Here is Just one of the photo’s I took with my first camera when 15 years of age and working as an engine cleaner at Saltley along with a few others of you and able to wander round the shed at will. As you can see it’s not wonderful but every picture tells a story. 9F 92029 ex Crosti boilered 2-10-0 was one of the sheds allocation and what a state it’s in. The front end on the fireman’s side is all crumpled up after a heavy collision with something. Here it is backing out of number 3 shed heading for the dead end where it will then go forwards to pass through the shed yard off to it’s next diagram. The safety valve is blowing off with a full head of steam. This is probably the only time it would do this, when stood still or just barely moving. The front end is covered in lime scale from leaking boiler tubes and smoke box door which is probably why. It along with it’s sister 92028 belong to Saltley and I had the honour of firing both when passing out as a fireman at 16 a few months after this picture was taken on a regular basis in one of the local trip links. They just wouldn’t steam when pushed, 92028 being the worst offender. How they lasted so long before being scrapped I do not know. I hated these two engines unlike the normal standard 9F’s which were great and steamed like anything. In the background to the left is a Brush 4, one of the new order and what would become a class 47, and to the right is the front end of a Stanier black 5, which might be the west pilot, the stand by engine for failures on the main line. Enjoy.
March 1965.