In the early days of road movements a police escort was normally used for the heavier rigs conveying main-line locos.
Or at least this was the case for those leaving Bescot. Eventually hauliers provided their own escort vehicles for
larger loads. This scene was captured just before noon on Wednesday 15th March 2000, when 31248 was going for scrap.
It had been loaded onto the trailer and driven up the steep depot drive. Normal practise would then be to pause in
Pemberton Crescent while the trailer height was adjusted and the securing chains checked. Here the lorry crew confer
with the police, shortly before departure. The loco was en-route to Thompson's in Stockton I believe. It took the normal
route for main-line locos in those days, which was via Wednesbury town centre, Moxley and the Black Country Route
to junction 10 of the M6. This avoided the elevated section of the motorway. In later years all such movements went direct
to junction 9, but since the last Class 08 left in August 2017 the only rolling stock leaving Bescot by road has been
wagons for scrap.
