…and trams, traction engines, buses, ships, boats, canals and other transport subjects
4.10pm, Sat 15th Feb 2014: LMS Jubilee 45699 “Galatea” roars up the bank out of Shrewsbury with the return “Welsh Borders”. Just for once, everything was right – sunshine and steam, and the wind in the right direction. What more could one ask?
For photos see http://geoffspages.co.uk/raildiary/galatea2.htm
…that I travelled on a railtour from Leeds, to run from Carlisle to Edinburgh on the last day of the Waverley Route via Hawick and Galashiels. The illustrated story of that trip is on the Rail Diaries pages – “Last Day of the Waverley Route“. Today, the northern part of the line, from Waverley to Tweedbank, is being reconstructed, with opening scheduled for summer 2015. In the late 1960s, no-one thought we’d need railways in the 21st century…
Borders Railway Project website
The conditions were, for the last day of November, near perfect for a photo of 70013 “Oliver Cromwell”, following in the steps of last week’s run of “Britannia”. The air was cold, the sunshine bright and directional, ready to light the steam nicely from behind. The train was about an hour late (not its fault), but it was going well as it approached in the distance. Then, in prime position for our photos, the driver closed the regulator (on a 1 in 112 uphill stretch – one of the steeper parts of the long climb to Church Stretton). Once behind the trees, the regulator was opened again, and stayed open away into to the distance, including the short downhill stretch to Craven Arms. We could hear it as well as see it. So what went wrong? (I well remember the driver of 46229 closing the regulator briefly on the last 1/4 mile of so of the southbound climb to Ais Gill, 
just to spite the gallery of photographers… Surely not?)
The WAG train was a minor bonus – made a change from the usual endless procession of class 175 units.
That’s Britannia – first of the class, and first of 999 BR standard steam locomotives. Today it was hauling the “Cathedrals Express” from Waterloo to Shrewsbury, via the Severn tunnel and the “North and West” route through Hereford. Unfortunately, a preceding freight train broke down, causing substantial delays to services – and to the special. It was around 70 minutes late when it passed Stokesay – the light was going rapidly. So was Britannia…
30 Oct: Firstly, the trip into York – the local bus goes to the railway station, from where it’s a short walk to the NRM. I stayed long enough to record the gathering photographically, then walked back into York (via the Minster and the Shambles) to collect the household authorities at the agreed time. See Six A4s on Geoff’s Rail Diaries for more…
It wasn’t just the railway museum that was busy – so were the streets of York. It’s half-term week up here – perhaps that’s the reason. For the afternoon’s entertainment we chose a much quieter option – a walk to the deserted village of Wharram Percy, in the Wolds to the east of York. Other than some earthworks in the fields, little remains of the village, apart from the ruins of St Martin’s church. The English Heritage sign warned of the dangers of the site – somewhat over the top, I thought, before hitting my head on the “Wolds Way” guide post after taking the picture… In fact the afternoon was a chapter of minor accidents – I’d left the map behind (successfully relying on memory). The light had gone as we walked up beside Deep Dale – so had the camera battery. The spare was in the car…
English Heritage: Wharram Percy
The Great Gathering? More like the Stupendous Scrum… Left to right, they are nos. 7, 8, 9, 19, 22 and (a “cop”!) 10.
There’s no chance of a photographic masterpiece, but attendance at one of the gatherings is, for those of a certain age, compulsory. Isn’t it?
It looked like its galloping days were well and truly over when I saw it in Barry scrapyard in 1968 – but like so many other former residents, LMS Jubilee 45699 “Galatea” is back in action on the main lines. It was certainly galloping along when it passed through on its way from Shrewsbury to Crewe this afternoon.
That’s what the leaflet said… There’s more than one gauge at Keef’s; nearby is the newly-established 2’0″ gauge Lea Bailey Light Railway, and the 15″ gauge Perrygrove Railway is great fun. Visit “Narrow Gauges in the Forest” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries.
…the annual Autumn Steam Gala is upon us. For pictures and video, visit “Visitors in the Valley” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries
Sunday afternoon – back to the Severn Valley Railway. I’d seen Metropolitan Railway No.1 on Friday, in action further north – but it was bunker-first up the bank at Eardington, and just drifting down again. Here it’s working well on the gentle climb from Bewdley to Foley Park Tunnel – and the right way round.
There will be a Rail Diaries page in a day or two…
A most welcome visitor, a photo by
geoffspages on Flickr.
geoffspages.blog 