Cardington - Bridgnorth RAF Specials

[Dick Bodily]

There been some interesting correspondence in February's Steam World about these trains and an Olney railwayman has given confirmation of the usual route ie. via Olney, Northampton Bridge Steet and Castle, Rugby, then on via Birmingham. The Bedford engine being replaced by a Northampton engine and crew outside Northampton shed.

I've somehow got it in my head that on a least one occasion during the early 50s one was routed along the SMJ via Towcester. I have a very vague distant feeling of seeing a long passenger train (the Cardington ones were 8 coaches) at Blakesley and being told possibly by the local coalman who lodged with my grandparents that it was an RAF train.  Bedford crews frequently worked through freight lodging turns to Gloucester along the SMJ, so if this really happened they would have probably worked through as far as Stratford Old Town or Broom Junction.  Certainly military munitions and armament trains did frequently use the SMJ during the war and after. I definitely recall seeing trainloads of armoured vehicles and field guns on load loading wagons presumably on their way to Kineton or Long Marston during the 50s. Furthermore troop trains used the line during the war, my own father travelled on one with his regiment travelling from Cornwall to North-East England.

Perhaps I dreamt it all! I wonder if anyone can provide any further info or even confirm my suspicions.

Dick Bodily

[Barry Taylor]

Dick

I haven't seen the article in Feb Steam World yet, but I do know a bit about these RAF trains. In June 2009 I contributed an article to 'British Railways Illustrated' (Irwell Press) about special workings handled by Northampton shed back in 1957 - I had some old loco arrangements register books from the shed for that period. At the time I thought that these trains, which ran several times a week, were 'leave specials' but subsequent correspondence revealed that they were the opposite - conscription specials !

There were around four regular destinations in the north west, including Bridgnorth, Wilmslow, Dudley and West Kirby. As you mention, they were all taken over at Northampton around 11.30am, by a local crew, although the locos were rarely from Northampton, often being from northern sheds.

Now - your mention of such a train running via the SMJ has definitely struck a chord with me, and I am sure that I have read an article somewhere with a mention of this. I think that it was to Bridgnorth, as the route seemed quite logical ie: Ravenstone Wood - Stratford - Broom - around the west of Birmingham and up the Severn valley. I will have a scout around to see if I can find this reference, as I tend to squirrell away odd things like this to do with the SMJ. The only other thing that I remember was that it was during an earlier period than my article - I reckon late LMS / early BR. This may well prove to be correct as I have other loco shed arrangements registers for Northampton for 1949, and these trains certainly do not feature then, so maybe they were operating via a different route then? I'll report further when I find my reference. 

 

[Dick Bodily]

Cheers Barry,

I've got a friend who actually travelled from Cardington - Bridgnorth on one when he was conscripted but he can't remember the route taken. I would have been too young to have noticed in the 40s, but reckon if it did happen it was around '52- '54. Of course it could have been a railtour ( there was one in '51) or Stratford mop special and not an RAF train but this is less likely because if I had have seen the train it would have been from my gran's house which I seldom visited on Saturdays but went to each weekday.

Dick