A DAY ON THE SEVEN VALLEY RAILWAY
23 September 2004
Wednesday’s weather had been atrocious and Thursday morning didn’t look much better although the weather forecast held out some hope. What was not working to plan was my time table. Goodness knows where the time had gone. I had arranged to pick Ron up at half past eight and Derek a little later but at eight thirty five I was still making my way towards Bramhall lane and I hadn’t parked the dog yet. A quick decision saw me picking Ron up with the dog still in th
e back of the car. Robbie, my twelve year old black poodle thought having somebody new to lick was great fun and when Derek got in the back this was even better now he had someone to practise his well honed wrestling techniques on. We eventually reached my friends house and quickly got rid of Robbie much to the relief of Derek who by now had become quite adept at canine wrestling. We eventually reached the motorway and quickly began to make up some of the lost time though I hate driving on motorways when there is a lot of spray from large heavy vehicles. A comfort stop was called for at Keel service station and then we were once again racing the clock. Surprisingly we made it to Bridgenorth with time in hand and might have caught the train we had planned to catch, if we had not got lost in this pretty market town. Eventually we found the railway, which we now realised we had passed on our earlier circular tour of Brigenorth, just in time to see the grey pall of smoke that was our train slowly disappearing into the distance. Ah well at least the rain had stopped and the sun was doing its best to brighten the day.
A cup of hot coffee, a look around Bridgenorth Station and the purchase of three senior citizen return tickets found us sitting in a London North Eastern open panelled carriage which proudly described itself as first class. This was very luxuriously upholstered with individual reclining seats and very well maintained, bearing in mind that everything on this restored line is at least forty to fifty years old. A blast on the whistle and we slowly pulled out of the station. Being w
ell up the train we were near to the engine, a Great Western called “Bradley Manor” and we were soon into the clackety clack rhythm of the train and that familiar smell of oil, steam and smoke. “Cor” I said “close your eyes and you could be on the night train to Scotland” as I relived my childhood experiences. The lads fell about laughing, there’s a twenty five mile an hour limit on the seven valley railway not quite the Flying Scotsman. “Tickets please”, came the cry as the guard entered our carriage. Well I thought this is where we get chucked out of this posh carriage, but no. This friendly guard stood and chatted to us explaining that the recent heavy rain had washed away some of the banking along the seven valley and that was why we were crawling along at the moment.
Each station we came to was beautifully preserved with their painted roof awnings and fences, advertisements from a bygone era and well maintained gardens. Milk churns general luggage and fire buckets added to the atmosphere whilst Guards, Porters and railway staff all looked very s
mart in there respective uniforms. The sixteen miles of track from Bridgenorth to Kidderminster is all single track so trains have to wait in each of the stations to allow trains travelling in the opposite direction to pass. Much to our surprise we saw quite a variety of trains all in steam. From a Stanier Black Five and a small Prairie Tank engine to a Gresley A4 named “Union of South Africa” with its American stile whistle to name but a few. All too soon we were at our destination and feeling quite peckish but a visit to the Station Pub and three all day breakfasts consisting of sausage, egg, bacon, baked beans and hash browns soon had us looking for new challenges.
A stroll around the station shops and museum still found us with time on our hands. Derek enquired of a local worthy if it was far to Kidderminster town centre and having been assured that it was just down the hill from the station we set of in search of new vistas. Well; we never did find Kidderminster town centre and that hill seemed twice as steep as we wended our way back to the station. We settled in a third class carriage in a compartment all to ourselves, glad to take the weight of our feet. Though third class it looked as if it had been newly upholstered and was the equal of our first class carriage that mornin
g. Settling back, completely relaxed, watching the English country side pass by, I was reminded of what a pleasant way the railways were to travel. The sight of numerous colourful pheasants by the track side, fields of barley swaying in the breeze, the neat hedgerows and the cattle running away from the trackside as our engine driver gave a blast on the whistle. Then there were the Llamas and the Elephants: Had I had too much to drink at lunchtime? Thankfully no. We were apparently passing The West Midlands Safari Park.
An hour after leaving Kidderminster we arrived back at Bridgenorth with a final opportunity to take those last few photographs before setting off home. We broke the journey for coffee at a Welcome service station. Coffee and a sticky jam doughnut for me and tea for the lads. It was eight o’clock when we arrived back in Stockport and we had had a super day. Our only disappointment was that more of our Probus friends had not been able to experience with us, the delights of the Seven Valley Railway.
See the Gallery for more Photographs of this event
THE BRITISH COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MUSEUM at Leyland on 24th June 2004
I would like to tell you about the - Right Good Day Out - that some of us had last Thursday when our Chairman organized a visit to the British Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland
Unfortunately we were only five in number. I took Frank Johnson and Ron Fitch and Geoff Go
odwin took Derek Morton.
We had agreed to meet in the museum car park at 10.30am, but the weather was absolutely atrocious so much so that at one stage on the motorway with the windscreen wipers at full speed, the car in front of us simply disappeared.
We eventually arrived at the museum at about twenty to eleven and the museum staff made us very welcome, ushering us into the cafeteria where four hot coffees and one cup of tea were duly ordered. (It’s not just at the club that our chairman is awkward it’s everywhere! At least he is consistent) Derrick decided he would have a two fingered Kit Kat so we all decide to order two fingered Kit Kats.
After a short rest we then spent several enjoyable hours looking around the museum.
We saw an omnibus belonging to the Edinburgh and District Tramways Department where the driver sat out in the rain and so did the passengers on the upper deck. Edinburgh is a cold city at the best of times so I think I would have paid my 3 pennies and sat inside rather than the 1 penny to si
t upstairs.
Some of the vehicles we were told were owned by the museum and some were privately owned by groups or individuals who still took them out on rallies or to various shows around the country.
We saw a Fair Ground Steam Traction Engine and the actual Pope-mobile in which Pope John Paul was driven around the streets of Liverpool. Interestingly he stood up for the whole journey, there being just a rail for him to hold onto and a very austere seat resembling one of those walking sticks where the handles fold out flat for you to sit on.
There were fire engines complete with the sound effects of a real fire. A huge Scammell tractor unit with more chain drives than would seem reasonable, which prompted many questions to the museum staff. There was a Tate and Lyle four wheel drive tractor unit with four wheel steering apparently used in the sugar beat fields of Lincolnshire and a Chivers Jam van that looked for all the
world like Corporal Jones’s Butchers van without the modified gun positions
We saw a model T. Ford van and a RAF First World War tractor with the intriguing words stencilled on it. “ALWAYS FOLLOW LOAD WITH SCOTCH WHEN USING WINDING GEAR”. We thought they must have all been drunk on whiskey, but apparently a SCOTCH is just another word for something similar to a chock that would be put around the wheels of an aircraft when stationery. There were several buses and trolley buses going back many years and a Cleveland petrol pump showing petrol to be one shilling and two pence per gallon.
Oh how things have changed.
After several enjoyable hours at the museum we went in search of some food and eventually found a pub come eating establishment where we ate a hearty meal all washed down with something wet and tasty.
We all agreed that we had really
Enjoyed the day
Enjoyed the company
And vowed to do it again in the near future
Several destinations were considered, but I won’t steal our Chairman’s thunder by saying any more for now. One of the criticisms levelled at our club by some members is that we don’t get to know one another very well. Well five of us got to know each other really well on this outing so hopefully next time; more members will join us, because this time,
I have to report; that you missed…
A RIGHT GOOD DAY OUT.
See the Gallery for more Photographs of this event
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