I only popped to Tyseley to check out some trains heading past Tyseley Station. When I walked back down to the Warwick Road on the 13th December 2018, saw a steam locomotive on the back of a lorry. Sir Keith Park 34053 was probably getting near to the Tyseley Locomotive Works. The walk to Acocks Green, but Amey had barriers out for new lampposts!

View feature View community

Not something you see every day: a steam locomotive on the back of a lorry!


Not something you see every day: a steam locomotive on the back of a lorry!


I only popped to Tyseley to check out some trains heading past Tyseley Station. When I walked back down to the Warwick Road on the 13th December 2018, saw a steam locomotive on the back of a lorry. Sir Keith Park 34053 was probably getting near to the Tyseley Locomotive Works. The walk to Acocks Green, but Amey had barriers out for new lampposts!


Sir Keith Park 34053

Not something you expect to see on the road in Birmingham! A lorry with a steam locomotive on the back of it. Although I have in the past seen a Cross Country train on the back of a lorry once. It was the 13th December 2018, and this small convoy was approaching the Tyseley Locomotive Works on the Warwick Road in Tyseley. Seen here passing the Cousins furniture store (mostly selling sofas etc).

The locomotive is currently operated by the Swanage Railway. So it was probably coming to Tyseley for repairs or maintenance?

dndimg alt="Sir Keith Park 34053" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Sir Keith Park 34053 Warwick Road Tyseley (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A little bit of history of the locomotive. It was built in 1947 at the Brighton Works. It's original number ID was 21C153. It was a SR Battle of Britain class (Southern Railway Battle of Britain class 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive). It gained the number 34053 in 1948 when British Railways was formed. In 1960 it was transfered to the Bournemouth Depot where it was on the Pines Express on the Somerset & Dorset Line. She remained in Bournemouth until being withdrawn from service in 1965.

dndimg alt="Sir Keith Park 34053" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Sir Keith Park 34053 Warwick Road Tyseley (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

After being withdrawn from service in 1965, she was towed to the Barry scrapyard in South Wales. But the locomotive wasn't scrapped. She was eventually towed to Barry Island where she remained for 18 years. A new owner bought her for preservation in 1979, but she didn't depart Barry Island until 1984. She was moved to Hull, but little was done to her. In 1992 she was sold to another owner and moved to Crewe. Again litte was done to her. By 1997 she was moved to the West Somerset Railway and was later purchased by Southern Locomotives Ltd in 2000. Restoration finally began in 2008. Returned to steam by 2012 not at the Swanage Railway as intended, but at the Severn Valley Railway. Naming ceremony took place in 2013 as Sir Keith Park at Bridgnorth. She can only run on heritage railways, but is not certified to run on National Rail railway lines. Probably why it was transferred by lorry!

dndimg alt="Sir Keith Park 34053" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Sir Keith Park 34053 Warwick Road Tyseley (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos by Elliott Brown