Preview

It’s high summer as one of the through London to Hereford expresses, headed by a Brush Type 4 Class 47, heads past the long-closed Malvern Wells station and is about to join the single-line through Colwall Tunnel under the Malvern Hills� The photo was shot standing on the junction bridge of the line to Tewkesbury and Ashchurch via Upton on Severn. This was closed in December 1952, but the section from Upton onwards remained open to passengers until 1961 and freight until December 1964. That part terminated at Ashchurch, as will be seen later in this collection�

Waiting at Malvern Wells’ westbound outer home signal is a three-car Birmingham area WR DMU which has probably formed a Birmingham New Street to Great Malvern stopper via Stourbridge Junction� It will soon draw forward across to the up line to return to Great Malvern to form a service back to New Street� It is some time since the goods loop was last used as there were no longer any booked freight trains running between Worcester and Hereford� The LMS branch to Upton upon Severn and Ashchurch diverged in the far background, just before the loop turnout� The line then ran behind the bushes to the right, to Malvern Hagley Road station which was out of sight behind and to the right of the photographer�

Slowing for the single-line junction before heading through Colwall Tunnel under the Malvern Hills, is a Hymek Type 3 Class 35 on the Hereford portion of an express from London, which would have been detached from the main train at Worcester Shrub Hill� It is believed that on this stretch of line, from the top of the Malvern Hills, the sight and sound of what was possibly a Saint, or a City, on much the same train as depicted, was enough to inspire Edward Elgar to write the ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ marches�

Passing the site of the long-closed Malvern Wells station, which was located between the bridge and the signalbox, is a Hymek Class 35 heading an up afternoon Hereford to London Paddington express� It is just about to pass the 130 milepost from the capital� Through the bridge on the hill can be made out, in the far distance, the buildings situated around the Wyche road cutting at Little Malvern, on Herefordshire Beacon, one of the most picturesque of the routes that allow vehicles access over the hills to Herefordshire �

By the 1980s, the Hereford line was graced with the presence of cascaded Class 50 Co-Cos made redundant on the LMR by electrification. In Spring/Summer 1983 an immaculate 50 031 ‘Hood’ heads a rake of Mark 2Ds, with a Mark 2B BFK at the front, past the site of Newland Engineers Sidings as it approaches the Malvern Hills in the down direction� In steam days this was a bit of a racing ground for Worcester engines on Hereford ex-London portions� I have recorded well over 80mph at this point behind a Hall and the engineers’ sidings were always busy� So much so, that one of the elusive WR PWM 65X series 165hp 0-6-0 shunters was permanently allocated there for many years. The Class 50 had been ‘twinned’ with the HMS Hood Association on 22nd April 1983 at Old Oak Common, where crests were applied above the nameplate � The locomotive survives today and is based at the Severn Valley Railway�

The Class 50 (50031, ‘Hood’) races away towards Malvern Link station whilst the Hills tower above � On the left is Worcestershire Beacon, at just over 400 metres the highest point of the range � On the right is North Hill� Standing on the summit of the Beacon it is easily possible to watch the progress of a train from Malvern Link station all the way to the site of Malvern Wells� If you stand on the summit of the Beacon and look due east, there is no land of the same altitude until the Ural mountains in Russia�

Local spotters gather round the front-end of a Hymek Class 35 (possibly 7001) at Worcester Shrub Hill’s down main platform end� Having arrived from Paddington, the signal would suggest the loco is about to go on-shed. The line to the right is for Kidderminster and Bromsgrove whilst to continue to Hereford would require the left signal arms to clear�

Worcester loco depot – 85A - is busy in this scene, with a Brush Type 4 Class 47 (1647 - later 47063) flanked on both sides by Hymek Type 3 Class 35s. These latter capable and attractive locos ended their Class 1 days working trains on the London/Oxford/Hereford Cotswold Lines before final withdrawal. They were also adopted at this time as Lickey Incline bankers� If you substituted WR Castle and Hall 4-6-0s for the diesels, the scene would look much the same as the 1960s�