Smethwick Drop Forgings Ltd. Siding
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| 1941 map of the proposed new track work for SDF (north to the left) |
During 1942 additional track work was laid to enable the then-new Smethwick Drop Forgings Ltd. ("SDF") factory on the Stourport road at Kidderminster to gain main line rail access via the British Sugar Corporation's Foley Park sidings.[1] Much of the land between SDF and the Foley Park sidings was owned by Thomas Vale & Sons who had their own private siding connected to the BSCBritish Steel Corporation, or British Sugar Corporation sidings. SDF acquired an area of land from Thomas Vale prior to the new track work being laid.[2]
SDF already supplied forgings for aviation and allied industries and the automotive, railway, electrical, agricultural machinery and general engineering trades.[3] The idea of a modern forge was conceived prior to World War II, the 42-acre site acquired at Kidderminster and plans drawn up. With the outbreak of war, the Ministry of Supply stepped in and speeded up construction. Production, mainly for the armed forces (including tank parts[4]) began in 1942. During the war about 1,200 workers were employed at Kidderminster.[5]
Owing to the amount of wartime traffic it generated, SDF was provided with small shunting locomotive by the Ministry of Supply ("M.O.S.").[1] The locomotive, W.G. Bagnall 0-4-0ST works no. 2664/1942 "S.D.F No 1", remained at Foley Park until late 1947 before moving to Newcastle Upon Tyne.[4][note 1]
After the war, military production was drastically reduced and the workforce there dropped to under 150.[5] The track work between SDF and the Foley Park sidings has not been found on any post-War OSOrdnance Survey maps, suggesting it may have been lifted again after M.O.S. use ended. The business ceased trading in 2016.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Turley refers to "William Barclay of Stafford". This is presumably a typographical error; W.G. Bagnall were based at Stafford while Andrew Barclay & Sons were a Scottish company.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Turley (2005) p. 77.
- ↑ 1940s plan of the proposed new siding
- ↑ Smethwick Drop Forgings, Grace's Guide To British Industrial History
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Keith Beddoes via miac.org.uk
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Worthington, John, 'How SDF began', kidderminster.co.uk, 21 November 2014 (Retrieved 27 May 2024)
