Tyseley Story- Seventy Years of Railway Pioneering in Birmingham

Michael Whitehouse has been in the privileged position of being involved on the inside track of privately preserved main line steam ever since it began around 1964 and, through his family, has also experienced first-hand many of the precursor activities originating with the Talyllyn Railway, followed by Society Specials on British Railways, the nascent Dart Valley Railway, and the purchase and operation of both Great Western ‘Small Prairie’ tank No. 4555 and the last GW-designed ‘Castle’, No. 7029 Clun Castle. He has been at the helm of developing the strategies for Tyseley’s Vintage Trains for over forty years and, with an expert team of friends, has ensured that express steam trains still operate frequently from Birmingham for the enjoyment of many. The Tyseley Story is told largely through Michael’s own experiences, put in context with the wider national picture, and illustrated depicting the development of volunteer-run railways over the past 70 years.