Might as well… It’s dull, threatening rain, after a fine sunny start (“I thought it was going to be sunny all day?”). The longer views are flat and uninteresting – we’ll concentrate on the details close at hand.
Buses, bears and pumping engines
6 May 2006: the Abbey Pumping Station is in Leicester, a local authority museum based around a Victorian steam-powered sewage-pumping facility. They’ve constructed a 2′ gauge railway around the grounds, and Leonard, a little Bagnall dating from 1919, would be in operation on this occasion (for a full report on Leonard’s activities, visit “Leonard at Leicester” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries). There were other exhibits, including couple of old buses which seemed to be operated by, and for, some rather large bears. Next door, there’s a spaceship (really!). All good fun, and interesting too. Must go again one day…
Again, Red Lane
Another fine, clear, bright day – not a single cloud! To the far end of Red Lane and back is nearly five miles, a most enjoyable walk on a day like this.
Shirlett: a spring evening
5 May 2006: Making the most of a fine spring evening, 14 years ago. Shirlett is an area of relatively high ground in the triangle between Bridgnorth, Broseley and Much Wenlock. With no through roads, and just a few scattered houses, it’s quiet.
Clear
Another very different day – warm bright sunshine, few clouds, clear and cold air, a bit of a breeze…
Chasewater and Middleton
4 May 2003 and 2008: visits to small heritage railways which were in the vanguard of the preservation movement. I first visited the Middleton and Chasewater railways in the late 60s; for a time, Middleton wasn’t too far distant, and I visited it on a number of occasions. Then came a long gap – until this day in 2003. Chasewater has been the destination of many short outings over the years. When we visited it on 4 May 2008, it was getting back on its feet, after the motorway truncated its line slightly, but funded much-needed development. Both trips are fully detailed on “Geoff’s Rail Diaries” – see All change at Chasewater and Middleton revisited
A brighter day
It’s sunnier, brighter and warmer than it has been for a few days. Still a few showers around, by the look of the clouds, but none where we are.
Crossing the river
3 May 2009: Ancient and modern… There’s a new footbridge between Highley and Alveley, replacing a structure which originally served the mines. A couple of miles upstream, at Hampton Loade, a much older means of crossing was still available in 2009, but sadly it’s no longer usable. It was the last ferry of its kind on the Severn, a simple boat attached by pulley to an overhead cable, driven across by the force of river current. Truly green transport!
Under a dark sky
Heavy cloud – not great for photos, but at least it’s staying dry. The wild garlic in the lane is like drifts of snow, and the unfurling fronds of bracken resemble prehistoric creatures. Are they having a chat?
Fifty years ago
2 May 1970: It was a geography field trip from school – a week in Little Stretton. Most of those attending would be travelling in the school minibus and teachers’ cars, but three of us would need to get there by rail. I was one of the three, volunteered, in effect, by our teacher, who shared my interests in our railways. The weekend also marked the end of the “North and West” route via Shrewsbury and Hereford, for trains from the north-west of England to and from Cardiff and the West Country. I travelled on a “North and West” express from Manchester Piccadilly, as far as Shrewsbury.
During the week we visited many places which would become very familiar a few years later, when I moved to the area for work. We walked on the Stiperstones ridge, visited Snailbeach, explored the Wenlock Edge, and took a trip to Telford, which had been designated thus just two years earlier. We also had an afternoon to ourselves – I visited Bridgnorth, where the Severn Valley Railway was preparing for its reopening later that month. Little did I suspect that this fascinating area would become home just a few years later.
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