A RETIRED railway worker who took the famous steam engine Big Bertha on its final journey to be scrapped says the locomotive should have been saved, writes Neil Gordon.
Barry Troth was a fireman at Bromsgrove where the engine was based. He made the claim last week on the 70 anniversary of the locomotive’s withdrawal from service.
Retired rail worker Barry Troth maintains that Big Bertha should have been saved. Picture Neil Gordon Media.
The famous engine, number 58100 and known as Big Bertha, was out-shopped at Derby Works in 1919 for banking duties on the Lickey Incline. It worked there until 1956.
Mr Troth said: “I have fond memories of working on Big Bertha. It was a part of Bromsgrove and I was sad to see it go.
“It shouldn’t have been scrapped. It should have been saved and put on display at the National Railway Museum.”
“Derby Works said the locomotive needed a new boiler and claimed the spare boiler wasn’t usable. So it was scrapped.”
Locomotive 58100 at Derby Works in 1956 after its final journey from Bromsgrove. Picture courtesy of Adrian Troth.
Final journey
Big Bertha’s final task was to assist a Bristol to Newcastle mail train up the Incline at 3.30am on May 19, 1956.
Then, once back in Bromsgrove, it departed one final time for Derby. That was at 4am with driver Les Rudge and Barry.
Barry, 91, said: “We were told in advance it was going for scrapping. I believe the early departure was so it couldn’t be photographed leaving Bromsgrove.
“We stopped at Kingsbury on the way as the engine needed more water.
“Then, after leaving ‘Bertha at Derby we caught a passenger train back home.”
Big Bertha being dismantled at Derby Works. Picture courtesy of Adrian Troth.
At Derby the locomotive was dismantled. It was then reassembled for an open day, before being dismantled one final time.
And Barry, known for his British Legion work, added: “There can’t be many people left now who saw Big Bertha in steam.”
