Tyseley Locomotive Works

Tyseley Locomotive Works sits on the edge of Birmingham, on land once used by the Great Western Railway. It began as a small depot for a single steam engine bought in 1966. Over the years the site grew into a busy engineering base where steam and diesel locomotives are kept, repaired and returned to service. The works is home to a notable collection of historic engines. Among them are the Great Western Railway Castle and Hall classes, along with industrial steam engines and large diesel types. The Standard Gauge Steam Trust, a registered charity, runs the site and organises tours so visitors can see the locomotives at close quarters. Contract work for other companies also helps keep the works running and the engines running. Inside the depot are tracks, inspection pits and restored buildings from the old railway yard. Visitors can walk past engines like 6880 Betton Grange, partly built at Tyseley, and see the coaling stage turned into a two-road shed. The works remains a working base for Vintage Trains, which runs mainline steam tours such as the Shakespeare Express to Stratford-upon-Avon.