A RAIL TOUR raising money for good causes has passed through the area whilst being hauled by two heritage diesel locomotives, writes Neil Gordon.
The ‘Dub and Grub’ excursion raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Headway brain injury charities whilst being hauled by two class 50 locomotives after being organised by GBRf (Great British Rail freight).
The charity arm of company has raised more than £250,000 for these two charities since 2010.
The train departed from Birmingham International before passing through Kidderminster, Hereford, the Severn rail tunnel, Bristol and Bromsgrove, before heading back to Birmingham International.
The two locomotives, numbers 50049 and 50007, entered service 50 years ago and regularly worked through Bromsgrove during their British Rail days. The engines are both in immaculate condition and managed to pass the summit of the Lickey Incline at 25 miles per hour whilst hauling 11 carriages and a failed locomotive on the rear.
Meanwhile another railtour with over 400 rail enthusiasts on board stopped at Bromsgrove after it had visited a number of freight-only destinations around the midlands.
The ‘Walsall Concerto’ went to Wolverhampton steel terminal, the Birch Coppice branch near Kingsbury, and the Round Oak steel terminal on Saturday.
John Farrow, managing director of organisors UK Railtours, said: “There are 1000 miles of non-passenger lines across the country and this is one in a series of ‘Forgotten Track’ tours that we are running.”
The tour was hauled by 2 class 66 diesel locomotives in a top-and-tail formation and passed through Droitwich twice, between 5.30pm and 6.10pm, before spending 30 minutes at Bromsgrove.
Many of the passengers braved heavy rain to photograph local services at the station, whilst others walked in to Aston Fields for a take-away, before the train departed around 7pm for London Euston.
