As I write, the rain is teeming down – another wet day in this soggy summer. But a couple of days ago, we had an excellent 10-mile stroll on little-known hills in mid-Wales. Perfect walking conditions – pleasantly warm, a light breeze, red kites, mud…
Visit “Llandegley Rocks” on “Walks with a Camera”
No, we’ve not gone sporty all of a sudden. This was the Golden Valley Light Railway‘s great event – its 21st anniversary celebration, annual steam gala (no less than 5 working steam locomotives*) and the official opening of its magnificent new running shed. And we’d had a formal invite!
Visit “Golden Valley – the Triple Event” on “Geoff’s Rail Diaries” for the full story; in the meantime suffice it to see we had a great time – bright sunny weather (the first for weeks), a superb buffet lunch, and wonderful steam action. The return trip from the Newlands Inn, with Graham Lee at the regulator of his new “Jack Lane”, was amazing (literally, the sparks were flying…) – see below for the action. Many thanks once again to Pat Draper and Paul Sharpe at the GVLR for their kind invitation and a super day out.
*resident “Pearl 2”, new Hunslet “Jack Lane”, vertical boilered “Taffy”, Kerr Stuart “Peter Pan” and “Irish Mail” from the West Lancs
Yes, it did get rather dark – in fact, at 8.30pm, a couple of days before midsummer, it was like night. The camera was struggling – 1/20 @ f:8, ISO1600… (the photos are “as taken” – no tweaking)
By Wednesday morning, the damage was done – Hampton Loade, just a few miles down the Severn Valley, was cut off, its only road washed out, and the SVR’s tracks suspended in space above washed-out embankments. To quote the SVR website, “from Bridgnorth Outer Home Signal to Northwood Halt … sections of the line have been subjected to landslips, with several sections of track left suspended in air, cuttings filled with debris and at Highley, a major landslip, with the Up Starter Signal washed away, down the embankment.” The SVR has launched an appeal for funds and practical help.
Yes, 2007 marks ten years since the first pictures were published on the site, on the enterprise.net server webspace, which would become “Geoff’s Rail Pages”. It started with scans of prints and drawings, but on acquiring the first slide scanner (a Nikon Coolscan II), the slides started to appear. Soon afterwards, the first video clips were digitised (which was real fun in those days, on a Pentium 120 – took hours to compress a minute or two of video) and the links page created (not many of them still going, ten years on…)
I’m not sure how much web space we got in those days – was it 10mb? Didn’t need a lot, with a 28.8kbit modem. Anyway, if you’ve not been there before, visit Geoff’s Rail Pages – original and best!
Just back from a little outing to see the King – 6024 “King Edward I” hauling the “Cambrian Coast Express” between Shrewsbury and Paddington. The line climbs at 1 in 137, steepening to 1 in 100 through Albrighton, after the descent from Hollinswood – consequently, the train was moving quickly – perhaps 60mph – and working hard enough for a decent action shot – see below:
Shame about the horrid water wagon immediately behind the tender – no doubt it’s going to be an increasingly necessary feature of main line steam operations. Bring back the Ethels – all is forgiven!
Just published to “Geoff’s Rail Diaries“, an illustrated account of a few days wandering around the railways of Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland in July 1984. Visit “Northern Counties” now…
…and another ancient Southern tank at Horsehay… Yes, the blog is a year old – and the first entry depicted the Beattie well tank’s visit to Horsehay, home of the Telford Steam Railway. A year later, the bank holiday visitor to the railway was ex-LBSC “Terrier” 662 “Martello”. Last time I met this little locomotive, it was in steam, in the pouring rain, at Bressingham. Once again, the clouds had gathered – Sunday was a total washout, and within an hour of my arrival this afternoon, it was raining again. Can’t win them all! Nevertheless, an attractive little visitor, and an opportunity for one or two half-decent snaps…
The red kites of mid-Wales are a real success story. Down to single numbers of breeding pairs – as few as two or three at times – in the 1920s and 30s, there are now hundreds – and introduced populations are thriving elsewhere in the UK. One factor in their recent success must be the feeding programme at Gigrin Farm, Rhayader. Since 1994, and at the initiative of the RSPB, the feed has provided a daily spectacle for visitors.
We had an omen for the day’s success shortly before leaving Shropshire – we spotted one circling near Hopton Heath, on the road from Craven Arms to Knighton – my first Salopian sighting.
We took our places in the hides at the farm at around 2pm and waited. The crows began to take their places too, and as the hour wore on, the odd kite or two in the sky above the farm became several, then, as 3pm approached, dozens. By the time of the feed (3pm in summer) there must have been around 50 kites in the air.
The crows stomp around and take their pick – the kites swoop, grabbing their chosen morsel with their talons, and eating it on the wing – amazing! (I think Hitchcock would have been impressed too…)
The weather could have been better (it was, a few miles away) – if it had, the photos might have been better.
Just published to “Geoff’s Rail Diaries“, an account of a visit to the standard and narrow gauge railways based in the Peak District’s Derwent Valley – the standard gauge “Peak Rail” running on the route of the former Midland main line to Manchester, and the “Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway”, a line that is nearly as long as its title, but with plans to extend… Peak Rail has aspirations to extend too, through the National Park to Buxton.
Visit “Peak Rail – standard and small“, 15 April 2007.
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries, an account of a trip to the Great Orme Tramway – photos and video – followed by a quick look at the very fine collection of industrial locomotives at Penrhyn Castle. Visit “Great Orme – and a peep at Penrhyn“, 12 April 2007
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