Telford Steam Railway:- Full Speed Ahead !!

As I sit here in the back room of a house in Dawley I can hear the sounding of a train whistle down at Telfords least desirable tourist attraction the Telford Steam Railway (in Horsehay for those of you who wish to have a laugh or cry).

Now while I may have titled today's post "full speed ahead" it certainly won't be by Steam Locomotive, beause the self titled "Telford Steam Railway" doesn't currently have a steam engine, unbelievable really a "Steam Railway" without a "Steam Locomotive".

Apparently the Locomotive is in for its 10 year boiler inspection/overhaul, now this was something that must have been known about but its not surprising that they failed to plan for the eventuality that said engine might not pass, (highly likely considering how they look after things), now the said engine the inappropriately named "Rocket" has not been seen for some time.

So now if you wish to take a ride in a grubby carriage on the stonking 3/4 mile long section of poorly maintained track thats pulled by a steam locomotive, guess what, it will be pulled by a diesel shunter instead. I have recently observed some maintainence of this diesel shunter during an open day during which they were attempting to pull a carriage with a handful of brave/stupid passengers, maintainence consisted of pulling the engine cover off and jamming a huge block of wood somewhere in the engine compartment and whacking the piece of wood with a lump of metal, fills you full of confidence doesn't it, NOT!!

Now while all this has being going on (or not going on as the case may be) they have aquired a rather shabby green coloured "seen better days" "Diesel Multiple Unit" (I believe thats what its called), they can't look after what they have got never mind aquiring even more junk, now if  DMU's are your thing get down there now to have a look, shabby as it is thats is as good as it will ever be because from this day forth it will "merrily rot away".

Remember they carry the name of our town and as such ARE NOT a good advert for it, time for the council to put them out of their misery and take back the land they were gifted all those years ago.

If you really want a ride in a carriage pulled by a steam locomotive, there's a infinitely better, more professional, better run outfit just a few miles away The Severn Valley Railway, an example of how things should be done!!

Vickers Wellington R1646

During a recent Open University residential school week in Scotland studying metamorphic geology and tectonic structures, after one particular days field trip, while on the way way back to our residential school we had a stop over at Braemar. While having a wander round I spotted an aircraft engine on a plinth tucked away in a paved area overlooking the river.

It turned out to be one of the engines from Vickers Wellington R1646 which crashed near Braemar during a training flight on 19th January 1942 killing all those on board, the engines were recovered in 1999 and this one was used in the memorial to the crew of R1646 and all other aircrew that lost their lives flying in the Cairngorn mountains.

The thing that struck me was the nationalities of the crew, like some of my recent posts on crashed wartime aircraft, the crew of R1646 truely was a commonwealth crew, 1 from New Zealand, 2 from Australia, 2 from Canada and 3 from England, they all came together to fight a common foe in our collective hour of need.

May the crew of R1646 and all those that also died flying in the Cairngorns forever rest in peace, they paid the ultimate price, their sacrifice was not in vain.