Question

Hello,

I am relatively new to the whole mainline tours, I have only been on one, behind S15 828 to Bristol Temple Meads when I was ickler then I am now, however, I am moving into the North-West Wiltshire area (possibly Chippenham) and was wondering how I would go about finding out when rail tours would be coming that way? Just so I can get my steam fix whilst the girlfriend is at work...

Thanks

Chris

 

It's simple. You go to this rather splendid website here:

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs09.htm

 

Use the link.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs09.htm

 

And you'll also see regular reference to engine movements, so use

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/lem09.htm

Now you're all set up !!

 

Thanks chaps!!! Can't wait for the move now! Just got to hope a) I get the job and b) find a bunch of train chaps around there too!

Thanks again

 

Don't think you'll have any difficulty finding like-minded enthusiasts but you may find they're besotted with Swindon-built products built by God's Wonderful Railway now Gone With Regret - but since they all least support steam traction you can always forgive them their sins.

 

Re: QuestionDon't think you'll have any difficulty finding like-

Why 'you may find' Mr Kerr? I THINK you mean 'you will be pleased to find'. Wiltshire's full of GWRE's (Gods Wonderful Railway Enthusiasts).

 

Moving up from Hampshire it puts me in a difficult position, despite being a youngun and can just about remember BR, just...very just, I think, I will always be a Southern man through and through...brought up to hate the GWR, for many reasons, including for closing the S&D...so I am looking forward to some interesting discussions

 

Some interesting points there. If your age prevents you from remembering BR, i'm not quite sure how the politics of S @ D closure have stuck !! Anyway, for the future, I live near Reading and it seems that we see as many Southern engines through here as any others They make their way down to Hampshire and Wiltshire very frequently. So I'm sure you will get your fill. At least we do get a fair share and we are making the most of it pre Reading Station rebuild and then electrification. Now that will be politics for you.

 

It's my father's fault through and through! I was brought up loving the S&D for some reason, I didn't even live anywhere near it, but all the same the love was there, and my father raised me to dislike the GWR because of their involvment in its closure!

 

Thats fair enough. The S & D gets mention in so many steam books, its hardly surprising everyone knows of it. I didn't actually travel on it in steam days, living at LUTON then, and I think one of the closest 'feels' you can get to it is the old station at Bath which is now some sort of covered market or storage / parking area !! I have been there and tried to imagine the way it was. Anyway, mustn't have you disliking GWR, we should all love every steam engine now, no matter what the origin was. ( I do have my favourites though !!! )

 

The preserved stations at Midsomer Norton South and Shillingstone have more "feel" (and track), and less "Sainsbury's car park".

http://www.shillingstone.addr.com/

http://www.sdjr.co.uk/

 

Ok James, thanks for that, i ought to put those places on the interesting destinations for the future when I'm down that way. There is a certain ' historic feel' at the disused places; they conjure up all the old photos which we've seen and bring them to life. I suppose thats true in respect of any historic interests whichever walk of life you follow.

 

But some of us who live in those northern wastelands, commonly referred to as "North of Watford", may define GWRE as Great Waste of Railway Experience on the basis that it seemed boiler development ceased with Mr Churchward ( died 1921 ) and that after the King built in 1927 by Collett ( died in 1941 ) locomotive development seemed to rest a little on its laurels and truly took the Great Way Round in its future locomotive development. Even Stanier's Princess Royal class has been described by some as the Pacific that the GWR couldn't design - let alone build.

But then we northerners are supposed not to be that clever - although we did build the first commercial railways well north of Watford as it was felt that the southern mentality couldn't cope with the new technology. After all it was reported that there were fears within learned circles that travelling at speeds greater than 30 mph could cause death.

Still I'm sure the GWR has some supporters but as we northerners are not thought to appreciate the finer points of locomotive design I think we'll stick with our 1930s treasures of LMS Standards and LNER Pacifics.

 

Conveniant you've chose to omit where your beloved Midland poached Mr Stanier from Fred, at a point when existing designs would need a pilot in a moderate breeze and indeed tried to order a batch of "inferior" Castles, granted development stagnated during and post war, but not being of a Southern persuasion any Pacific was not going to be allegedly mixed traffic.

*runs for cover*.

 

Stanier was certainly GWR through and through! I do find it amusing when hardcore LMS fans forget that their beloved company wanted to order Castles after successful trials with Castle No. 5000. I also believe that Gresley's original A1s were modified after trials against a GWR Castle. It's funny how nothing from up north has made it's mark on any GWR designs!

The GWR never needed to improve on it's express passenger loco designs after the Kings; the engines did an adequate job for the rest of thier working lives on the GWR. Lets remember that they were never designed to go "north of Watford" as you say.

Just to add, a Princess is more or less a King anyway, albeit with a wider firebox and slightly bigger boiler, an extra set of wheels, valve gear outside the frames rather than inside and some red paint - you can't deny that. No one can argue that this class of loco (and the Duchesses) are developments of the GWR Stars, because they were. The same goes for a Black 5s, B1s and BR STD 5s - they are all developments of the Hall class.

I think we should all drop the regional rivalry and stick together as a team, although I know everyone has thier favourites. I'm nowhere near old enough to remember steam so I want to make the most of it while it's still able to run on the mainline. I do like all things GWR, but you can give me a SpamCan, a Black 5, Duchess, a Brit or an A4 any day! They are all steam engines after all!

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Mr.Stanier NEEDED to get away so he could allow his creative talents to bloom and flourish. It would never have happened where he was. \/ 8-[ 8-[

 

can I point out tthat the GWR had nothing to do with the closure of the S&D

 

This is great banter. And now Arthur comes back to return us to the original thread !!! Brilliant. There are hundreds of books on the design of locos and who did what and why. Personally, I love all the GWR engines but I would never turn away the opportunity of seing other engines on the railways. Ideas have to come from somewhere and if any of the engineers took those ideas from other enginners and developed them, then it must have been for a good reason. I admit, I don't know the rights and wrongs of S & D Closure and I know there are those of you who are more aware of who did what to influence it. If someone asked me, I would have to bring Beeching into it, but then he appears in most of the 60's closures. Thats about my knowledge before reference to Google !!!!

 

Indeed Sir. It was BR Western Region I believe?

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