Bankers and Brakers on the Lickey Incline, 1957 

I was born in this year, But Steam locos, and all that it entails, is for me, the greatest transport system this Country has ever produced, and It was born here all those years ago,

My uncle Ted Mason worked in Bromsgrove South Box at the time this was filmed.He,his wife and my two cousins lived in one of the 4 railway cottages at Stoke Works Junction,in the V formed by the junction.I stayed with them a couple of years previously when there was a station at the junction.The very long gardens are still there today 70years later.

A gang of us little boys 6-9 years old used to cycle 5 miles from Rubery to Blackwell and sit on the big embankment(on the UP side) just before the top of the bank in the late 50s. This film brought back many memories of watching the guards pinning down the brakes on the down goods. We'd be there all day with only a few sandwiches and our ex-Army water bottles. Seems like another age, which I suppose it was. We were much more 'savvy' than little kids, that age today. We had a freedom youngsters today, couldn't imagine. Lovely vid. thank you.

I am nine years old and live 5 miles away when this was taken. I enjoyed many many times watching the antics on the Lickey Incline. A trainspotters dream.

Fantastic footage. Brought back many memories of trainspotting at Bromsgrove, Vigo & Blackwell in the 1960s. Amongst those memories, my Dad took me to Vigo one night when we saw a freight train slip to a halt just before the top in deteriorating weather (started to rain). Despite several efforts, the train couldn't get going again. My Dad must have thought 'this is interesting' so he drove & parked car in Blackwell Rd. when we climbed the steep bank up to banking engine (9F) to see what was going to happen. Several Pannier bankers were summoned from Bromsgrove for extra 'push' to no avail. Eventually the extra 'pull' from a steam loco. on a down freight train did the trick! It was great standing on the bank talking (more my Dad - I was only a wee lad!) to footplate men on 9F towering above us as the firebox glow lit the by now dusk sky around us. Mum wasn't best pleased when we got back home to Lickey End (no mobile phones in those days!) very late! Well, 'boys' will be 'boys' or should that be 'train buffs'.....!

Very enjoyable thanks for sharing

Halcyon days, I was a schoolboy, a happier more caring society until some people thought more about their personal wealth than the people of our Country. Debt, globalisation, immigration. No wonder we don't teach our real history in school anymore. As to the video...... brilliant, I wish it could be cleaned up a bit. Liked and subscribed.

Ah! The 94's the easy steamers. Worked them many times in the Welsh valley's as bankers and on the passengers.

Fantastic video thanks, haylecon days gone by the health and safety brigade would have a heart attack these days watching the brakesmen working the brakes as the train is on the move, certainly a good video of a time gone by now and a part of our heritage, from the locomotive staff, the brakesmen and the signallers too

Wonderful footage and so evocative of the time...

Wonderful footage and in colour too. How it used to be done back in the steam days. Thanks for sharing this little gem with us.🙂👍

I'm a Diesel fan, havnt a clue about Steam. But I enjoyed every minute of this, probably because my dad was a Fireman back then, LMS man,, he would have been banked up there many a time. He would have loved to watch this. The sound would have been awesome. Thankful for what we have, a great insight, to how things were done back then, and now (rarely). Even a Diesel needs a hand, Thank you for sharing. 👍😎

Hats off to Dr Rook for this video. In those days it was dead easy to get track permits something Network Rail would do their fruit at today. To be fair trains are faster than then but it's great to see the vibrant thriving railway as it was

Excellent unseen footage...thanks for sharing

Thank you Doctor.

An interesting film from the year I was born . Been up & down the lickey incline a few times . A very steep gradient .

Great footage, thanks for sharing

I lived opposite Coften park in 60s and travelled by bus to school in Bromsgrove via Barnt Green and Blackwell.. Only cycled a couple of times to Blackwell but it was interesting to see wagon brakes pinned and then sparking when going downhill. Even then I thought who would like living in the white house at the top . Probably railway workers living there but would have to shout to each other. Imagine the noise of the steam locomotives right at the top of the incline.

thank you, really enjoyed watching the skill of the whole team. I suppose having gained so much experience, the skill becomes second nature. thank you, Patrick m Northamptonshire

just seen the line side breaknen adjusting the breaks on the coal wagons, that seems skillful and dangerous.

my next door neighbour was a steam engine driver he is 96 now. And tells me story's about getting stuck on the Queensbury line in Bradford in dead of winter. Like he says we had plenty of tea and bacon eggs and it was warm lol

Filmed the year before I was born. Up to the end of steam, the Lickey, for my late dad, was the highlight of our annual trip back to Leeds from Weston-Super-Mare on the Devonian. I have vague memories as a small child of waiting in the train for the bankers to get in position.

A Double header with a 9F up the derriere must have flown up the Lickey!

Memory’s good days

It mentions Rutherford and Scaife; on the new estate next to the station both men are remembered not only by the memorials but also they now each have a road named in their honour. I was workinga lot at one time between Bromsgrove and Blackwell, the signal box is still there, and the point where the incline levels out is now next to a public foot path.

Nice

Great film, thanks for sharing, sham some off the sharpness was lost transferring to video.

Hold on, is that (around 12:00) a 4-4-0 and 2-6-0/4-6-0 passengertrain double headed and still banked by a BR standerd 9F? That seems a bit out of carachter by BR?

The railways in this era were much more viable than the accountants fiddled. With the gas price hikes Mr Monopoly is going to have to switch to rail

0:50 Even in the days of steam you got photobombed by a train hurtling down the bank, haha!

My grandad worked on the bankers George dyer as kids we played down on Newton bridge adjacent to sideings if we were lucky got a ride up the in cline You smelt of smoke good days

where is the grand old lady Big Bertha ? or had she gone by then but why ?

At 22:27 didn't the Brush locos look like an export loco?

can someone tell me what do they mean by pinning down wagons brakes?

I was born in 1957......

Is there any sound for this film?

Was Big Bertha not here in '57?

Is the 0 6 0 tank enginea showed same class as the thomas?? Forgot the class but i think theyre the same

0:38 - not the longest gradient, nor the steepest gradient on BR though. Longest - possibly the 30 miles from Langwathby to Aisgill summit on the Settle-Carlisle. Steepest definitely the 1 in 14 Hopton incline on the Cropton and High Peak Railway

Where is Big Bertha ??

Sorry But it’s NOT all 1957. 58100 was withdrawn in 1956 and moved to Derby.