Out of action since the disastrous storms of 2007, the ancient ferry at Hampton Loade on the river Severn is back in action (if that’s the best way to describe it). Relying solely on the current, this is truly green transport.
Category: Railways…
…and trams, traction engines, buses, ships, boats, canals and other transport subjects
More monorail…
Just published to the “monorail” pages, the first page of what promises to be a very interesting set – the Kenneth Gray collection. Here’s a fairly random sample…
The Vital Spark
Inveraray – and tied up at the quay (admittedly in the custody of the maritime museum) is none other than the “Vital Spark”, Para Handy’s famous puffer.
Home the following day – via Dunoon and the Hunter’s Quay – McInroy’s Point ferry
More on Flickr…
The ferry, Armadale
The journey home – via the west coast and a couple of ferry crossings.
Firstly, from Armadale on Skye to Mallaig, then via Fort William and the Appin coast to the Connel bridge, and onwards via Loch Awe to Inveraray.
More photos on Flickr
Accidental Steam…
Should have done some homework before setting off… A trip to Skye, via Edinburgh, arranged at fairly short notice – never thought to see what was happening up there. We met the two locos – 45231 and 45407 – on Beattock bank as we drive northwards the previous day – quite a sight. Then, after an overnight stay in the Scottish capital, we continued northwards, via Falkirk and “the Wheel”. As we drove up the A9 towards Perth, we noticed lots of people beside the railway line – we’d better find out what was going on.
It was of course the “Great Britain II” railtour – seven days of steam haulage. Yes, we’d seen the 5s on Beattock – if we’d been organised, we might have seen Scots Guardsman too.
Superb Statfold Steam – 28 March ’09
Ten locos in steam! Fantastic! Visit Ten in steam at Statfold on Geoff’s Rail Diaries for the rest of the photos…
Tornado at Waverley
Just published to “Geoff’s Rail Diaries“, an account of a trip to Edinburgh which coincided (is that the right word?) with new-built A1 60163 “Tornado” heading the first A1-hauled passenger train from Waverley since the mid-60s. Visit “Two A1s in Edinburgh” – if only to find the (pretty obvious) answer to the simple little puzzle posed by the title…
Riding with Badger
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries, an account of a trip on the Kirklees Light Railway, the 15″ gauge line built on the trackbed of the former Clayton West branch near Wakefield, Yorks. Visit “Down the line with Badger“.
It was 40 years ago today…
…that I travelled over the Waverley route from Carlisle to Edinburgh and back – last day of services before closure. Visit “Last Day of the Waverley Route” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries
25 years ago in South Shields…
…I paid a visit to the Harton Colliery railway, last remnant of the South Shields, Marsden and Whitburn colliery system, and home to the “Westoe electrics”, a fine collection of overhead-electric locomotives which worked the coal from Westoe colliery down to Harton Low Staithe on the Tyne.
There’s been a page on “Geoff’s Rail Diaries” for some time – “Seaham and Harton“; in response to interest shown by a number of site visitors, here’s the full set of photos taken at the time (yes, it’s been another cold wet day here…). Visit “The Westoe Electrics” on the “Specials” pages.
