No.3 March 2010 - Intercity Railway Society

March came and up until now it had been the coldest Winter since 1947 with snow country wide, so with
the advent of better weather a pal and I decided to do something different. We went to Shrewsbury and
them by Midland Red to Minsterley a place I had never heard of before or since but it was the terminus
of a joint GW and LM branch from Hanwood on the Welshpool line. Our purpose was to walk the line and
photograph the stations.
At Pontesbury we also explored the lower end of
the Snailbeach Light Railway, a place I was to
return to later in the year. In those days, pregrouping
cast iron signs were everywhere and I
have photos of ‘LM&S and GW Joint Lines’, ‘
GW & LNW Joint Railways, and Great Western
and London and North Western Railways Joint
Lines’ signs but never did discover why GW led
on the pre-grouping signs but not the prenationalisation
ones !
sign at Minsterley, 3 March 1963
At Hanwood we actually saw a loco, 7800 on a
pw train, the only one we recorded. Just beyond
Hanwood, the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire
Railway crossed the main line so we walked
north to find the remains of Edgwold station and
then walked along to the next at Hanwood,
much derelict but absolutely fascinating, where
we also got a SMR sign. This line was very
much a rural byway of the Col. Stephens era
and was latterly run by the military until closure.
We both agreed it was by far and away the best
weekend of the year so far.
Maunsell 2-6-0 31875 (08/64)
Exmouth Jnct, 10 March 1963
Bulleid WC 4-6-2 34106 ‘Lydford’ (04/64)
Exmouth Jnct, 10 March 1963
The next Sunday it was back to shed bashing with a trip to Plymouth, haulage was by 44854 to Bristol,
D863 to Plymouth, D820 to Exeter, D1004 to Taunton and D811 back to Bristol. Numbers were well
down from the previous year Just 24 steam at Laira, I have no diesels listed so we might have been
kicked out I can't remember now ! Frairy and Exeter 12 each, Exmouth Junction managed 70 and
included three cops. Taunton had 28 on and for St Philips Marsh my record is missing. On 14 th just out of
interest I went to see the Beatles for the first time, they were a support act in those days ! Three of us
went down to London on 17 th with D1000 out and D1038 back for haulage. My detailed shed lists ended
the previous week so I rely now on photos and my diary but we visited Old Oak Common, Willesden,
Camden, Kings Cross, Stratford, Southall, Feltham and Nine Elms and a good day as I managed 5 cops
and took lots of photographs. Being young and bowing to peer pressure, I was not allowed to photo
diesels, something I greatly regret now, but I did sneak in one of a baby deltic on Stratford !
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