At the end of the day, Bagnall 2842 lifts its train away from Foxfield colliery and heads for home. It was half an hour late leaving; the sunshine was by now intermittent. Would we have had full sun if it had left on time?
It was an excellent day at the railway’s autumn gala yesterday – a “Rail Diaries” entry will follow shortly
Last train, a photo by geoffspages on Flickr.
We’ve been here before – Arley Arboretum. The autumn leaves are beginning to glow, and there are lots of interesting fungi lurking in the shadier corners…
I have to admit that not all the toadstools were at Arley. Some of them were in my back garden – an unexpected find on and around an old tree stump
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries – an entry for our visit to the Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway a couple of days ago. Visit “50 years of preservation” for the words and pictures – the latter mostly of that rather nice Henschel…
Taking the M5 south, we turn off for Toddington at Ashchurch – passing the site of the works where the Dowty RPS was formed in October 1962. The site, on the curve connecting the main line to the branch to Upton-on-Severn and beyond, is no longer recognisable, though trains still stop at Ashchurch (for Tewkesbury) station, and the MOD depot to the west of the main line is still rail-served, by the stub of the former line to Evesham, Redditch and, ultimately, Barnt Green.
The preservation effort in the 1960s was standard gauge – I remember my first sight of 6201 “Princess Elizabeth” in store there in 1968 – today’s efforts are a few miles further east, to a much smaller gauge (2′ 0″), and operational under a different guise – “The Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway“. Nevertheless, a 50th anniversary would provide a reason (or excuse?) for a gathering and a steam up. We had to go…
Haven’t had time yet to put together the “Rail Diaries” page – soon, perhaps; in the meantime, a sample – it’s Henschel 0-8-0T no. 1091 of 1918, rather a fine old machine.
A trip out today, to see Black 5 no. 44932 hauling “The Welsh Borders Steam Special”, from Crewe to Shrewsbury via Chester, then, later in the day, back to Crewe by the direct route. The light was lovely – the sun shone when the train came. A bit of white steam against those autumn leaves would have been very pleasant, even if the location wasn’t perfect.
I don’t know what went wrong… I’d had high hopes of a location for the return trip – perhaps another time?
The country to the west of the Stiperstones is bright, breezy country, ideal for a walk on a bright, breezy afternoon (a rare commodity at present).
The Bog Centre‘s opening hours seem to have increased recently – a good thing, apart from the possible effects of the refreshments (very welcome at the end of the walk) on the waist line…
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries – more pictures and an account of yesterday’s visit to the Severn Valley Railway. Go to “Southern Steam on the SVR“
It’s the Autumn Steam Gala on the Severn Valley Railway this weekend, with today’s weather likely to be the best, by far, for the three-day event. It was pretty good too – plenty of sunshine and cool air, and not too many clouds making a nuisance of themselves. My objective – to get a decent photo of the three visitors and the newcomer (whether I succeeded is a matter of opinion).
*and the Coal Tank.
A “Rail Diaries” page will follow in due course; here’s a taster
A ride on the Llangollen Railway – our train was steam-hauled, but this beautifully restored railcar* was also trundling up and down the line.
…and now for Apedale. Just published – the story and the photos from Sunday’s super trip to the Moseley Railway Trust’s Apedale Valley Railway. Visit “Contractors’ Delight at Apedale” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries
geoffspages.blog 