Shropshire 4 - A nostalgic journey

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Railway Day - What nostalgia. Where can you start? The memories come flooding back when you were a child of the railway age. The platforms with their diamond shaped blue brick paving - the same paving my gran used for her garden paths. Milk churns waiting to be shipped from the farm to the nearest town using the train. An old fashioned ticket office brown oak panelled with small peephole window. Old fashioned green cardboard tickets and a collection of railway memorabilia. Bicycles leaned up against a wall and liveried guards, porters and engine drivers. What fun to be transported back to pre- Beeching days. Mr Beeching eat your heart out. You tried to kill off steam and the railways and just look what a legacy you left.

Our first stop the buffet car capaccinos and bacon butties. I worked on the theory starve a cold so jibbed on the bacon butty. It's not working!!!!

After our short stop at the buffet car we walked back to the platform. The engine and train were coupling up as we arrived and we stood enthralled by the green liveried steaming giant being gently shunted into position to couple up with the carriages. Glenn commented one of the carriages was as old as himself. I couldn’t find one my age. To make our day we were invited onto the footplate, the coals being shovelled in the tender, the red hot fire stoked up to 1500 degress and with steam hissing all around. The smells and sounds brought back memories of train travel of the late 1950’s and early1960’s. The driver was retired having never worked on the railways in his life but he and his wife who was the guard today travelled up and stayed in converted railway carriage whilst they volunteered on the line. Smoke puthered from the chimney and we were all happy with the world. We could almost be children again. The Railway children story running through our head, railway inspired music, pennies put on the line for the train to squash. It was all flooding back.

We set off the train gliding through the Shropshire countryside like an elegant old lady. Glenn who likes speed commented he wished he was on Mallard or The Flying Scotsman on one of their historic runs from London to Edinburgh. As it was so cold we did not get off the train at any of the stations although most of them along the way looked idyllic and charming. The station gardens all neatly tended and full of spring flowers. We followed the river more or less all the way, rolling hillocks to one side and woods to the other. Not as spectacular as the Welsh Mountain railways more of a genteel stroll out in to the countryside. We missed the Engine House which houses rolling stock but it was possible along the way to see rolling stock full of coal, ballast and machinery for use on the line.

We followed our route on a plan which showed the names of halts long gone, a comment on a house along the way, the resevoirs full of water from the Elan Valley and a halt used to ship troops out to the First World War. We sat in the buffet car elegant in brown and cream with pretty art deco style lamps.

We saw Elephants - yes thats what we thought Elephants in a field in the safari park. Not quite what you expect in Worcestershire. Sion thought of his friend Wooly - these must be relatives of Woolly.

More rolling stock lined the railway sidings, everything lovingly cared for and restored. Signal boxes lovingly painted and cared for .

Finally we arrived at Kiddy . Kidderminster Station was not the original but a recent rebuilt copy of the station at Ross on Wye but it looked the part with green diesel engines waiting to be driven to Bewdley, a collection of British Rail liveried trains a buffet room and a small refreshments cafe. I enjoyed my jacket potato but Glenns cod and chips were not so good.

Before we began our return journey we stopped off at the small museum which was crammed to the rafters with maroon and white station name signs, signalling equipment, signs advising trespassers on the line that they could be fined. It was fun seeing things that we had long forgotten. I even spotted a Buzby advertisement in Welsh extolling the message that is fun to talk.

When we got back most of the weekenders had gone home leaving us and another motorhome on site. We tried Kathrein the satellite and yes again she lets us down. The same old message she is talking to the satellites but she is sulking from her antenna and will not talk to the TV. Message to Solar Solutions – she is one on the 14^th so still under guarantee – are you going to fix it AGAIN? Reply back - they think its a connection issue and are coming up next week from Dorset to have a look at it. So here's hoping they get it right this time.

The nights were cold again and freezing. On our way out we called in to return our keys for the ablution block and what did I see - out the corner of my eye a work colleague who had retired three years ago. A pleasant end to a trip to Bridgnorth chatting up where we had been and where we were going to next. Thats the beauty of motorhoming you met people and get the chance to compare notes.

Tomorrow Ludlow .

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Photos

Bridgnorth
Severn Valley Railway

Kidderminster
Station concourse

Kidderminster
Station concourse

Kidderminster
In the railway museum

Elephants
Now these must be related to Woolly