The Shropshire Express - 30/09/17

5043 - THE SHROPSHIRE EXPRESS - 30/09/17
a few pictures taken at washwood heath (in the rain!!) at www.flickr.com/photos/15931796@N00/with/36698187904/
or
http://stevebottrill.zenfolio.com/
regards

 

I've just been out to see this climbing the grade through Rhostyllen about 2 miles south of Wrexham running about 6E. It was quite a surprise considering the heavy rain and having to tackle Gresford bank between Chester and Wrexham in pretty poor conditions!

It flew past me working hard doing about 40 at a guess. I even got a whistle, being the only person cutting a lonely silhouette on the over-bridge in the pouring rain.... must be mad.... the dog wasn't too impressed either.

I could hear her for a good few minutes after passing, and did hear her slip pretty heavily for a good 5 seconds around half a mile after passing me. The driver managed to shut off and there must of been a good 15 seconds passed before being opened back up again.

I've just checked the timings and she still seems to be flying - 9E at Gobowen, but probably held outside Shrewsbury and arrived 3E.

 

Difficult to tell from the rounded-to-the-nearest-quarter minute times on RTT, but this does look like another very workmanlike performance on Gresford from the Earl based on a comparison of this year's 13 1/2 minutes with last years 13 minutes Saltney Junction to Wrexham General pass-to-pass time. For those on board, that was a "live-long-in-the-memory" performance, and I do hope that today's has also proved to be so despite the reportedly poor conditions. We can but hope that perhaps Mike Hedderly was once again on hand to record the proceedings as he did last year per his report on the Chester-Shrewsbury run in SR 462

 

An all too brief patch of sunshine just about caught 5043 at Wardle on the way to Chester and a blast from the past passing through Wellington station on the return on what was by then a very dank evening.

Scott

 

I've been behind a few Castles up Gresford bank in the early 60's but don't remember them going as fast as 5043 today. Roared past me just before the site of Gresford station at the top of the bank. Fantastic.

 

Shrewsbury 1963?



Cheers,

Alan

 

A last minute decision and a long trip across the country... 5043 seen at Gresford and Cosford where the cancellation of a proceeding local service enabled Edgcumbe to fly through well ahead of time.

 

'was hissing with rain north of Shrewsbury near Leaton Knolls, so just watched it pass by.
But it was worth getting out to see it climb away from town...

 

Great picture Ian. 'Twas indeed tipping it down in Shrewsbury too when I arrived; I thought the same as yourself, just watch it and underline the number in my "Combined Volume".....
Anyway, the rain eased enough to take a just passable photo of the train entering the station, at least I had The Dana footbridge for shelter from the tumult.

Cheerz,

Alan

 

And for the same reason I was on the footbridge at Wellington but the rain had at least stopped by then.

Scott

 

Blimey. Yes it could be 1963 especially as the High Viz lamp is painted black and barely visible in this shot. My brother and I visited Salop on the last Summer Saturday in 1963 on our way back from a trainspotting trip up North. All steam except for the unfortunate arrival of a Western diesel. We didn't even see a Warship diesel which was unusual by this time as they ran all the way through from the West Country to Crewe. Great days and recaptured by this photo.

 

Glad to have jogged some pleasant memories for you H.H.

Shrewsbury does retain a fair bit of Steam Age hardware and if you look in the right direction it is indeed a real time warp. The lower quadrant GWR signals with appropriate finials go a long way to complete the scene, but I don't think that they will last for many more years. Of course, a B.R. era "Castle" helps that time warp effect.....

Would dearly love to have been around trainspotting in 1963 myself, 'twas but a nipper then and there were a few more years to go before the "bug" bit and reading journals of that era show how Shrewsbury was a real mecca for trains from all points of the compass. Still, it's a real pleasure to sometimes get that feel for another era, even if it is only for a fleeting moment, Scott's photo at Wellington also has more than a hint of steam era atmosphere.

Cheers,

Alan

 

Nice of you to say so Alan. Wellington was desperation time as the rain had driven me almost back home. In retrospect I think the steam age 'feel' on what was a miserable evening comes over better in Black and White.
Although not as much as Shrewsbury Wellington still has quite the feel of a Western station but not being from Shropshire I never knew either in steam days. Wellington is I understand going to be improved with shops and catering, I hope that doesn't mean ruining the atmosphere.



@hatherton hall mentioned the High Intensity lamp being painted black but from what I can see on VT trains the lamp looks to have always been in one of the standard BR pattern lamps and not the plastic one usually seen on other trains .

 

That certainly works in B & W Scott and yes, Wellington still retains enough original buildings and features to get that "vibe", also, the through lines are another lucky survival. Hard to believe that where the car park is to the right in your picture there was a loco shed and if you were there around 1960, there would have been a couple of "Dukedogs" stored there - now where's that time machine.....

Cheers,

Alan

 

Lucky for us, then, that you made that call. Great result!!

From the orientation of the line and general line-side environment, it looks like the Gresford sequence was filmed from the overbridge/ footbridge (205m 07c) a couple of hundred yards north of the site of former Gresford station? The Earl certainly looks very impressive in this sequence, and it clearly bears out the 7P6F comment about the energetic rate of progress at this point - based on train length and time to pass vantage point, it looks like the Earl was sustaining around 50mph, with some 2 miles left to go to the summit of the climb (MP203).

If that's true, this would have been very much in line with last year's performance when the momentum of 46 mph past Gresford translated into a 40 mph minimum at the summit. But I would guess that last year's rail-head conditions may have been somewhat more favourable than those prevailing on Saturday afternoon, so, as what would probably have been the performance highlight of the day, does anyone have the story of what transpired on the climb?

 

And a B & W version of Shrewsbury 1963?




Cheerz,

Alan

 

Well I might just have been tempted to try something north of Shrewsbury, but when we arrived at the overbridge I found the tree branches had grown somewhat since google had last been there, meaning the only uninterrupted view was directly straight on - not great to start with (view of trains heading North from there might be worth trying one day though). I turned the ol' Landy around ready for a swift departure and parked on the verge right by the parapet, so Dad could slide the window open at the last minute and take a naff view from the shelter of his seat. I just about saw it go past around the back of his head!

At Preston I could have almost taken the view from the driver's seat, but as it had stopped raining I ventured out and wasn't totally lazy!

Wellington always looked so much nicer with semaphores and the signal box - always seems such an empty hole since it's been demolished
(Like the B&W version approaching S'Bury)

 

Can't disagree with that !. Sadly it's true of so many places.

 

Sorry to disappoint, but closer inspection of this photo may reveal that there is no black painted hi-viz lamp on the loco. The necessary high intensity head lamp is actually contained in a standard GWR oil headlamp casing which is being carried over the left hand buffer. All of our loco's carry such lamps (4965 has one painted in pre 1930's red), and it has been standard practice, following a Hazid on steam ops carried out nearly 20 years ago, to carry them on the nearside lamp bracket so as to better pick up reflective lineside warnings during hours of darkness or poor visibility.
Regards
Bob

 

It always surprises me, and generates a smile, when I see Baschurch 'box still sat there, especially given the haste with which the likes of Harlescott and Wem 'boxes got demolished. By comparison Baschurch has sat derelic for well over a decade.