop is part of a company called Vintage Trains, which runs fun trips on the main railway lines using these historic trains. Tyseley is home to many different types of trains, from small industrial steam engines to large, powerful diesel locomotives.

What is Tyseley Locomotive Works?

Tyseley Locomotive Works is like a hospital for old trains. It's where steam and diesel locomotives are stored, repaired, and made ready for their next journeys. The team at Tyseley works hard to keep these amazing machines in top condition. They also do repair work for other companies, which helps them earn money to keep the workshop running.

One big project built here was the steam locomotive `6880 Betton Grange`. Sometimes, the public can even take tours of the workshop to see how everything works!

Vintage Trains also uses other trains for their trips, like `45596 Bahamas`. These "guest" trains might stay at Tyseley for a while, but they are not owned by Tyseley Locomotive Works.

How Tyseley Started

4965 and 7760 inside the main shed at Tyseley

The story of Tyseley Locomotive Works began in 1966. A man named Patrick Whitehouse bought a steam train called `No.7029 Clun Castle`. He needed a place to keep it near his supporters in the West Midlands. He found space at the old Great Western Railway depot in Tyseley.

Later, in 1968, another train, `No.5593 "Kolhapur"`, was bought. Many old trains were being taken out of service around this time. So, the supporters created a charity called the Standard Gauge Steam Trust. Their goal was to save and show off these steam locomotives.

The trust got a long-term lease for a big part of the Tyseley site. They cleaned up the area, fixed the railway tracks, and even repaired two water towers so steam trains could get water. An old coal loading area was turned into a shed to hold the trains. `Clun Castle` was one of the first trains to be fixed up here in 1966.

In 1999, the trust achieved a big dream: running regular steam train services on the main railway lines. They started the Shakespeare Express train, which travels between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon. Because they were now running trains, they decided the name "museum" didn't quite fit anymore. So, they split into three parts: Tyseley Locomotive Works (for repairs), Vintage Trains (for running trips), and the Tyseley Collection (which owns the trains). Since then, fixing and maintaining steam trains has been a continuous effort.

Amazing Locomotives at Tyseley

A group of old GWR trains near the turntable at Tyseley.

Tyseley Locomotive Works is home to many incredible trains. Most of these trains are part of the Tyseley Collection.

Steam Locomotives

Here are some of the steam trains you might find at Tyseley:

Image	Number	Name	Class	Status	Notes
	2885	-	GWR 2884 Class	Being Restored	Owned by a private person
	4121	-	GWR 5101 Class	Being Overhauled	Owned by a private person
	4965	Rood Ashton Hall	GWR 4900 Class	Waiting for Overhaul
	5043	Earl of Mount Edgcumbe	GWR 4073 Class	Running, Certified for Mainline (since 2023)	Can run until 2031
	5080	Defiant	GWR 4073 Class	Waiting for Overhaul	Will be fixed to run on main lines
	7029	Clun Castle	GWR 4073 Class	Running, Certified for Mainline (since 2019)	Can run until 2027
	7752	-	GWR 5700 Class	Waiting for Overhaul
	9600	-	GWR 5700 Class	Waiting for Overhaul
	1	Cadbury N01	-	Being Cosmetically Fixed
Peckett Tyseley Open Day 2015	1	-	Peckett W7	Waiting for Overhaul
LNWR Bloomer No. 670 2-2-2 at Tyseley	670	-	LNWR Bloomer	Being Built
SMR 4-4-2 No. 1 'Sutton Belle' at Kingsway railway station	1	Sutton Belle	Moddified bassett-lowke Class 30	Being Overhauled	This is a 15-inch gauge miniature train
	2	Sutton Flyer	Moddified bassett-lowke Class 30	Waiting for Overhaul	This is a 15-inch gauge miniature train

Diesel Locomotives

Tyseley also has a collection of powerful diesel locomotives:

Number	Class	Name	Owner	Status	Mainline Certified	Location	Photograph	Notes
13029	08	-	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Running	No	Tyseley		Used for moving trains around the site.
37240	37	-	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Running	Yes	Tyseley		Acquired in 2022.
47773	47	-	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Running	Yes	Tyseley		Repainted in May 2021.
50033	50	Glorious	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Running	No	Kidderminster		On loan to another group for three years.
4	-	-	Tyseley Miniature Railway Project	Running	No	Tyseley		This is a 15-inch gauge miniature train.

Locomotives That Have Left Tyseley

Some trains that were once at Tyseley have moved to new homes:

• LMS Jubilee Class 5593 Kolhapur: This train was sold to West Coast Railways and left in 2024.
• GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT No 7760: This train was sold to a private owner and left in 2024.