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Tyseley to build and display Victorian pioneer train outside HS2’s Birmingham terminus by Robin Jones A GROUND-breaking scheme to re-create the first high speed train linking London and Birmingham 175 years on, is being launched byVintageTrains. It is hoped to have the replica Victorian locomotive and its train ready before 2026, when the 21st-century High Speed 2 link between the two cities is scheduled to open. Furthermore, the aim is to have the replica displayed outside the original London & Birmingham Railway’s Curzon Street terminus when it is reopened within the next two years as a visitor centre, yards from the futuristic new HS2 station. Taking centre stage in the project will be the completion of the new-build LNWR Bloomer 2-2-2 No. 670, which was begun at Tyseley Locomotive Works in the late Eighties to mark the 150th anniversary of the West Coast inter-city route, and is believed to need around £300,000 to finish it to steaming condition. The new Bloomer already includes some original tender parts from the 1850s, and when completed, will be the only working locomotive in Britain with a 7ft single driving wheel. When they were introduced in 1851 by LNWR locomotive engineer James McConnell, the Bloomers provided new standards of inter-city travel – bringing the journey between the two cities down to two hours for the first time. In its day, it was viewed as revolutionary as HS2 promises to be: like HS2, McConnell’s 2-2-2s were at the forefront of engineering technology of their day. Tyseley’s Bloomer project has long been in an advanced stage of completion, with numerous
components manufactured, but it has remained on hold in the workshop due to the pressure of work in maintaining locomotives for the Vintage Trains main line operations and other contract work. The project, under the banner of the Pioneer High Speed Train, is to be officially launched at the Tyseley Locomotive Works open weekend on June 25 at noon. Furthermore, it is planned to build a replica train of at least three LNWR coaches to run behind the Bloomer, subject to raising further funds. The train will not only run at Tyseley Locomotive Works but will be available to hire to other heritage lines. The new Bloomer and its train have all the makings of a flagship attraction, not just for Tyseley and the city of Birmingham but for the entire heritage sector, plugging a sizeable gap in the national heritage steam fleet while representing a significant part of railway history which is poorly served by comparison with others. Vintage Trains is inviting the public to sponsor the new venture, and is asking members of the public to either make a donation or join the new Bloomer 670 club. It is also proposed to enter into a project partnership with Aston University to encourage engineering students to join in and learn practical skills in their discipline. ➜ Details of how to help the Bloomer and train be ready by 2026 when HS2 arrives in Britain’s second city can be obtained from visiting www.vintagetrains.co.uk or writing with sae toVintageTrains CharitableTrust, 670Warwick Road, Tyseley, Birmingham, B11 2HL. ➜The original Pioneer High SpeedTrain reborn – feature, pages 68-71.
Tyseley’s new-build Bloomer project inside the workshop is to be completed in time for the arrival of HS2 in Birmingham. ROBIN COOMBES/VT
The new Bloomer’s tender incorporates part from an original. ROBIN COOMBE/VT
Car driver fined after collision on North Norfolk Railway golf club crossing THE driver of a car which crashed into GER Y14 0-6-0 No. 564 on a North Norfolk Railway level crossing has been fined £1180. William Mellor, 38, was driving his silver Mercedes-Benz on Sweet Briar Crossing in Sweet Briar Lane, Sheringham, on November 17 last
year, on his way to Sheringham Golf Club when the collision occurred around 11.20am. The Y14 was heading at 10mph from Weybourne to Sheringham to pick up passengers for a dining train service when it was hit by the silver Mercedes-Benz.
Red lights at the ungated crossing were flashing and audible alarms sounding, but the car failed to stop. The Y14 was not damaged and nobody was injured. Both the railway and the road were blocked following the collision. Mellor, from Erpingham, a
member of the golf club, pleaded guilty before Norwich Magistrates’ Court to driving without due care and attention. Five penalty points were added to his licence, and he was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £118 and £85 costs.
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