No.3 March 2010 - Intercity Railway Society

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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 ! 14
Churchward 47xx 2-8-0 4706 (02/64) Southall, 17 March 1963 Collett 57xx 0-6-0PT 9700 (wd 10/63) note condensing apparatus (one of 11 so fitted) Old Oak Common, 17 March 1963 Fowler 4P 2-6-4T 42350 (wd 02/65) Willesden, 17 March 1963 BR Std 3MT 2-6-2T 82011 (wd 08/64) Nine Elms, 17 March 1963 Wordsell J15 0-6-0 65469 (wd 08/62) Stratford, 17 March 1963 D5909 and other classmates (wd 03/71) Stratford, 17 March 1963 On the following Wednesday I went to Tamworth and walked a fair way to Alders Paper Mills, it had become legendary as the home of ex-Alexander Docks and Railway 0-4-OST 1340 ‘Trojan’ now preserved at Didcot. I was made welcome and had a cab ride in the yard. Amazingly although it was sold into industry as long ago as 1932 it still had its GWR number plate attached. At the back end of 2007 it was operating the steam shuttle at Didcot so I had it for haulage some 44 years after my cab trip. They also had a small Barclay saddle tank as the spare engine. Sunday brought another walking trip, this time three of us visited the ex-Midland branches from Stonehouse to Stroud and Nailsworth. It was another brilliant day, both lines were still open for freight and the infrastructure was intact apart from Dudbrook Junction Signal box, which was there but horizontal, still lying where it fell ! 15
Page 1 and 2: Tracks the monthly magazine of the
Page 3 and 4: Society Notice Board Editor’s Com
Page 5 and 6: the appropriate official. Good qual
Page 7 and 8: Network News by Trevor Roots Workin
Page 9 and 10: Preservation News Severn Valley Rai
Page 11 and 12: Traffic & Traction News by John Bar
Page 13: Ramblings of a Rail Enthusiast by D
Page 17 and 18: Out & About by James Holloway To be
Page 19 and 20: Stirlingshire Sightings by Derek Sn
Page 21 and 22: CV Cliff Vale CY Corby DC Dyce DM D
Page 23 and 24: Railway Globetrotters by Ray Smith
Page 25 and 26: Apart from the local service, the s
Page 27 and 28: It is known Switch & Rail Grinder D

No.3 March 2010 - Intercity Railway Society

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