Calthorpe Park and Sutton Park

Phil,
With reference to these two parks in Telegraph Poles -

Calthorpe Park, Edgbaston doesn't ring a bell at present. Do you have a photograph of that or do you know what gauge it was ? Did the engine pull passengers around behind it ? Was it at a Railway Club? or was it public running.
Let me know more and I will try and find out for you.

Sutton Park - Great photos - Engines from there went to the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway if you wish to look up their site. Lynn.

Phil,
Sutton Park- the big stuff, that I am not interested in but I do collect a few station pictures. If any use to you it says 1953, and will give me some more practice at putting them on here.
Lynn.

Lynn

Concerning the train in Calthorpe Park I know very little about only a memory at the back of my mind of riding on it as a child. All I know is it had gone by the mid 50's. It used to run backward and forward on a track of about a couple of hundred yards a the side of the River Rea and it was only a couple of coppers for a ride. By the way here is Sutton Park Station after it closed in 65 this photo was taken in 1980. I believe the station has been reopened now.

Phil

Phil,
At Calthorpe Park - Was the track on the ground or was it a raised track like in your picture of Bournville.
Did it have an engine shed or did the people take the engines home at the end of the day?
Lynn.

Lynn

The track in Calthorpe Park was fixed to the ground and the engine and carriages were stored in a shed overnight. I think there may have been a couple of engines and one was kept for back up. This 1950 photo of the River Rea as it passes through the park shows a part of that shed on the right hand side of the photo.

Phil

Phil, Thanks for that. It looks big enough to be a Clubhouse or something. Shall keep on thinking.

Do you think that the engines were as big as the one at Perry Hall.? Lynn.

Lynn

I honestly can't remember, and don't forget I would only be a tot. So anything would look big to me anyway. I'll ask around and see if I can find out what size it was.

Phil

Phil,
On looking closely on Google Map the bridge in your picture is still there and on looking very close in there looks like as if there may still be a corrugated roof in behind the trees.
Lynn.

Lynn

Yes both bridges in the park are still there, but believe me I have been in that park hundreds of times since the miniature railway was removed and nothing remains of the installation, If anything is there now it has been built in the last 20 or 30 years.

Phil

Phil, On Google I managed to get a side look in on the left of this bridge but I just don't seem to get the thing to swing around into the same angle again.
It was well hidden in the trees so I had thought that it may have been the remains of an old shed but if you have been there in reality then you would know for better. Lynn.

So I put on the wrong picture - Lets try again. Lynn.

Lynn

Its easy done, you can change it but perhaps that is best left until you have gotten the full idea.

Phil

2nd attempt for practice !!!! Lynn.

Thanks Phil, I think I've just about got it but it certainly has taken it's time. Lynn.

Lynn

That is the view from Edward Rd and the track couldn't be seen from there as it was much further down by the second bridge. Here is a reply I have just got back on another forum. The chap who replied is about five years older than me so remembers it much better than I. It seems that my memory is not as good as I thought it was.

Phil.. The Bournville photo is as close as you will get, the track was built up and you sat with your legs over the side, it ran for about 100 meters,then came back, the train was taken home every night, ( I wonder why,?), there where some large swings next was some toilets and after was an open space where the train used to run, south to north along side the river Rea fencing


Phil