ROWLEY Regis reader Ray Cresswell was delighted to come across a wonderful relic of the steam age recently, particularly as it has a close link to his own and his mother’s working life at an Oldbury company, many decades ago.
Ray takes up the story as follows...
“I attended the Bedfordshire Steam and Country Fayre last weekend and I was surprised and delighted to see the 1910 Burrell Road Locomotive and Crane Engine, Works No. 3197, Reg. No AB 8904, named ‘Old Tim’, on display.
“This engine was supplied new to Screen Bros. of Oldbury, and had a hard life of heavy haulage and was a well known sight in and around the Midlands, hauling boilers, castings and anything large.
Equipment “With its crane and powerful winch, it would go into engineering workshops, steelworks and foundries to move and lift heavy equipment.
This engine was used by Screens until the end of the 1950s when Screens finally finished trading.
“I expressed an interest in this engine, as it came from my part of the world, and the driver Mr. Allen said it spent some of its life working at Edwin Danks Works, Oldbury, and as I started my apprenticeship there and my mother was a crane driver at the Danks works, I thought your readers may be interested to see it. It certainly brought back a lot of memories for me”.
